Palisadian Debutantes Honored

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Twenty-seven families and their daughters—including seven Palisadian debutantes—were honored by Las Madrinas for their service to the Southern California community and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles at The Las Madrinas Ball.

More than 800 guests from the greater Los Angeles area—including the debutantes, their family and their friends—gathered at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to celebrate.

Palisadian debutantes are Sarah Margaret Stokes, Kristin Leigh Larson, Isabel Ference Wiatt, Lily Anne O’Donnell, Catherine Margaret Rozelle, Kerry Elizabeth Larson and Bridget Arlene Stokdyk.

At the ball, Las Madrinas President Kathy Thompson shared about the current project, the Las Madrinas Endowment for the Chief of Neurology Chair and the Neurological Institute Epilepsy Program.

The debutantes were then announced by member husband Jon Warren Newby, while member husband David Thomas Balfour served as director of presentation. 

Flowers were provided by Jacob Maarse Florists of Pasadena, and the Wayne Foster Orchestra accompanied the presentation and played the traditional father-daughter waltz.

“Las Madrinas was established in 1933 as the first Affiliate Group of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and has been supporting pediatric medicine for 85 years,” according to a press release. “Since 1939, Las Madrinas has honored families who have demonstrated a commitment to the civic, cultural and philanthropic life of Southern California by presenting their daughters at the Las Madrinas Ball.”

Donations have enabled Las Madrinas to complete nine projects at the hospital since 1988, including eight research endowments totaling almost $25 million.