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LOS ANGELES, CA (October 29 2014) –Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Greater Los Angeles (BBBSLA) honored outstanding members
of the Los Angeles community at its annual Big Bash
gala October 24, 2014 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. Awards
recognize individuals who are inspiring and positive role
models for young people. William H. Ahmanson, President,
The Ahmanson Foundation, received the Walt Disney Man of
the Year Award; Jennifer Salke, President of NBC
Entertainment, was presented the Sherry Lansing Award;
and The Hollywood Reporter received the Trailblazer
Award.
Pam Dawber and Kim Vamos Chaired.
Following an electric
opening performance by recording artists Magnolia Memoir,
Mary Willard, Big Brothers Big Sisters Guild President
welcomed the more than 450 guests, citing the efforts that
the Guild makes, “working tirelessly to help the children in
our community have better lives.”
Host Sean Hayes kept the
laughs going before welcoming Tiffany Siart, President and
CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, to
the stage. Siart announced a collaboration in 2015 with the
Goodwill Community Enrichment Center at Fletcher Square, a
partnership that will, in addition to reducing costs, expand
BBBSLA’s ability to connect their families with other
critical services and resources including workforce
development training as well as career and college
counseling. This opens the door to other Goodwill
Enrichment Center partnerships throughout Los Angeles
County, increasing their ability to reach and serve those
communities most in need.
To present the
evening’s Trailblazer Award to The Hollywood Reporter
(THR), Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair of Disney Media Network
and President of Disney/ABC TV Group, introduced mentees
Maira Solis, Britney Abellanosa and
Sonia Ortega. Created in
2009, the Women In Entertainment Mentoring Program
is a joint venture between THR and BBBSLA that
selects 15 girls from some of L.A.’s toughest high schools
and pairs them with industry titans on THR’s Power
100 Women in Entertainment list. In this extremely
competitive program, mentors take these highly-motivated
girls under their wings, opening their eyes (and doors) to
new dreams and possibilities. Participants in the program
are now attending a host of schools including Yale, Harvard,
LMU and Berkeley. Accepting on behalf of The Hollywood
Reporter, Janice Min, President/Chief Creative Officer,
Entertainment Group; Lynne Segall, Executive Vice
President/Group Publisher, Entertainment Group and Stephen
Galloway, Executive Editor, Features.
The evening’s
Honorary Chair, Roy P. Disney, grand-nephew of Walt Disney
and last year’s Walt Disney Man of the Year Award
recipient, spoke briefly about the award itself,
“recognizing men who set a standard of excellence, both in
their professional and personal accomplishments and
humanitarianism.” He then introduced philanthropist,
humanitarian and educator, Brindell Gottleib to make the
presentation to William Ahmanson. Through The Ahmanson
Foundation, countless worthy causes including Big Brothers
Big Sisters have benefitted, speaking to the extraordinary
philanthropic bent of the night’s honoree.
An accomplished businessman, Ahmanson also served for ten years as a Los
Angeles Police Reserve Officer and remains active on various
boards that support the department.
Emmy Award-winning
actress Katherine Heigl, currently starring in the new NBC
drama, State of Affairs, introduced a video tribute
narrated by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for 2014 Sherry
Lansing Award honoree Jennifer Salke, President of NBC
Entertainment. The award recognizes contributions of women
who, like Lansing, who was in the audience, have not only
demonstrated tremendous leadership at the highest level of
their chosen field, but also the capacity for sharing their
considerable gifts with others. Salke, a “big sister”
herself, was presented the award by her “little sister,”
Paola.
A highlight of the evening was the introduction of three “littles,”
accompanied by their “bigs” who brought the room to a
collective hush with their poignant stories of where their
lives had been before they became a part of Big Brothers Big
Sisters, what they could have become without the guidance of
their mentors and what the future holds.
In addition to
Magnolia Memoir, guests were entertained by members of The
Vocal Ensemble at the Los Angeles County High School for the
Performing Arts.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los
Angeles is to provide children facing adversity with strong
and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring
relationships that change their lives for the better,
forever. In 1955, Walt Disney and Meredith Willson founded
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. One of the
largest youth mentoring organizations in the country, BBBSLA
has served children and families facing adversity. They
provide one-to-one youth mentoring services, carefully
screening volunteer mentors and matching them with youth,
and provide ongoing support for the volunteers, mentees,
families, schools, businesses and community partners.
Children in the program improve their school performance,
avoid risky behaviors, and build higher self-esteem and
aspirations. These outcomes are substantiated by rigorous
independent evaluation methodology. Philanthropedia, a
GuideStar company, recently named BBBS as the #1 high
impact national nonprofit organization serving at-risk youth.
To learn more, visit
www.BBBSLA.org,
follow on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/bbbsla,
and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/bbbsla.
About the Big
Brothers Big Sisters Guild
Founded in 1986, the Guild is dedicated to promoting
awareness and raising financial support for Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. Helmed by President Mary
Willard, the Guild is a volunteer group comprised of
prominent women and men from the community, which has raised
over $10 million to support the life saving programs of Big
Brothers Big Sisters.
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