A Legacy for Seniors at Pasadena Community Foundation

Two women, one dressed in pink medical scrubs and the other in a light blue sweater, assist a smiling older woman who is using a walker.
A Black woman stands at a front door holding a basket of food. She is delivering Meals on Wheels to an elderly gentleman client, who stands in his doorway, smiling at the camea.
Pasadena Meals on Wheels is one of seven PCF 2023 Senior grantee organizations.

Pasadena Community Foundation recently announced the recipients for its 2023 Senior Grant Program. This year, seven local nonprofits organizations that serve elderly adults received nearly $60,000 in funding in support of programs that support elderly clients who are frail and those who seek to remain independent at home for as long as possible.

2023 Senior Grant Recipients

  • Alzheimer’s Association
  • Armenian Relief Society
  • Convalescent Aid Society
  • Huntington Health Senior Care Network
  • Pasadena Meals on Wheels
  • Pasadena Senior Center
  • Pasadena Village

Between its launch in 2008 and 2023, the Pasadena Community Foundation Senior Grant Program has awarded 89 grants to 22 unduplicated organizations totaling more than $750,000. This grant program falls under PCF’s Human Services area of interest.

Endowed Support for Seniors

The announcement of the 2023 Senior Grants provides the perfect opportunity to highlight the history of PCF’s Senior Grant Program, which evolved with the endowed support of two Pasadena-area families: Cornelia L. Eaton and Bill and Betsy Rawn. Click on image to watch our video “A Legacy for Seniors – The Power of the Eaton & Rawn Endowments.”

A Black woman wearing a medical professional white coat guides an elderly Black gentlemen as he makes his way forward using a walker. The photo has been adapted to include a "press play" icon in the middle, indicating that readers can click on it to view a video.

In 1994, longtime Pasadena resident Cornelia Eaton passed away and named PCF as the sole beneficiary of her entire estate, worth more than $800,000. This led to the creation, in 1995, of the  Cornelia L. Eaton Endowment for Assistance to the Elderly. The Eaton Endowment was the initial force behind the creation, in 2008, of PCF’s Senior Grant Program. The Eaton Endowment has supported more than 30 organizations in its lifetime and has disbursed funding repeatedly to many of these organizations. They include Pasadena Senior Center, Pasadena Meals on Wheels, Convalescent Aid Society, and Pasadena Village.

Nine older adults sit on and around a picnic table as a group, waving to the camera. They are bundled up for the cold, but the sun in shining. A dog lays at their feet.
Pasadena Village launched a new program in 2022 called Walk with Ease. PCF was able to fully fund the program in its first year with funds from The Cornelia L. Eaton Endowment for Assistance to the Elderly.

In 2012, the three sons of Bill and Betsy Rawn created the Bill & Betsy Rawn Endowment for Seniors in Need. The Rawns offered significant support to the the Scripp’s Home in Altadena during their adult lives and included the home in their bequests. When Scripps closed in 2011, the Rawn sons had to determine how best to honor their parents’ intent to provide care for aging adults. Through the Rawns, then, the mission of the Scripps Home carries on through PCF and continues to make an impact in our community.

In choosing to endow their passion with PCF, these families chose legacies that transcend any particular charity and lend perpetual funding to many organizations serving older adults.

Read more about PCF Endowment Builders and learn how you can make a lasting impact in the lives of Pasadena-area residents.