Each year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. Over the course of Pasadena Community Foundation’s 70-year history, PCF has helped uplift the education, work, and legacies of countless women through our endowment and scholarship funds.
Throughout the month of March, PCF highlighted several of our funds that honor the important impact of women in the greater Pasadena area.
Civic Leaders
Learn how friends worked with PCF to honor the legacy of Loretta Glickman, the nation’s first Black woman mayor with a population exceeding 100,000 – right here in Pasadena. The Loretta Glickman Endowment for African American Youth
Learn about Betty Jean Ho, who not only served as the longtime field representative to former Pasadena mayors Katie Nack and Bill Bogaard, but she also volunteered for countless organizations, leaving an indelible mark on her community. The Betty Jean Ho Endowment
The Legacy of Women at Work nonprofit organization
Women at Work was a Pasadena nonprofit that served our community for nearly 40 years. Through its mission – “to help clients reach their full employment and earnings potential in a supportive environment” – WAW assisted thousands of greater-Pasadena-area women develop professional skills and find jobs.
The organization sunset its operations in 2018, but not before creating the Women at Work Endowment with the Pasadena Community Foundation. This fund ensures continuity for the unique niche Women at Work served as a nonprofit and is a legacy to the women who founded and participated in the organization. During its tenure with PCF, the Women at Work Endowment has granted nearly $40,000 to organizations like the Flintridge Center, Coffee with a Cause, and Elizabeth House.
On March 11, 2024, three former leaders of Women at Work visited PCF to share their stories and memories from their time with this dynamic organization. Read more.
A tribute to the field of nursing
The PCC-HMH Schools of Nursing Alumni Association Endowment Fund was established by nurses who had received their training at Huntington Memorial Hospital (HMH) and later, at Pasadena City College (PCC) throughout the 20th century. While men have entered the field of nursing for several decades, historically, nursing was women’s work, and the Association that created the endowment was predominantly female. Read about how training for the nursing profession evolved between HMH and PCC.
Community Leaders in the Arts & Health
Former Pasadena Community Foundation board member Peggy Phelps was a passionate patron for arts organizations in the Pasadena area for many decades, including the Pasadena Art Alliance, the Armory Center for the Arts, the Pasadena Art Museum (which became the Norton Simon Museum), and ArtCenter College of Design. Many other organizations benefited from her dedicated attention. Read more about Peggy and the Peggy Phelps Endowment at PCF.
As Elizabeth “Beth” Calleton earned her degrees at Smith College and Columbia University during the 1950s, she started participating in the growing women’s movement, and her dedication to women’s rights informed many of the causes and organizations she worked for over the course of her life and career. She served as Executive Director for 22 years at Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and volunteered for The League of Women Voters, Young and Healthy, Zonta, the Altadena Children’s Center, the United Nations Association, the Women’s City Club, and the Pasadena Senior Center. Read more about the Elizabeth Brown Calleton Endowment.
