On May 14, almost thirty United Way volunteers gathered at El Sereno Middle School to partake in the 2nd Annual Career Day. Volunteers from companies across Los Angeles spoke to more than 100 students, each over the course of 4 class periods. All sectors were covered – from acting to accounting – opening the eyes of students at this UWGLA partner school to a whole new world of possibilities.
Melanie Alvarez, an 8th grade student, spoke to the group about her experience last year. She read a letter that she had written for the volunteers, stating, “You all inspired me to stay in school and never give up on anything I hope to achieve… thank you.” It was a very touching moment for both her teachers and the volunteers.
Principal Dr. Frances Gibson, who is in her first year with ESMS, thanked United Way for its many contributions over the past 2 years. Detailing the various ways UWGLA volunteers have been involved, she told them, “You are all teachers today. Thank you for being here.”
Volunteers spoke to music, science, math and social studies classes for the next 3 hours and shared their feedback with one another over lunch. While some questions were entertaining (“Can you get us into the Staples Center for free?!”- a question posited to a security firm owner), others were serious – discussing Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees and other educational paths that are important to forming a career.
Thank you VERY much to all our volunteers who participated! Your contribution cannot not be overstated. We hope to see you again next year for a new crop of students!
Click here to see photos from the event!
2013 United Way Career Day Volunteers:
Maria Audero, Partner, Paul Hastings LLP
Brian Brummit, Actor
Louis Castle, Police Sergeant/K-9 Handler/Instructor, Culver City Police Department (Retired)
Jessica Copenhaver, Vice President, Citi Private Bank
Josh Copenhaver, Vice President, Citi Private Bank
Jamila Fairley, Production Incentive Planning, Tax Manager, Fox Entertainment Group
Angela Fentimen, Media & Employee Communications Manager, Southern California Gas Company
Zulema Garcia, Partner, KPMG
Anthony Garrison, Interim Director, Asian Pacific Student Services, LGBT Student Services, Loyola Marymount College
Deborah Lee, Partner, International Tax, PwC
Ben Lewis, Area Sales Manager, UPS
Chad McKinsey, Musician
Susan McNulty, Occupational Therapist/Adjunct Professor, USC
Betsy Monahan, HR Director, ACCO Engineered System
Mabel Munoz, Program Officer, First 5 LA
Lisa O’Rourke, Executive Director, Marketing and Communications, Loyola Marymount College
Aimee Quon, Mechanical Integration Engineer, JPL
James Rock, Senior Manager, Assurant Services, KPMG
Natalie Seaman, Senior Account Executive, Wellpoint/Anthem Blue Cross
Carolyn Spaeter, Account Management Executive Consultant, Anthem Blue Cross
Le Tang Story Artist, Dreamworks Animation
Cynthia Torres, Senior Account Executive, UPS
Christina Ward, Executive Team Leader – Human Resources, Target
Austin Wheelon, MEP Coordinator, PCL Construction Services, Inc.
Jeff Zisner, President & CEO, AEGIS Security &
Investigations, Inc.
On Tuesday, members of United Way’s Emerging Leaders and Women Leaders presented their second annual Career Day at El Sereno Middle School in Los Angeles.
Representing organizations such as Anthem Blue Cross, the Culver City Police Department, Dreamworks, KPMG and PwC, professionals from the public, private and nonprofit sectors shared with hundreds of eager young students their tips for launching successful and rewarding careers.
Click here to see photos from the event!
On Tuesday May 14th, almost 30 United Way volunteers convened at El Sereno Middle School’s campus to talk to students about their careers and the paths they took to arrive where they are today. Mostly made up of United Way’s Women Leaders & Emerging Leaders affinity group donors, the volunteers came from a variety of professional sectors- from acting to accounting- and took time to answer questions about education, jobs, and personal passions. Thanks so much to our volunteers!
On Tuesday, April 23, 2013 the Executive Members of United Way’s Women Leaders took part in a very special evening designed to unite women in the true spirit of friendship and philanthropy. The intimate gathering – hosted by United Way Board Member Caroline Nahas – featured both an address by WL Cabinet Chair Patricia Hausknost and a tribute to former Cabinet Chair Jan Cloyde.
“I know that whenever women lead in good work, men will follow.”- Frances Wisebart Jacobs, a founder United Way, as quoted in the Rocky Mountain News, August 27, 1888
On March 6-8, United Way of Greater Los Angeles Women’s Leaders volunteers Patricia Hausknost (City National Bank) and Carol Jackson (Macy’s) and staff members joined over 275 volunteers and staff from across the country at the inspiring United Way Women’s Leadership Summit in Charleston, SC to share strategies and best practices to advance the work of a movement now over 55,000 members strong.
Highlights of the Summit included:
- A celebration of raising over $1 billion collectively over the past 12 years, an amazing milestone!
- Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole (Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art) and Ann Stallard (CEO, Graphic Communications Corp., Lawrenceville, GA) received the United Way Women in Philanthropy Award, which was established to celebrate influential leaders who mobilize the power of women to advance the common good.
- General sessions presented topics such as advocating for women in leadership positions, and at least 30% representation of women on United Way boards and the art of storytelling to share work in the community.
- Honored guest speakers included Maya Moore (WNBA) and Mallory Weggemann (Paralympic Swimmer, Gold Medalist) , Rep. Carol Shea Porter (D-NH) and Chicago’s own Connie Lindsey (Northern Trust) and Whitney Reynolds (Host, The Whitney Reynolds Show).
- Juana Slade (AnMed Health), 2012 Chair of the National Women’s Leadership Council passed the leadership torch to the new 2013 Chair, Cynthia Gibson (Scripps Networks Interactive).
You can become part of the movement. Learn more about the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Women Leaders here.
United Way is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia D. Hausknost as Chair of the Women Leaders Cabinet for the 2012-2013 campaign season!
Patricia is a highly-respected member of the business community with more than 38 years of experience in the banking industry. Holding an MBA from Chicago’s Loyola University, she moved to Southern California in 1998 and is currently a Senior Vice President at the Los Angeles-based City National Bank.
In addition to becoming a Certified Financial Planner and teaching courses at UCLA Extension in her spare time, Patricia has made invaluable contributions to UWGLA’s Women Leaders – an influential network of local businesswomen who are committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in L.A. County.
This past May, Patricia participated in United Way’s first annual Career Day at El Sereno Middle School and was the opening speaker at the Women Leaders 2012 Spring Breakfast which featured special guest, LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia.
Originally founded in 2001, Women Leaders is a socially-conscious affinity group with nearly 600 members which raises an average of $1.7 million per year for United Way’s Creating Pathways Out of Poverty fund.
For more information on how to join, please click here.
*Patricia Hausknost welcomes guests to the Women Leaders 2012 Spring Breakfast in March.
Several of United Way’s most avid supporters were recently honored at the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 20th annual “Women Making a Difference” awards luncheon which recognizes the contributions of top L.A. businesswomen who are dedicated to bettering the community.
Among the day’s nominees: Emerging Leaders Councilmembers Meredith Esarey and Lisa O’Rourke (both nominated for the Rising Star of the Year award), Chair of the Women Leaders Cabinet Jan Cloyde (Volunteer of the Year) and Chair of United Way’s Corporate Board of Directors Caroline Nahas (Philanthropist of the Year).
Deloitte’s Michelle Kerrick and Marion Anderson of the Marion & John E. Anderson Foundation, both longtime advocates of UWGLA’s mission to create pathways out of poverty, were the proud winners of LABJ’s Executive of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year awards, respectively.
United Way of Greater L.A. would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the recipients of these prestigious awards and to express our gratitude for your attendance as well as for your relentless commitment to improving the overall quality of life for the residents of Los Angeles County!
Last Thursday, more than two dozen members of United Way’s Emerging Leaders and Women Leaders presented their first annual Career Day at El Sereno Middle School in Los Angeles.
Representing organizations such as the Culver City Police Department, Bank of America, JPL, Anthem Blue Cross and the ACLU of Southern California, professionals from the public, private and nonprofit sectors shared with hundreds of eager young students their tips for launching successful and rewarding careers.
For Woman Leader Maria Audero, a partner at Paul Hastings LLP, the half-day event really struck an emotional chord as it became apparent that volunteers and children alike were being left equally inspired.
“I’ve had the good fortune of being able to contribute to causes I believe in but when I have the chance to actually draw on my professional skills and assist in a leadership capacity, the experience resonates on a very different level,” she said. “Spending time with the people and the communities United Way is helping offers the kind of satisfaction you can only get through direct human contact.”
For Emerging Leader Abraham Carons of the United Nations Association of the USA, United Way’s inaugural Career Day served as a poignant reminder of the organization’s continuing battle against poverty – one which can only be won by working together.
“I choose to support United Way of Greater L.A. because of the social and economic impact it’s making on our communities,” he said. “It tackles real problems like poverty, homelessness and a failing educational system head-on. The hands-on work that United Way and its local partners are doing can only be buoyed by our willingness to donate our time as well as our dollars.”
Click here to see more photos from the event!
Yesterday, Women Leaders from across the region gathered at the Downtown Women’s Center, a United Way partner organization, to create a hot, delicious meal for 150 homeless women currently living on Skid Row.
Employees of B & B Premier Insurance Solutions, Bank of America, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Resources Global Professionals and Transamerica Retirement Services spent their evening preparing turkey sloppy joes, paprika oven fries, fruit salad and green salad all while getting to know one another and helping those who are less fortunate.
United Way’s Women Leaders are dedicated to building a brighter future for the residents of L.A. County. For more information on how to get involved, please contact Sarah Oesterle at soesterle@unitedwayla.org.
This morning, members of United Way’s Women Leaders attended the group’s 2012 Spring Breakfast at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel to learn more about the various challenges facing L.A.’s educational system.
Special guest Monica Garcia, President of LAUSD’s Board of Education, joined UWGLA President and CEO Elise Buik for a thought-provoking Q & A session focused on issues such as:
- The District’s 56% graduation rate, key reform initiatives and the current state of its 900 elementary, middle and high school campuses;
- Improving educator effectiveness as well as the impact of California’s budget crisis on the quality of instruction at local schools and their ability to deliver vital programs and services;
- Public School Choice, the School Report Card and similar measures designed to engage parents and community members in the educational process.
Garcia reinforced the District’s commitment to providing students with the tools they need to succeed while also praising United Way’s efforts to continually promote positive change.
“L.A. Unified is building partnerships with organizations all over the city and although the resources and strategies may differ, the goal remains the same: to achieve a 100% graduation rate and prepare our kids for both college and career,” she said.
“United Way’s leadership has been so important in bringing people to the table and ensuring that the voices of parents and community members are heard. Thank you for telling us that 56% isn’t good enough and for always pushing us to do better!”
To find out how you can help build a brighter future for our children by joining United Way’s Women Leaders, please contact Sarah Oesterle at soesterle@unitedwayla.org.
Check out a gallery of photos from the event.
On May 14, almost thirty United Way volunteers gathered at El Sereno Middle School to partake in the 2nd Annual Career Day. Volunteers from companies across Los Angeles spoke to more than 100 students, each over the course of 4 class periods. All sectors were covered – from acting to accounting – opening the eyes of students at this UWGLA partner school to a whole new world of possibilities. 
