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2026 Year in Review

By Katie Brandon
Posted: 08/03/2026

2026 Year in Review

The year began in July as we were settling into our new, expanded office space. As we eased into Fall 2025, our response to the 2025 Eaton Fire shifted from relief to recovery. 

Expanded Capacity & Staff

We launched new programming to address wellness and recovery with expanded staff to support the grant-funded programs. We brought on Kieran Highsmith, as our Program Associate and Gina Baffo as a contractor to support new grant-funded programs and Rick Valladares, as our Staff Driver as well as new program interns - Brandon Martinez and Emerson Gaspar, who were then followed by intern Mary Mejia, who is now our Community Engagement Associate. They joined our amazing staff:

 

Nathan Wolford, Villager & Volunteer Coordinator

Hannah Rough-Schock, Communications & Admin Coordinator

Samantha Gallasch, Development Associate

Pablo Ortiz-Morales, Program Manager

 

It is my pleasure to thank and recognize our staff at this time. They emulate the values of empathy and connectedness in ways I couldn’t imagine when I started over 5 years ago.

 

Unprecedented Support

The increase in our capacity was due to the generous support of foundations Fire Aid LA and Pasadena Community Foundation. These and other funders saw how we were supporting older adults impacted by the Eaton Fire which was possible because of your support - the individuals who donated within days of the start of the fire in January 2025. You donated because you knew your friends and neighbors needed help and Pasadena Village could be the conduit to support them. 

These funders, and others who gave unprecedented funding this year - California Community Foundation, the American Red Cross, the Robert Ellis Simon Foundation - saw the confidence you placed in us and the initial support we were able to provide because of your generosity. And over 20 business partners support us. 

Eaton Fire Recovery

Recovery initiatives continue to assist older adults through peer-support, technology assistance, resource connections, mental health access, scam prevention, transportation, and direct assistance.

Addressing Transportation Needs

We purchased the village van to supplement the growing demand for rides filled by our wonderful volunteer drivers. Over 700 rides have helped Villagers and other older adults impacted by the Eaton Fire get to where they need to go since July. Further supporting transportation connections, in November The OnTheGo Expo brought resources to over 400 attendees. 

Program Highlights

New program highlights included the Centering Sounds series of 8 concerts. This brought us together over music at Washington Park in September and various partner venues in the month of October. We strengthened our partnership with the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center and now host their Senior Coffee Chat in our Community Room each month. 

Funding allowed us to expand our free technology support and we now offer monthly IT Cafés in English and Spanish as well as the popular Tech Time. 

The new fraud and scam prevention programs help us discern phishing attempts from accessing our information and funds. 

Villagers arranged Phoenix Rising lunches, Altadena Reconnect coffees and meals bringing people together. We collaborated with several mental health partners including Foothill Family and Project HOPE on programs such as addressing signs of depression over the holidays and finding community and support with a music therapist.

Vintage Celebration & Village Artists

The Vintage Celebration raised funds to support our mission and was a beautiful celebration of the artists in our village with a display of newly commissioned works. Talking about artists, we have quarterly art shows curated by our Villagers, the monthly artist support group, sketching and painting at the office, and various tutorials.

Over the past year, The Cultural Activities Team offered a record-breaking number of programs related to art and culture - over 50 outings, presentations, workshops, and gatherings. I think we are well on our way to visit every cultural venue in Los Angeles

$450,000 in Recovery Funds Distributed

Pasadena Village received $450,000 from the California Community Foundation to distribute directly to older adults and the Recovery Team was formed. They did a beautiful job considering options and deciding on the distribution. 

One unexpected benefit, besides offering real help in terms of funds when they need it - was a reporter from the Pasadena Star-News wrote an article featuring Villager John Jackson about how we were able to help those impacted by the Eaton Fire. Frequent articles in Pasadena Now and ColoradoBlvd.net also helped spread the word about the village movement thriving here in the Pasadena area.

Supporting Older Adults

The new Leadership Team launched in early 2026 and has a great group of leaders helping us shape how we support the ongoing needs of Villagers. The Care Team offered support to about 10 Villagers each month - offering much needed resource connections and friendship as well as temporary meals and notes of encouragement. 

The Editorial Team has grown and writes poignant articles for the Voice of the Village each month And the new Communications Team is evaluating our website and other forms of communication to help everyone connect better.

We partnered on a new program - two Restore, Repair, Renew Retreats for those impacted by the Eaton Fire in March and June. We launched Prepared 50+, a new preparedness initiative funded by the American Red Cross and Rotary Club of San Marino. The Educational Programs Team scheduled an emergency preparedness workshop and we distributed free disaster kits. Talking about our Educational Programs Team - they scheduled an array of free presentations every month featuring experts from a variety of fields. 

As new family caregivers continue to join Pasadena Village and look to us for support, we started the new monthly Care Lunch and piloted a printed Guide for Caregivers to connect them with free resources. 

107 free programs were offered to the community in 2026/27!

New small group gatherings this year include Mahjong, TV-Behind the Scenes, Band Practice with The Disappointments, Hearing Loss Group, Audubon Society Village Group and the Silent Book Club. 

The Outreach Team staffed tables at 22 community events including Altadena Pride. And the Villager Engagement Team welcomed and oriented the 54 new Villagers who joined and became part of our intentional community.

 

All and all it has been a beautiful year of building communities of support and we are well positioned to continue to fulfil our mission in the years to come.