According to a recent article on Forbes.com, "women tend to donate more of their wealth than men do ... giving an average of 3.5%, while men give l.8%."
On Thursday, September 17th at the Women's City Club in 
Pasadena, 100 women representing 26 different local women's groups that together have donated 1,606 years of service to benefit our community, joined members of the Pasadena Community Foundation's Legacy Society to share their experiences in philanthropy.
Over a luncheon that included the Women's City Club's famous fresh baked "popovers," they were inspired by the story of Bridget "Biddy" Mason, a woman who understood the importance of giving. Born a slave on a Southern Plantation in the early 1800s, Biddy eventually became a wealthy Los Angeles land owner who was renowned for giving back to help others.
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Women's Service Groups from Pasadena Area Participating in Legacy Luncheon Women's City Club of Pasadena and the Blinn House Foundation Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Eta Lambda Omega Chapter Assistance League of Pasadena College Women's Club Community Organization of Pasadena for Advancement in Education (C.O.P.A.) Daughter of Vartan Delta Sigma Theta Sorority - Pasadena Chapter Jack and Jill of America Junior League of Pasadena League of Women Voters - Pasadena |
Area Lebanese Ladies Cultural Society The Links - Pasadena/ Altadena Chapter National Charity League - Pasadena Area Chapter National Charity League - San Marino Area Chapter Pasadena Art Alliance Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts Pasadena Woman's Club San Marino Woman's Club Shakespeare Club/League Sierra Madre Woman's ClubSoroptimist International of Altadena/Pasadena Woman's Civic League Woman's Club of South Pasadena The Yes, Virginia Fund Zonta Club of Pasadena |
After discovering that California was a "free state," Biddy successfully petitioned the court to free her and her three daughters. Because of her long experience in healing the sick and delivering babies, she became a midwife and nurse which brought her financial independence.
As the first black woman to own property in early Los Angeles, she used some of her resources to assist local charities. Though her generosity, and that of her family, they made a difference by providing food and shelter to those in need, visiting prison inmates and helping to found and finance L.A.'s first black church.
The Pasadena Community Foundation, a philanthropic resource to our local community, hosted this annual Legacy Luncheon which this year included representatives of local women's service groups that may ordinarily not have the opportunity to come together and learn from each other.
In honoring them and members of the Foundation's own Legacy Society, the Foundation was able to thank those who often are not in the spotlight but make a difference through their generous effort to improve the quality of life in our community. The following list of women's service groups and donors to the Foundation's own Legacy Society were in attendance.