Pencil Me In

Trying to schedule something on our community calendar is a dance to be sure. The first part of the year is typically busy and 2018 is no exception. I was honored to attend a grand gala in January for Ascencia, which works to lift people out of homelessness, and on Friday night I donned my disco best and headed to The Castaway for a night of sequins and ’70s music. I’m sort of embarrassed to admit that I looked no farther than my closet to find my outfit for the evening.

The event benefitted the Glendale Educational Foundation, which has hosted Dancing & Diamonds, then Denim & Diamonds and this year Disco & Diamonds. In addition to wearing snazzy outfits, the event was a chance to honor some remarkable graduates of the Glendale Unified School District. These included Ralph Winter (Glendale High, 1970) former Clark Magnet High principal Doug Dall (Crescenta Valley High, 1971) Phyllis Campbell (Hoover High, 1943 – posthumous) and Ara Mahdessian and Vahe Kuzoyan (Clark Magnet High, 2003).

Though I was impressed by all the honorees, Ara and Vahe particularly caught my attention. Not only is the pair young but also their humility was inspiring. They recognized the hard work and dedication of their parents and of their principal Doug Dall. Turning to a seated Doug Dall, Ara said, “We didn’t appreciate what you tried to teach us.”

But apparently they did because the pair opened ServiceTitan, a company that mirrors their shared values and penchant for hard work. ServiceTitan was recently honored by Forbes as a Rising Star in Forbes Cloud 100 Top Companies.

Quoted in the night’s program was a comment by them: “Our parents came to this country from Armenia to build better lives for their families … We could think of no better way to repay that gift than build a business to serve service contractors and help them achieve their goals.”

Congratulations to them and to all of this year’s recipients.

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One of the “fun-raisers” that Prom Plus has is a bingo game. Because bingo is a lot of fun, many other nonprofits in the area are hosting games over the next couple of months. Thankfully, Prom Plus was able to secure the night of Saturday, April 28 for our event, which will be held at the American Legion Hall. Sponsors are needed! Give me a call or email me if you want to support this outstanding organization. Pre-sale tickets will be going on sale soon, too.

  robin goldsworthy