By Mary O’KEEFE

Normally this is when I would write about the weather, climate change – yes it’s still a thing – and other issues of sustainability; however, this time I would like to just share a very special meeting that was held on Tuesday night.

As most know I have been involved for years with Prom Plus (PP), the after-prom program whose mission is to “save lives one prom at a time.” I had announced that I had to step down because I just couldn’t get anyone to support this important organization. Try as we might, the PP board could not get parents involved.

Robin Goldsworthy was PP president for many years until she stepped down during COVID. We had two presidents who followed her – Joy McCreary and Megan McCarty – but they soon stepped down. I continued on as vice president, Kyle Studebaker and Harry Leon (our grill master at school barbecues) also stayed on the board. My daughter Molly then joined but we still could not get new parents to step up. So with a very heavy heart I had to write that PP would end. Robin and I were resigned to the fact that the organization was going to end after 30 years. But I should never underestimate my daughter Molly because she started networking and inviting so many parents to the after-prom party … and then these parents began to step up.

On Tuesday night the new executive board of PP was introduced to the public during a Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce mixer. First, the mixer was held in a perfect setting – the YMCA of the Foothills. This is where the PP event has been held for decades. The YMCA has been a strong supporter of the PP organization and of the students of Crescenta Valley.

Board members include the new president Drew Massingill, vice president Asia Bribiesca-Hedin, secretary Jon Allen, treasurer Corey Park and Molly is the PP Club mentor. These members, along with other parents who have stepped up to be on the board or members of various committees, are quite honestly saving lives.

I cannot put into words how much this means – not just to me but to the army of volunteers that have supported PP over the last 30 years. This organization started after the tragic murder of CVHS senior Berlyn Cosman. She was attending an after- prom party at an Anaheim hotel when she was shot and killed while she slept. The murder and following trial tore the community apart. Community members and parents decided they needed to do something to give kids an alternative to an unsupervised after-prom party and PP was born.

In a future news article I will write more about PP and its new board but for now I just want to let this new group of PP champions know how much I appreciate that they stepped up and are ready to roll up their sleeves and support PP.

I also want to take time to thank those who supported PP over the years. I will highlight some although I know I cannot mention all of them because there have been quite literally hundreds of supporters – but here are some who I worked closely with.

Mary Pinola. I met Mary when she was selling scarves at one of our PP annual boutiques. She donated the funds to PP but what I didn’t realize was this generous scarf lady was actually the head of the Mary Pinola Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund. This organization has dedicated itself to supporting numerous non-profits that have a strong focus on kids. Her funds support robotics, science and medicine, Fire House youth center and PP. This woman works so hard for her Education Fund. She is constantly looking for ways to raise funds and to support the community.

Her Smart-A-Thon is her most successful fundraiser and an event she never stops championing. But beyond that, Mary is one of the most optimistic people on the planet. She always has a nice thing to say to our volunteers and to the students we all support.

Chris Waldheim with J’s Maids and Maintenance. Anyone in the Crescenta Valley and Glendale know of Chris’ generosity and support, even though he works really hard to stay in the background. He works with Mary Pinola on her Education Fund, he supports local food banks, he supports multiple non-profits and he has supported PP. His support is very personal to me because at the end of an all-night PP event, I used to clean the Y. Then Chris had his employees stay at the Y all night during PP and help clean. At the end of the night the cleanup was so much easier. Before Chris stepped up I spent many early mornings scrubbing floors at the Y. And his workers are so kind and so supportive as well.

Lisa Yeghiayan was at PP before I joined. She was in charge of the kitchen and her daughter Aimee started helping her at a very young age. Lisa became the cheerleader for PP. She could walk around a room and in just a few minutes not only know everyone’s name but had most of them sign up to either donate or volunteer at the event. Her energy was contagious and everyone seemed to move just a little faster and laugh a little louder when she was around.

Aimee Yeghiayan started as a young student helping her mom; when she was in high school she joined my daughter Molly and their friend Jacob Magana in the formation of the Prom Plus Club. They actually started PPC because they wanted to help their moms. Lisa and I really did carry all the tables at the events and Molly and Aimee wanted to stop us from doing that. So they started the club with the simple idea of helping out their moms. But this club quickly grew into a volunteer force for the community. When PPC volunteers came to your event you knew they would be respectful and would work hard. Their tagline is “We are the first to arrive and the last to leave, and we carry all the tables.” And they did. Beyond volunteering they became a safe place for fellow students. They supported each other and helped their fellow PPC students move through high school and even supported each other through college.

And this brings me to PPC members. I cannot list all of the members of the PPC as each one has made the sure the club continued its mission and helped it grow. The presidents of the club after Molly and Aimee left worked hard to keep the PPC reputation as a strong and respectful workforce. The presidents since then have included Dylan Sylvester, Jessy Shelton (Molly’s sister), David Green and Ainslie Covington. The current co-presidents are Ryan Franklin and Diego Ovilla. This club has been so strong and so important to the community and to PP.

State Senator Anthony Portantino has been a longtime supporter of PP and has shown his support by showing up to the event and volunteering in the casino room. Most of the time the students didn’t realize he was a state senator; they just saw a parent volunteer; however, once they found out this senator thought enough of them to volunteer to stay up all night to support them … well, they were blown away.

Similar is Nayiri Nahabedian, a former member of the Glendale Unified School District board of education. She was always at the casino supporting PP. As a member of the GUSD board it was very important that students saw that she supported them. She stayed all night as the students joked with her and had a great time.

Julie Dowse and the entire Maluccio family. Jean Maluccio, the mom of Mike and Julie, supported PP and became a friend to Molly. This family spends a lot of time behind the scenes but without them this organization could not happen. Julie has been the kitchen leader for many years now and cooks all night long making sure the students who attend PP are well fed.

My family has always supported PP and, in fact, all of the organizations that I volunteer in. My husband was always at the ready to set up and tear down whatever event I was at. He really is the one who started carrying all the tables.

My son Charly was also always on call and was the one who started my involvement with PP. He was in high school in 2006 and noticed this woman, Marian Mirskey (the grandmother of PP and CVHS), setting up tables to sell baked goods to raise money for PP. He started helping her, setting up the tables to sell the baked goods. He told me I needed to come and help her … and so I did. Charly was the PP photographer, the computer programmer and the creativity behind the decorations and through him we got his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Sabrina to be our palm reader at the event. And even now his 4-year-old son carries chairs and helps organize events with his Aunt Molly.

And then there are my girls: Jessy and Molly. They have been the force behind PPC and Molly is now sharing that strength with PP. Molly and Jessy guided their clubs in similar ways. They made sure that the volunteers had fun helping the community. They were – and are – so dedicated to helping others and supporting their fellow students. They had different approaches to similar issues but they both came from a place of kindness, and members knew if they had them on their side they would be okay.

Robin Goldsworthy – without her PP would have ended years ago. I don’t think she ever set out to be the president of PP but she grew into the position. When I was at the Valley Sun newspaper Robin was one my first interviews, and the story was Prom Plus. Somehow from that interview I became a member of PP board. I don’t remember how it happened but that’s the effect Robin had on people. You got caught up in her overwhelming enthusiasm and the next thing you know you are staying up all night at the Y, you’re setting up tables at a boutique and selling tickets for Taste of Montrose. Her energy boosted everyone – parents, community members and students. If I was ever looking for her I would just have to follow the laughter. She honestly was and is the heart of PP.

Enjoy the calm skies now because another Santa Ana wind event is blowing our way beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 19 and lasting through Thursday, Nov. 21.

This time the Santa Anas will be warm bringing temperatures into the 70s and 80s, above normal November temperatures. We will see gusts of over 50 mph and sustained winds from 20 to 30 mph.

This will bring extremely dangerous fires conditions and residents should use this time to be prepared, according to a NOAA spokesperson.

Until then the weather should be cool, in the high 60s, with a chance of rain late today into Friday.