Happy New Year from Collaborate PASadena!
A Celebration of Collaboration
On December 4th, Collaborate PASadena hosted a festive gathering to celebrate the 2017 accomplishments of organizations and agencies throughout the city, particularly focusing on efforts where collaboration played a role.

Representatives from more than 25 organizations attended, including PUSD, Caltech, Day One, Young & Healthy, CAP, PEN, PEF, NAACP, Altadena Library District, ChapCare, Reading Partners, and more. Elected officials' reps also attended, including from the offices of Pasadena City Council members, Assemblymember Chris Holden, Senator Anthony Portantino, and Congresswoman Judy Chu.
Participants were asked to post things that went really well during the year, putting any that involved collaboration on one portion of the wall. Perhaps predictably, nearly 90% of postings involved collaboration.

Looking ahead to 2018, participants also shared some of their "big ideas" which were both aspirational and inspirational.

Go to collaboratepasadena.org (Get Involved/Meeting Notes) to download a PDF summary of information shared at the gathering.
The Vision | The children of Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre all grow up in a safe, stable,
                        and supportive environment that prepares them for success in school and in life.
Become a Mentor, Change a Life
Mentors are needed all around the Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre area. January is National Mentor Month -- a great time for you to get started! The benefits for young people (and for mentors, too!) are well-documented, particularly in addressing issues such as absenteeism and behavior problems.

  • Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
  • Young adults who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor. (The Mentoring Effect report, 2014)
  • In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education, mentored youth maintain better attitudes toward school. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
The Search Institute identifies five essential actions that lay the foundation for a powerful mentoring relationship:
  1. Express Care: Young people value relationships with adults who show they genuinely like them and want the best for them. These relationships help youth know they really matter.
  2. Challenge Growth: Young people value relationships with adults who insist that they do their best to learn and improve.
  3. Provide Support: Young people value relationships with adults who offer tangible, appropriate feedback and guidance in completing tasks and achieving goals--without taking over and doing it for them.
  4. Share Power: Young people value relationships with adults in which they feel their voice is heard and they share in making decisions that affect them. This helps youth develop self-confidence and self-direction.
  5. Expand Possibility: Young people value trustworthy adults who help them broaden their horizons and connect them to opportunities for growth and discovery.

Become a mentor this month! Some options:
  • PUSD Mentor for L.I.F.E. (Listen, Improve, Focus, Encourage) program, email ayala.giovanni@pusd.us
  • Lake Avenue Community Foundation mentoring program, email domingom@lakeave.org
  • Flintridge Center, Youth of Promise Program, email lisa@flintridge.org
  • Reading Partners, email chloe.oliveras@readingpartners.org
Community Forum on Neighborhoods
Join neighborhood leaders from around the area on Monday, February 5 for a Community Forum hosted by Collaborate PASadena's Supportive Communities Work Group and the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA). Hear about strategies to ensure neighbor inclusion, increase participation in neighborhood activities, improve neighborhood cohesion and how to effectively link/connect to other neighborhood associations/groups around the community. Click here to RSVP.
Being the Mayor of a thriving, in-the-spotlight city like Pasadena is an enormous job, one that requires stamina and commitment to attend and preside over dozens of events and meetings each week. The recent New Year's celebrations capped off another very full year for Mayor Terry Tornek, Pasadena's Mayor since 2015.

"I love this city and its people, and am very proud to have the opportunity to serve as Mayor," Terry said.

Terry Tornek was born and raised in New York City and moved to Pasadena from Massachusetts in 1982 to become the Planning Director. He previously served as Planning Director of Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was also a member of the City Council. Terry was Pasadena’s Planning Director for three years and helped to rewrite the Zoning Ordinance, the General Plan and establish the redevelopment plan for Old Pasadena. After leaving city government, Terry built a career in real estate as a developer and manager of residential and commercial properties all over Southern California. He remained active in Pasadena affairs through his 20 year service as a Board Member of Pasadena Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit organization devoted to affordable housing in Northwest Pasadena.
Terry was elected to represent District 7 on the City Council in April, 2009, was reelected in 2013, and was then elected as Mayor in April, 2015.

A strong proponent of collaboration, Terry was a member of the team who constructed the beginnings of Collaborate PASadena, then called the School, City, Community Work Plan. Today he serves on CP's Leadership Council, never missing a meeting, and always sharing important insight and expertise. He believes in and works hard to nurture solid relationships with the PUSD's leadership, and with the myriad local organizations doing good work in Pasadena, especially for families and children. He has often been heard saying, "It's all about the children. We must stay focused on them."

Terry and his wife, Maria, have 3 grown children and 7 grandchildren.

Pasadena and Collaborate PASadena are blessed to have a dynamic, experienced, and committed leader like Mayor Terry Tornek!
Speaking of Mayor Tornek
Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek will deliver the annual State of the City Address on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at John Marshall Fundamental School. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., program begins at 7:00 p.m.

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Listening Sessions Coming
As Collaborate PASadena forges ahead connecting dots, continuing to seek input stays at the top of our list of priorities. We will be hosting Community Listening Sessions every other month this year, with the goal of hearing from small groups of community members about what concerns them most, and then to explore together ideas and solutions. Dates and details to come.
News and Events
Click here to find the latest news and events on the Collaborate PASadena website! We happily post partner news and events on our site and on our Facebook page and Instagram. Submit to elizabeth@collpas.org.
Partner Praise
Every month since 2005, a large group of local-area pastors, law enforcement officers, city, school, and nonprofit leaders have gathered to share information and pray for the children and families of the Pasadena area. The Clergy Community Coalition (CCC) is dedicated to working together to serve the greater good. Thank you!
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v. to make stronger; enlarge; extend