Our Town

Several Palisadians were honored at the 2024 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala, which took place on October 5 at The Event Deck at LA Live, with Courage to Care Awards, including Chuck Lorre, and Bernadette and Sugar Ray Leonard. The award is given to those who “demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to children, pediatric-related causes and humanitarian efforts at CHLA and beyond.”

It was announced during the event that Lorre made a “transformational gift” to create the Chuck Lorre Pediatric Health Education Institute, which “will build comprehensive education and training opportunities across CHLA.”

Palisadian Jamie Lee Curtis, a longtime supporter and advocate of CHLA, paid tribute to the event’s Mission Ambassadors, CHLA nurses, for “their unwavering commitment and compassion to caring for children in need.”

Pictured, from left: Colin Hanks, Paul Viviano, Curtis, Ella Nelson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pierce Kelly, Martha Saucedo, Lorre, Ellen K., Lisa Joyner and Jon Cryer

In October, mBIOTA Elemental and its founder Krystyna Houser hosted an event in The Huntington “dedicated to gut health.” The afternoon included a Good LFE Lunch cooked by chef Emily Ruybal, a talk by Houser, and an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A panel with experts from Cedars Sinai and medical advisors from mBIOTA.

The lunch highlighted dishes from Houser’s “Good LFE” cookbook, which is curated to be “SIBO- and IBS-friendly.”

“Developed by mBIOTA Labs in partnership with leading gastroenterologists and innovative food scientists, mBIOTA Elemental is a highly palatable and clinically proven medical drink formula for the dietary management of GI dysfunction, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,” read information provided.

Palisadian Jacqueline Jacobs Caster, founder of Everychild Foundation, received the Wellnest Impact Award at its Centennial Celebration gala at the end of September at Skirball Cultural Center.

The foundation was established by Caster in 2000 with a goal of “easing the suffering of children in the Greater Los Angeles area, whether due to disease, disability, abuse, neglect or poverty.” Today, the foundation is comprised of more than 200 women who contribute $6,000 annually to form a $1 million grant to support “innovative, replicable projects addressing the critical needs of children.”

“Renowned for its innovative philanthropic approach to raising funds in the community, Everychild Foundation has caused a ripple effect in the community with its success in leveraging its grants,” said Wellnest President and CEO Charlene Dimas-Peinado. “As a beneficiary of its targeted community grants, Wellnest has been able to expand our programs within the communities we serve and enabling us to have an even greater impact on the children and families who need us the most.”