In 1997, we adjusted our focus to best serve our community. After much study and training, we chose a new issue area: Nurturing Children Through Family Support. At the start, we concentrated the majority of our efforts on the James Madison Elementary School and surrounding community in Pasadena. We embarked on a long term commitment to the children and families of this community by contributing over $1.5 million and over 50,000 volunteer hours over 9 years. The Madison Neighborhood Village and Cornerstone Cottage (which the JLP bought, refinished, and deeded to the Pasadena Unified School District) are places where children, their families, and neighborhood residents can convene for enrichment activities, academic support, literacy development, and a variety of health and human services.

The Cornerstone Cottage

It was the year 2000 and the Junior League of Pasadena had turned its attention to Madison Elementary School in northwest Pasadena, investing volunteer time, funds and other support. Gloria Gartz had left a large bequest to the League to be spent over a 10-year period in the community. There was strong leadership at Madison and the League formed a solid partnership with the school. The League created a library and computer lab at the school, among other programs.

However, parent/family engagement at the school was lacking. Research shows that when parents are involved in school, kids do better. Measure Y had been passed and was providing beautiful renovations. But no significant space was allotted for parents to be together.

League members Christina Altmeyer and Lisa Cavelier researched programs nationwide, even visiting some very successful programs in New York City, including the Beacons program in Harlem, where they learned that giving parents a space to meet not only brought parents to the schools, but also empowered them to become more involved. Bringing the concept to Pasadena’s northwest region, they decided to find a space near Madison Elementary School. To locate an appropriate property, League members knocked on doors all around the neighborhood, visited the City Clerk’s office to find property ownership records (this was pre-internet days!), called owners, and were persistent! Many of the properties adjacent to Madison Elementary were considered “nuisance” properties, with drug and other negative involvement going on in and around them.

The League identified the property at 805 N. Madison A and purchased it for approximately $200,000. Junior League member and architect, Georgie Kajer, Kajer Architects of La Canada, donated her time to draw up the renovation plans, and the bidding process for contractors began. Over a period of the next nine months, work on the cottage was completed, with donations coming in for a number of items such as asphalt for the driveway, a refrigerator, paint, landscaping and more! Ultimately, the League sold the Cornerstone Cottage (as it was dubbed), to the Pasadena Unified School District for $1, with the understanding that it would always be a place for parents and family programming.

Early programming that the League helped to bring in included offerings from Women at Work, PCC, help for starting a home business, parenting skills and more. The League worked very closely with the leadership at Madison as well as with the Madison Neighborhood Partners, a local, very active neighborhood association.

Over the years, the Armory Center for the Arts has managed the Cottage, and today it houses the offices of Adelante Youth Alliance, a dynamic organization offering empowerment and programs for youth. The long-term support of the PUSD remains. The League’s legacy in the Madison neighborhood remains strong, which continues to support the theme of Changing Children’s Lives Through Family Support.