Patch Blog: Rosemary Children's Services

There’s a quote from Ophelia to Hamlet that goes, “…there’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray you, love, remember.” When Rosemary Children’s Service was founded back in 1920, the founding Pasadena Shakespeare Club women chose to be the rosemary missing in the young lives of at-risk children.

Rosemary is a heat loving herb that’s not hard to grow. And it seems the founding mothers had a clear vision of how they’d transform young lives.

As a small businessman of some 30 years plus I had an early understanding of what “non-profit” meant. When you invest enough cash to buy two homes in a new business and you’ve never heard of payroll tax, worker’s comp, or compound interest, “non-profit” can be the neon sign that lights up in the middle of your night.

But one of the cool things about being a dentist is that we get underestimated and overestimated and it seems, either way, things work to our advantage.

My patients, for instance, think it’s miraculous that I can even string a couple of sentences together. So while I’m just a hole-drilling molar jockey and did study some English where OJ learned to longhand letters, this is way more fun than easy stuff like signing checks and writing up charts.

We get overestimated when folks start thinking a few initials behind the last name has anything to do with being smart. And that’s why sometimes we get the chance to hang with truly intelligent, generous, salt-of-the-earth people.

I’m sort of a slow study so it wasn’t until the late 90s that I figured out we could help make a difference for folks in the community without taking the dental drill out of the holster. I noticed that when we had a cause, we also performed even more like champs serving our patients.

One of my smartest, most generous friends introduced me to Rosemary Children’s Services (RCS). And when red-headed Russian ladies who can lawyer on two continents speak, I listen.

I’ve been a board member for going on two years and trust me, I’ve benefitted from the experience far more than Rosemary Children’s Services.

Each board meeting begins with a staff member sharing a success story. And if you get the chance to sit in on a miracle every month, just do it.

RCS has been part of Pasadena for over 90 years. When Rosemary cottage opened in 1920, it housed 10 girls and a housemother.

Today, RCS offers comprehensive support for at-risk girls of all ages. Programs include a foster family and adoption agency helping 400 children annually, a non-public school providing specialized education in a small, structured environment; mental health assistance providing individual and group therapy as well as life skills training, and residential services including Rosemary cottage and four additional group homes.

Often, Rosemary Children’s Services is the last available advocate for girls who seemingly never had a chance.

Rosemary Children’s Services was Pasadena’s first advocate for children at risk. The organization is committed to providing comprehensive compassionate support, inspiring hope, and transforming young lives. And even after nearly 90 years, our vision lives in a future full of possibility.

On Friday, February 10, the founding Shakespeare Club of Pasadena presents Rosemary Children’s Services’ “All-In” Casino Night Fundraiser. And I totally understand that the chips will fall where they may. But it isn’t every day that inspiration comes along, guaranteed.

Hope to see you February 10.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please call: (626) 844-3033 ext. 211 or visit www.rosemarychildren.org.