Dr. Diane Cullinane, a South Pasadena resident and one of the founders of the Professional Child Development Associates clinic in Pasadena, will be among those honored this fall at the PCDA’s 11th annual Harvest Moon Gala & Art Auction, which this year will be held at the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club.
Cullinane, along with Mimi Winer (RN, MS), will receive the Greenspan Humanitarian Award, presented annually to professionals who have made a significant impact supporting children with autism using DIR, the therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan that is employed in all programs at PCDA.
PCDA hosts the gala on Sunday, Nov. 10, to raise funds for its innovative, multidisciplinary therapeutic services for children and families affected by autism and other developmental disabilities.
The event is black-tie-optional, and the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club’s 1960s architecture will help inform the gala’s theme.
Others will be honored as well.
The recipient of PCDA’s annual Community Service Award is Darryl Dunn, CEO and general manager of the Rose Bowl Stadium and an individual well-known in the community for his civic engagement and charitable works. In addition to overseeing all aspects of the Rose Bowl facility and serving as the primary representative for the City of Pasadena to the American Golf Corporation, Dunn has spearheaded the creation of two nonprofit organizations, Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and First Tee of Pasadena, which have provided support for both the Rose Bowl Stadium and the Brookside Golf Course.
Accepting this year’s Achievement Award will be Amanda Arellano, a confident, enthusiastic teen who is a longtime member of the PCDA family. Since beginning her PCDA care journey in 2008, Amanda has participated in a variety of programs, including the Young Actors Squad, the NoteAbles choir and the Teen Club/Teen Buddies program.
Gala chair Anne Perry will be joined by committee members Laura Bushley, Miranda Hayes, Hubert Ho, Edward Lee, Barbara Sinclair and Andrea Valdez. Proceeds benefit PCDA.
Individual tickets to The Harvest Moon Gala are $250, with a range of sponsorship levels beginning at $2,500.
For more information, visit pcdaHM2019.givesmart.com. Tickets went on sale Aug. 1, and sponsorship packages and program ads are also available for purchase. To learn more about PCDA, visit pcdateam.org.
Since 1996, PCDA has worked to improve the lives of children and families affected by autism and other developmental challenges using the play- and relationship-based therapeutic model known as DIR.
A nonprofit multidisciplinary clinic, PCDA currently serves more than 1,000 children and their families from the greater Los Angeles area every year, with a collaborative approach that includes specialists from the fields of developmental pediatrics, child and family counseling, occupational therapy, feeding therapy and nutrition, speech and language pathology, music therapy and art therapy.
PCDA’s services also include social and life-skills programs serving young people from early childhood through young adulthood.
