Three Community Leaders Being Honored in Beverly Hills for Youth Work

A Place Called Home (APCH), a South Central Los Angeles based organization providing a safe haven and proven programs to improve the lives of underserved youth, will celebrate its 20th anniversary by honoring three outstanding Southland community leaders at its “Gala for the Children” on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The annual auction and dinner will be held in the ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, with a sell out crowd of more than 600 expected to attend.

Being honored are Sister Patricia Connor, RSHM and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Jack Suzar and Dr. Philip Goglia.

“We believe it’s important for us to highlight and applaud the good works undertaken in our community by those who truly care about improving the quality of young lives," said Jonathan Zeichner, executive director of APCH, who noted that all three individuals are being honored for their community work, as well as their support of his organization. "Clearly, Sister Pat, Jack Suzar and Dr. Goglia fall into that category and are worthy of our respect and recognition."

Sister Patricia Connor, RSHM and her congregation will be presented with APCH’s Debrah Constance Humanitarian Award for their work both with APCH and their worldwide commitment to serving the needs of underprivileged women and children. Sister Pat became connected with APCH 16 years ago and, since that time, she and her order have provided ongoing and invaluable material and volunteer support to the organization. She currently serves on its board of directors and volunteers in its high school dropout recovery program, which she helped direct for several years. In addition to its work at APCH, RSHM has a presence in many areas of Los Angeles, including Marymount High School, Loyola Marymount University, and various community organizations serving the most needy in our society.

“Sister Pat and RSHM are part of the DNA of A Place Called Home,” said Zeichner.

Being honored with the APCH Community Builder Award is Jack Suzar, managing director of Bel Air Investment Advisors LLC in Los Angeles. He is a past chairman of the Board of Directors of The City of Hope National Medical Center and the Beckman Research Institute, and has also served on the board of advisors at the USC Leventhal School of Accounting and as president of the Board for Jewish Vocational Services.

“Jack is a loyal friend of APCH and his years of charitable service in Los Angeles make him the ideal candidate to receive our Community Builder Award,” Zeichner said.

This year’s APCH Children’s Inspiration Award will be presented to Dr. Philip Goglia. Dr. Goglia is noted for his expertise in the science of metabolic nutrition and is the founder of Performance Fitness Concerns, one of the nation’s most respected performance nutrition, and rejuvinative health and wellness clinics. His clients are some of the best known professional athletes, including members of the Amgen/UBS Master Cycling Team and he is the nutritional consultant for the “Dr. Phil Show” and “The Doctors."

A cancer survivor, Dr. Goglia understands the value of nutrition and its impact on good health. Zeichner noted that Dr. Goglia has been an enthusiastic contributor to APCH.

“He shares his valuable time and expertise with our nutrition and athletic departments, has donated instruments to our music department and provides sugar-free candy for our Halloween festival," Zeichner said. "We are extremely gratified that we are able to recognize his contributions with the presentation of our Children’s Inspiration Award.”

The “Gala for the Children” will begin with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 11, followed by dinner, awards and entertainment at 7 p.m. Additional information on the event can be found at www.apch.org/apch-gala-for-the-children/.