Seniors out to match grant

Barbara Diamond

Laguna Beach Seniors Inc. announced this week that Hearts of Montage

will contribute $500,000 to help build the Susi Q Senior Center on

Third Street -- with just one string attached.

The seniors must match $350,000 of the grant. The remaining

$150,000 will be donated outright during a two-year span to defray

costs of operating and promotional expenses of fundraising.

“Thank you, Hearts of Montage, for having a heart for our

seniors,” said Ann Quilter, co-chair of the seniors $5.2 million

building and endowing fundraising campaign.

Hearts of Montage is a volunteer group of Montage Hotels and

Resorts employees, dedicated to supporting organizations that provide

assistance to those in need.

“The senior community is growing here in Laguna Beach,” Hearts of

Montage Chair Heather Brown said. “As their neighbor, we want to help

establish a place for them to enjoy -- the Susi Q Center will be that

place.”

For almost 30 years, the seniors have shared the Veterans Memorial

Community Center on Legion Street with recreation department programs

often incompatible with activities for the more mature.

“We seniors know how to make a virtue out of necessity,” Seniors

President Pauline Walpin said. “But there is so much more we’ll be

able to do in our new building.”

The new facility will have 8,500 square feet of space and will

include a wellness center, lounge, a multi-purpose room and rooms

dedicated to card players, computer users and diners.

“It is a dream come true,” Walpin said.

Montage Resort & Spa General Manager James Bermingham announced

the grant at the Legion Street facility.

“The Susi Q Senior Center is a wonderful example of our community

at its best; a great need met by great leadership,” Bermingham said.

“The combined efforts of the Laguna Beach residents, council members

and city staff are a remarkable showcase of the kindness of our

tight-knit community. This is a wonderful opportunity for Hearts of

Montage to further their mission and play a key role in this great

service to our community.”

Quilter said the importance of Laguna lies not in its beautiful

setting, though residents are blessed by the beauty, but in the

hearts of its citizens.

“Character is revealed through the causes we champion,” Quilter

said. “Laguna has a history of causes, from the Bluebird Canyon slide

in 1978 that destroyed 24 homes to the building of senior housing at

Lang Park; from the fires of 1993 that incinerated 400 homes to the

creation of our Main Beach Park; from the deadly El Nino mudslides of

1998 [which destroyed her home and nearly took her life], to the

preservation of Laguna Canyon.

“This town understands the strength, power and importance of

community. In times of need, Laguna has mobilized its resources,

energized its citizens and shown its compassionate character.”

Quilter said helping the seniors is just such a worthy cause.

“Their time has come,” she said.

The center is due to open in 2008, said Chris Quilter, who shares

the fundraising leadership with his sister-in-law. He and his three

brothers, Charles II, Patrick and Matthew, recently donated $750,000

to the seniors in honor of their mother, the late Elizabeth Howe

Quilter, long-time Emerald Bay resident. The center’s name, Susi Q,

was the nom de plume used by Quilter on her bi-monthly column in the

Coastline.

“This is an exciting time for us,” Walpin said. “It was just last

month that we announced the naming grant from the Quilter family. And

now we are celebrating this extraordinary grant from Hearts of

Montage.”

The volunteer group also has contributed to the Bluebird Park

Rocket Ship restoration, Coastal Cleanup Day and the Ocean Institute;

participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure; raised funds

for the American Red Cross Tsunami Relief; organized food and

clothing drives for the Second Harvest Food Bank and Laura’s House;

and partnered with the Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club,

SchoolPower(CQ) and the Laguna Beach Friends of the Library.

To help meet the Hearts of Montage challenge grant to the seniors,

or for information about the Susi Q Center, call (949) 497-2441.