Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 64, No. 9 - March 3, 2022
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Local Resident Brings Hope to Hawthorne
Pat Getting Another Giveaway Ready. See Pat’s story below.
Stand Pat And Give Back
By Ron Sokol
Pat Donaldson was raised in her parents’
Sunlight Mission Church in Santa Monica.
Among the lessons she learned, one, in particular,
is a good way of explaining her: “God
blesses me to bless others.” The Church also
served as a shelter for many.
So, Pat started a non-profit organization years
ago named Hope is Helping. One of its tasks
is to assist people in learning how to get out
of and stay out of poverty.
Now, to be clear, Pat makes a living, with
her husband (a retired police detective), through
Active Security Solutions, a security guard
company based in Hawthorne. That said, one
of the roles for which she is particularly well
known is serving as President of the Hawthorne
Chamber of Commerce. She has been with
the Chamber for 22 years and is now in her
15th year as President. Unlike many, who are
President of a local Chamber of Commerce, Pat
takes no salary. Yet she works there Monday
through Friday, typically from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
When she started with the Hawthorne Chamber,
there were about 100 members. Today there are
250 to 300 members. Also, when she started,
there were boxes and one desk. You are welcome
to visit the Chamber office at 13355
Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne. It is a whole
lot more inviting today. One of Pat’s focuses as
President of the Hawthorne Chamber is to push
for and oversee multiple give-a-way programs,
including hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys,
Christmas toys and food, $25 gift cards for
low-income women on Mother’s Day, Easter
baskets, and helpful back-to-school backpacks.
A question does arise: What makes some
people so dedicated to giving to others? (I
should mention that Pat has provided funds out
of her pocket to assist struggling businesses.)
There must be a name for what Pat does other
than “generous” or “kind .”There must be!
Well, bottom line, she is a force to reckon
with – for good, for better. Hawthorne’s State
of the City program was attended by about
70 to 80 people when she became Chamber
President. Now 400 to 600 are there.
“The Chamber is for businesses,” she emphasizes,
“to help those that are struggling,
to go to bat for those that are facing hurdles
-- sometimes with the City itself -- and to
provide a forum for members to cultivate
friendships.”
Wait a second: Did I mention Pat has two
daughters, seven grandkids, and three greatgrand
kids? When I interviewed her, I did not
say out loud what I now realize and can say
here: Pat sees the world as her family. Her
role, to a truly major degree, is to help out,
give, and lift up. I won’t call her “mom.” I
might think it, but I won’t say it out loud.
A few other pieces here: Pat is a Board
Member of the South Bay Area Chambers of
Commerce. She also is a member of the South
Bay Work Force Investment Board. The website
of the Work Force states its goal as “Putting
people to work: helping business succeed.”
“I am a people person, and admittedly I
push. I push to try to help someone in need.
I saw my parents do exactly that for years.
By the way, they ran a Thrift Shop. Most of
my clothes growing up came from there.”
On March 17, at the Hawthorne Marriott,
the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce is
having its first mixer in quite a while. Covid
was not good for many local businesses, and
concerns about Covid prevented get-togethers
for well over a year.
So, it is fair to say that Pat Donaldson will
have a huge smile on her face on March 17, and
not just because it will be St. Paddy’s Day.
She will gather with one of the families to
which she belongs, and she will have a key
role in setting the table for all to enjoy and
hopefully prosper.
Bottom line: It is the community family for
whom she fights, for whom she is dedicated.
As such, writing this article may spotlight
Pat, but the hope is that it influences others
to follow her lead. •
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defects or other reproductive harm,
including styrene and methanol, from
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