Gale Kohl (Photo by Walt Mancini)
BUSINESS
There is a real Gale behind Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena. It is owner Gale Kohl of Pasadena, who, through her business, is strongly dedicated to helping charities of all types.
Kohl has held fundraisers at her restaurant to raise money for various agencies, including Armory Center for the Arts, a group that strives to transform lives and communities through art; AbilityFirst, which offers programs to help children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities realize their full potential; the Pasadena Humane Society, a shelter and adopting agency for animals; the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, home to plant collections from all over the world; Planned Parenthood; and Huntington Hospital.
Kohl is on the AbilityFirst Festival of Fall steering committee, where she initiated contacts with sponsors and was able to present the 31st Annual AbilityFirst Gourmet Festival of Fall at the historic Laurabelle A. Robinson house in Pasadena. Kohl’s connections and her motivation to help brought donations and new sponsors to the event, which raised more than $140,000 for AbilityFirst.
The website for the restaurant, http://www.galesrestaurant.com/donations.html, displays an extensive list of charities to which the restaurant has donated over the years and explains that each month, Kohl and her crew review requests for help from other worthy causes.
–Hillary Smith
