When the Summa Children’s Foundation (SCF) began two years ago, it was with the conviction that a community’s youth are its most precious resource, one in which the community must invest if it is to thrive, even to survive. 
So as plans took shape for SCF’s 2008 fundraising gala, it was with an eye to honoring someone who embodies that conviction.
In Pete Carroll, head football coach at the University of Southern California and co-founder of the nonprofit A Better LA, the Summa Children’s Foundation could hardly have found a more ideal candidate. A Night of Inspiration on April 23, 2008, is expected to draw upwards of 1,000 guests to the Beverly Hilton’s Grand Ballroom to honor Carroll. Proceeds are earmarked for children’s charities in the greater Los Angeles area, with A Better LA heading the list of beneficiaries.
Also on the program will be performances from students at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, a beneficiary of the Summa Children’s Foundation’s inaugural gala in 2005. Now in his seventh year at USC, Pete Carroll reached 50 career wins faster than any head coach in Trojan history and led the team to an unprecedented sixth consecutive Pac-10 championship with a December 1 victory over UCLA—and a second straight Rose Bowl championship on New Year’s Day.
Half of his 31-year football career has been spent at the college level, where he’s produced more than two dozen All-American first-teamers and 32 NFL draft picks. Named coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association (Division 1-A), ESPN.com, the Maxwell Club and Home Depot alike, Carroll has earned a veritable laundry list of honors that speak both to his leadership on the field and his gift for empowering community change.
Says SCF Founder Brian Werdesheim, “Our hope is that each and every guest will leave the gala with a renewed sense of what he or she can do to make a difference in the lives of at-risk children in our community. And with Pete Carroll as our honoree, we know there’s no question that the event will truly be A Night of Inspiration!”
The Summa Children’s Foundation supports community efforts that assist the youth of Los Angeles and throughout Southern California, with particular focus on health, social and educational issues. Funds raised through SCF initiatives are awarded to selected area nonprofits with proven track records in transforming lives and futures. As a funding partner, SCF is a means by which each organization can do even more.
For more information about A Night of Inspiration, call (323) 876.4040