Summer just got a new holiday in Los Angeles with Wallis Annenberg Day set for July 15.
This announcement, honoring the billionaire philanthropist whose gifts have strengthened the arts, sciences, education, cultural causes and more throughout Los Angeles for decades, represents a collaboration between Los Angeles County and the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. Plans are being finalized for an event to commemorate the historic moment with a celebration scheduled to be held at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica next month on July 15, her 87th birthday.
Guests are expected to attend the celebration including civic leaders, nonprofit and philanthropic partners, educators, artists, community members, family and friends.
“Wallis believes that communities thrive when people invest in each other,” the Annenberg Foundation’s board of directors said in a joint statement. “She loved Los Angeles and believed deeply in its future. Her philanthropy was driven by curiosity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity. We are honored to celebrate her life and the countless people and organizations who continue to advance her vision.”
Through her namesake foundation, Annenberg is credited with donating as much as $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern California, according to multiple reports at the time of her death last year from lung cancer. Its name covers institutions such as the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center, the Wallis Annenberg Genespace Center for Seniors and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She was also behind the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world’s largest animal bridge that helps wildlife flow across the Los Angeles Freeway. She was also a long-time board member of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Among her many honors, she received the National Humanities Medal from then-President Joe Biden in 2022.
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