As YWCA Glendale and Pasadena marks 100 years of service to the community, on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 8 to 10 a.m., community leaders and supporters will gather at the Hilton Pasadena for a morning grounded in the belief that safer families and stronger communities require both racial justice and gender equity.

Michelle Gaskill-Hames, BSN, MHA, will be the YWCA’s 2026 Women for Racial Justice honoree and keynote speaker. Gaskill-Hames serves as regional president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii, where 97,000 employees deliver high-quality, affordable health care to more than 5.2 million members across one of the nation’s largest integrated health care systems.

She began her career as a neonatal intensive care nurse at a Detroit hospital, an experience that shaped her focus on equity. 

“Sometimes I was aware that babies were being discharged to situations that were not likely to sustain their newfound health,” she recalled. “I became acutely aware of the underlying inequities and injustices in the communities around me, their impact on health and the need to rectify them.”

That awareness continues to guide her work today. 

“Health care systems have a profound responsibility to advance gender and racial justice because health is shaped by far more than clinical care alone,” she said. “It is shaped by the conditions in which people live, work, learn, raise families and access opportunity.”

Asked what gives her hope, she answered in one word: “People.” 

Attendees can look forward to a fuller conversation with Gaskill-Hames on leadership, health equity and building stronger communities at the breakfast.

The morning will also include the presentation of the Purple Tie Award, recognizing men who work to end domestic violence and support survivors. This year’s recipient is George Saikali, president and CEO of YMCA of Glendale. Saikali’s connection to YWCA Glendale spans more than 40 years: in 1985, he worked as a lifeguard at the YWCA pool, then built a 41-year career with the YMCA, serving as president and CEO of YMCA of Glendale since 2010.

Over that career, Saikali has looked for ways the Y can meet needs beyond its walls, including bringing organizations together around community health needs, and adding 70 affordable homes to the YMCA campus in Glendale. Asked what has kept him committed for so long, he said: “I really wanted to make a difference and be remembered kindly.”

The honor carries added meaning during YWCA Glendale and Pasadena’s centennial year. Nearly 100 years ago, YMCA of Glendale provided office space to the women working to establish YWCA Glendale, a partnership the two organizations continue today. 

“I think it should continue because there is a need,” Saikali said of YWCA’s mission. “If you believe that what the YWCA stands for is a real cause that gives you that visceral reaction, you’ve got to invest. You can’t just sit.”

The Women for Justice Breakfast takes place on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Hilton Pasadena, 168 S. Los Robles Ave. in Pasadena. The community is invited to attend. Early Bird tickets are $100 and available at https://ywcagp.org/events-feed/0h905gpz0hqje8vlh3ksni6szhc03x.