In celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month and as part of its ongoing commitment to cultural diversity and responsible banking, Union Bank, N.A., has partnered with KCETLink to honor two members of the Los Angeles LGBT community as local heroes. The 2014 LGBT Pride Month honorees are: Pastor Dan Hooper, head pastor at Hollywood Lutheran Church, chair of the church’s Task Force on Prison and Jail Ministries, and president of the HIV/AIDS education and advocacy organization Hollywood Remembers; and Susan Feniger, chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and community activist. They will be recognized in June at a private dinner celebration with their families and executives from KCETLink and Union Bank.
Since 1998, KCETLink and Union Bank have collaborated on the Local Heroes program and recognized nearly 200 honorees. The program pays tribute to exemplary leaders who are making a difference and enriching the lives of others by improving their community, region and the world at large. The 2014 LGBT Pride Month honorees demonstrate a shared commitment to providing their communities with the tools to thrive in today’s changing world.
In addition to the LGBT local heroes, honorees were identified during Black History Month (February); Women’s History Month (March); Jewish American Heritage Month (May); Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May) and will also be recognized during Hispanic Heritage Month (September/October).
Find out what's happening in Hollywoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“For nearly 20 years, Union Bank has partnered with KCETLink on the Local Heroes program, which has allowed us to celebrate and honor the leading advocates in our community,” said Union Bank Senior Executive Vice President Pierre P. Habis, head of Community and Private Banking. “These honorees embody Union Bank’s core values of diversity and giving back, thus serving as a source of constant inspiration.”
“KCETLink is pleased to join our long-term partner Union Bank in celebrating the 2014 LGBT local heroes,” said KCETLink President and Chief Executive Officer Al Jerome. “Through their selfless work, these heroes not only make a positive impact on the local LGBT community in Los Angeles, but on the world at large. We are delighted to introduce these heroes to our viewers through the profiles airing on KCET throughout LGBT Pride Month, alongside programming that celebrates the accomplishments of the vibrant LGBT community.”
Find out what's happening in Hollywoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The 2014 honorees for LGBT Pride Month are:
Pastor Dan Hooper is head pastor of Hollywood Lutheran Church and president of Hollywood Remembers, an HIV/AIDS service and education organization. Pastor Hooper is an active member of the Interfaith Gay and Lesbian Clergy Association of Los Angeles and serves on the Lutheran Office of Public Policy Council for California. Because of his advocacy for full LGBT inclusion in the church, Pastor Hooper was dropped from the official clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) in 1988. Despite his dismissal, Pastor Dan continued to speak and write on issues affecting LGBT people. In 2002, he was admitted to the roster of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and in 2004, he was elected as the pastor of the Hollywood Lutheran Church. Pastor Hooper also chairs the church’s Task Force on Prison and Jail Ministries. In addition, he works with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to help educate and assist gay and transgender ex-offenders through the Social Mentoring Academic and Rehabilitative Training (S.M.A.R.T.) Continuum program.
Susan Feniger is a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and community advocate. Ms. Feniger has been an active board member and organized fundraisers for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which provides high quality educational, cultural and wellness programs to its residents, supports innovative healthcare initiatives for LGBT seniors and offers career advice and opportunities for at-risk LGBT youth. Additionally, Ms. Feniger has served on the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation for more than 25 years and continues to help organize its fundraising event, Cool Comedy-Hot Cuisine. She is a veteran of the Food Network's Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour and is the co-author of five cookbooks. Ms. Feniger and her fellow chef Mary Sue Milliken were the first women to receive the California Restaurant Writer's prestigious "Chef of the Year" award. Her first solo venture, now known as Mud Hen Tavern, was named one of the “Top Ten Lesbian-Owned Companies” by Curve magazine.
KCET, the Southern and Central California public broadcast service of KCETLink, showcases the rich, vibrant history and cultural diversity of the region through the Local Heroes program and by airing special programs tied to the respective heritage months, and throughout the year. For more information or to nominate a future local hero, please visit http://www.kcet.org/socal/local_heroes. For more information about the Local Heroes program, please visit unionbank.com/heroes.
About KCETLink
KCETLink, formed by the merger between KCET and Link Media, is a national independent, nonprofit, digital and broadcast network that provides high-quality, culturally diverse programming designed to engage the public in innovative, entertaining and transformative ways. With a commitment to independent perspectives, smart global entertainment, local communities, and opportunities for engagement and social action, KCETLink depicts people and the world through a lens unavailable elsewhere in U.S. media. A viewer-supported 501(c)(3) organization, KCETLink content is distributed via satellite on DirecTV 375 and DISH Network 9410, in Southern and Central California via broadcast, as well as through various digital delivery systems. KCET and Link TV are services of KCETLink. For additional information about KCET and Link TV productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org or linktv.org.
About UnionBanCal Corporation & Union Bank, N.A.
Headquartered in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation is a financial holding company with assets of $107.2 billion at March 31, 2014. Its primary subsidiary, Union Bank, N.A., provides an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. The bank operated 420 branches in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, New York and Georgia, as well as two international offices, on March 31, 2014. UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG, NYSE:MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations. In July 2013, American Banker Magazine and the Reputation Institute ranked Union Bank #1 for reputation among its customers. Visit www.unionbank.com for more information.
