South Pasadena resident Ed Donnelly received the Volunteer of the Year Award at Congresswoman Judy Chu’s 2024 Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards Program and luncheon July 20 at the Arcadia Community Center. He was one of nine individuals and organizations from throughout Chu’s 28th Congressional District chosen to receive awards.
“Ed is the co-founder and president emeritus of the nonprofit Dads Uniting Dads in Education and Service,” Chu said in introducing Donnelly at the event. “It’s better known as ‘The Dudes,’” she said of the South Pasadena organization. “Ed sought a way for dads to get involved in their children’s lives beyond coaching sports,” she continued. “Their success was immediate and immense and grew to 600 active members within a year.”
In existence now for a dozen years, The Dudes is thriving with new generations of dads. Chu said the organization has become an important part of the South Pasadena community.
“I just saw them earlier this month at the 4th of July parade,” she said, “where residents eagerly awaited their annual performance. The dads and kids dressed up in elaborate costumes as Ghostbusters as they marched down Mission Street.”
Chu noted that beyond their service projects, including a volunteer grocery delivery service during the pandemic, “the Dudes also aim to build a community where men could connect and form stronger bonds.”
Donnelly has made major contributions to the quality of life in South Pasadena in other ways, she said. He is in his second year as the chair of the South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Committee. He has also served as chair of the city’s Public Safety Commission and continues as an active member. He has chaired or served as a member on several committees that successfully advocated for tax measures benefitting the school district, the library and the city. He has served as the PTA president for the South Pasadena Middle School and has received awards for his service to the schools.
During his acceptance speech, Donnelly said the people often ask him why he volunteers.
“The call to public service came to me after the birth of my son Aidan, who is also here today,” he said. “I realized that as a new father, I didn’t have a magic wand to make everything great in the world, so I had to do every little thing I could to make this a better place for him.”
“‘Hey Ed,’” Donnelly said people also ask, “‘you work with all these different community groups. Where do you get the guiding principles for being a volunteer?’”
“They come from three people,” he tells them, “a fictional character, a revered rock star and a guy from Philly.”
As a ten-year-old, Donnelly was inspired by Princess Leia from the Star Wars film. He said the character was “the architect of the women that I knew. They’re fierce, they’re funny, they’re smart, they’re tough and they’re tender. And she always fought for the right thing.”
The second person who inspires him is Joe Strummer, co-founder of the punk rock band the Clash. “I realized they weren’t just singing about partying and having a good time,” he told the audience. “They were singing about policy; they were singing about injustice. I can’t think of a better way to face the world than to call out injustice wherever you see it.” The attendees applauded.
“The third person is my Uncle Vince,” he said. “He was always a guiding light. At his wake, my cousin Bobby said to me, ‘Vince accepted everyone he knew, and he pulled them close so that they could improve themselves.’”
“So, here’s what I’m going to do,” he told the crowd in conclusion. “I’m going to keep volunteering. I’m going to fight like Princes Leia. I’m going to call out injustice like Joe Strummer, and I’m going to accept everybody I meet like Uncle Vince. Are you with me?” The audience erupted in applause and shouts of affirmation.
Here is what some folks in the community had to say as to why Ed was the clear choice for volunteer of the year.
“What Ed Donnelly has is dedication and selflessness. He doesn’t have time, but he makes time. It’s the one thing we can never get more of. And Ed is beyond generous with his time,” said Dean Serwin, President, The Oneonta Club Foundation, who has served with Ed on numerous ballot-measure committees.
Donnelly’s wife, Chantal Donnelly, who has been with Ed nearly 35 years said, “He doesn’t have this machismo thing going on – He treats women as equals. He really embraces both feminine and masculine energy. He doesn’t say to himself, ‘Oh, I’m a man. I’m not supposed to be sensitive; I’m not supposed to be a PTA president.’ Ed’s magnetism is genuine and caring.”
“When people present themselves with humility, like Ed does, they take the approach that they’re not the main person in the room,” says Paul Riddle, South Pasadena Fire Chief (retiring Aug. 1), regarding Ed’s work on the Public Safety Commission since 2020. “They really want everyone to speak up and they appreciate everyone’s voice. I think this is a character trait of an effective leader. Also, I have always appreciated Ed’s kind of common-sense, calm approach to issues [the police chief and I] brought to the commission.”
Martin Albornoz, among founders of The Dudes in 2012, says “Ed always replied, ‘I’ll do that,’ when volunteers from The Dudes were needed. That was the spirit that the group was all about. Ed was the guy who was always available. He has a calming presence, just the way he talks, sort of self-deprecating with a sense of humor.”
“I have worked with Ed on numerous school and city ballot measures. I do so because he is passionate about our city, loves our city and cares a great deal about its residents. Ed is super awesome, smart, knowledgeable, and community oriented. He is open to different opinions, different thoughts, and different options.”
- Yuki Cutcheon, President, South Pasadena Chinese-American Club, who has served with Ed on numerous ballot-measure committees
