Councilmember Traci Park (left) presents the Pioneer Woman award to Sharon Kilbride in City Hall. Sharon Browning is not pictured.
Sharon Browning and Sharon Kilbride were honored by Councilwoman Traci Park as the “Pioneer Woman” of Council District 11 in a special ceremony at Los Angeles City Hall. This prestigious award celebrates women who have significantly impacted their community. This is the 33rd year for the awards and this year’s theme was “Locking Arms to Solve Homelessness.”
The Palisadians first received a May 15 letter from the L.A. City Commission on the Status of Woman notifying them of the selection. The letter said, “As a pioneer woman in Los Angeles, we express our gratitude to you through this award. Your unwavering dedication is truly appreciated, and we hope you accept this token of our appreciation.”
At City Hall on May 19, Park said, “Today, we honor those who stand as shining examples of dedication, courage, and service to their communities, particularly in addressing the pressing issue of homelessness.
“I’m acknowledging two very special woman this morning, Sharon Kilbride and Sharon Browning,” Park said. These women have generously dedicated themselves to the community and collectively are affectionately known across CD 11 as The Sharons.” Kilbride and Browning are the co-presidents of the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTH).
Sharon Browning
Browning was unable to make the ceremony, but Park called Kilbride to the stage. “Sharon has shown exceptional commitment as the co-president of the Task Force and as the lead of the Volunteer Response Team. This team comprises 12 volunteers who tirelessly engage and offer services to newly homeless individuals in the community daily.
Park reviewed the women’s accomplishments. “Since its establishment in 2014, the PPTFH has provided housing and covered housing-related expenses for hundreds of unhoused individuals in the Palisades,” Park said.
“The PPTFH is responsible for engaging with more than 600 new homeless individuals annually and has successfully provided housing for more than 110 homeless individuals since 2016,” the Councilmember said. “In addition, they have also been able to get 173 people off the streets into some form of shelter or reunited with their families.
“These achievements would not have been possible without the immense contributions of The Sharons,” Park said. “Your efforts to address the fundamental obstacles that prevent the unhoused from securing stable housing are nothing short of heroic.”
She presented the award to Kilbride at City Hall. Browning will receive her award at a later time.
“Please accept this award as a thank you for the significant contributions you’ve made, and the tireless efforts you’ve put in,” Park said. “As your councilwoman, I will continue to offer my support for the remarkable work that you do.”
This award was given to Sharon Browning and Sharon Kilbride.
After the ceremony, Kilbride told CTN, “I was completely surprised and honored to be included in the Pioneer Women of LA.”
“Yes, I was totally surprised and didn’t believe it at first,” Browning said. “Once it sunk in, I felt proud to be part of a project representing Pacific Palisades’ contribution to addressing homelessness.
“It was especially meaningful to receive the award from Councilwoman Park,” Browning said. “Her leadership is so different from what we have experienced in the past. It inspires, is authentic and accountable and gives us hope for the work that we all know lies ahead.”
Kilbride said, “Sharon Browning and I continue to hope that this community initiative will serve as an example for communities across the county dealing with homelessness.”
“It has been a remarkable success and a privilege to be involved, since the very beginning,” Kilbride said. “PPTFH is a role model that works, and it takes a village of volunteers that are committed in solving homelessness in their own backyards.”
“The Sharons” also thanked PPTFH volunteers for the success of the program.
Browning said, “in my heart of hearts, I know that the award belongs to the each and every volunteer, as well our generous, caring, stand-up Funding Partners and each and every single donor.”
She said that it was important for City Council to recognize PPTFH’s work because the nonprofit is unique in Los Angeles. “Our community stepped up to provide funding and person-power to address homelessness in our community in a way that meets the concerns of both our residents and our people experiencing homelessness.
“We have built trusting, collaborative relationships with our partner The People Concern, Los Angeles Police Department, LA Harbors, Beaches and Parks and our residents to address the destructive consequences of homelessness and provided a model which can be replicated in other communities,” Browning said.
“We understand that government can only do so much,” Browning said. “In my view, our collaborative model is very much the kind of community care-law enforcement model that Mayor Bass and others are envisioning but is yet to become a reality.”
Sharon Browning and Sharon Kilbride were honored by Councilwoman Traci Park as the “Pioneer Woman” of Council District 11 in a special ceremony at the Los Angeles City Hall. This prestigious award celebrates women who have significantly impacted their community. This is the 33rd year for the awards and the theme this year was “Locking Arms to Solve Homelessness.”
The Palisadians first received a May 15 letter from the L.A. City Commission on the Status of Woman notifying them of the selection. The letter said, “As a pioneer woman in Los Angeles, we express our gratitude to you through this award. Your unwavering dedication is truly appreciated, and we hope you accept this token of our appreciation. We look forward to seeing you soon.
At City Hall on May 19, Park said, “Today, we honor those who stand as shining examples of dedication, courage, and service to their communities, particularly in addressing the pressing issue of homelessness.
“Kilbride has shown exceptional commitment as the Co-President of the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTFH) and as the lead of the Volunteer Response Team. This team comprises 12 volunteers who tirelessly engage and offer services to newly homeless individuals in the community daily.
“Since its establishment in 2014, the PPTFH has provided housing and covered housing-related expenses for hundreds of unhoused individuals in the Palisades. The PPTFH is responsible for engaging with more than 600 new homeless individuals annually and has successfully provided housing for more than 110 homeless individuals since 2016. In addition, they have also been able to get 173 people off the streets into some form of shelter or reunited with their families.
“These achievements would not have been possible without the immense contributions of Sharon and her Volunteer Response Team,” Park said.
The Councilmember also addressed Sharon directly, “Your efforts to address the fundamental obstacles that prevent the unhoused from securing stable housing are nothing short of heroic.
“We want to convey our heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering commitment to our community. Please accept this award as a thank you for the significant contributions you’ve made, and the tireless efforts you’ve put in,” Park said. “As your councilwoman, I will continue to offer my support for the remarkable work that you do.”
After the ceremony, Kilbride told CTN, “I was completely surprised and honored to be included in the Pioneer Women of LA.
“Sharon Browning [co-chair of PPTFH] and I continue to hope that this community initiative will serve as an example for communities across the county dealing with homelessness,” Kilbride said. “It has been a remarkable success and a privilege to be involved, since the very beginning. PPTFH is a role model that works, and it takes a village of volunteers that are committed in solving homelessness in their own backyards.”
Sharon Kilbride with her award at City Hall.
This is a great article! So proud of both Sharon’s as their time and commitment to PPTFH is nothing short of remarkable. They have both basically put their lives on hold since 2014 to address the urgency of the problem, and go about helping to fix it!! PPTFH has made a very significant dent in the problem here. The only reason the ability to house people slowed down was because there was no longer housing available! We were lucky enough to get a head start on getting folks into permanent supportive housing. To that end, we initially housed over a hundred individuals. PPTFH can and will continue, but in order to do so, the community will have to step up and support it.!