VIVA VILLA—From left to right, Villa Esperanza Services board member Tucker Grant joins Diane and Jim Bruno of Westlake Village and Villa board member Jim McDermott at the organization’s eighth annual Guardian Angels Celebration in Pasadena. Former T.O. resident Jim Bruno, now a Westlake Village city council member, and his wife, Diane, have received the Villa Esperanza Advocacy Angels Award for their assistance with job placements for disabled people in Westlake Village.

The June 23 awards ceremony in Pasadena included more than 170 people. The event raised nearly $60,000 for children and adults with disabilities.

Thousand Oaks-basedVilla Esperanza provides services that include care management and adult residential and independent living programs.

Villa’s vocational services include individual and group employment placement throughout the Conejo Valley. Clients currently work in local businesses such as Petsmart, Home Depot, Old Navy, 99 Cent Only Stores, Mann Theatres and Cost Plus.

Villa Esperanza Services was founded in 1961 by a group of mothers who believed their developmentally disabled children deserved quality care and education. Today, Villa serves over 1,050 individuals with disabilities and their families in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

For more information about Villa’s programs, please call (626) 449-2919, ext. 62, or visit www.villaesperanzaservices.org.