Summer just got a new holiday in Los Angeles with Wallis Annenberg Day set for July 15.
The declaration, in honor of the billionaire philanthropist whose gifts boosted arts, science, education and cultural causes and more across Los Angeles for decades, marks a collaboration between the County of Los Angeles and the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. Plans are being finalized for an event to mark the milestone moment with a celebration set to take place at Santa Monica’s Annenberg Community Beach House next month on July 15, what would have been her 87th birthday.
Guests including civic leaders, nonprofit and philanthropic partners, educators, artists and community members, family and friends are expected to attend the commemoration.
“Wallis believed that communities flourish when people invest in one another,” the Annenberg Foundation board said in a joint statement. “She loved Los Angeles and believed deeply in its future. Her philanthropy was guided by curiosity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity. We are honored to celebrate her life and the countless people and institutions who continue to carry her vision forward.”
Through her namesake foundation, Annenberg is credited with donating upwards of $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern California, per numerous reports at the time of her death last year due to lung cancer. Her name covers institutions like the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center, the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace senior center and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She was also behind the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world’s largest bridge for animals that helps wildlife flock over an L.A. freeway. She also was a long serving board member of L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Among her many accolades, she received a National Humanities Medal from then-President Joe Biden in 2022.
