$500,000 gift awarded to Olive Crest in memory of Sharon Devine

Madeline Zuckerman
·2 min read
Karen Devine, Zach Boetto, Jenell VanDenBos and Mike Devine attend the dedication of an Olive Crest Counseling Center room dedicated in Sharon Devine’s memory.
Karen Devine, Zach Boetto, Jenell VanDenBos and Mike Devine attend the dedication of an Olive Crest Counseling Center room dedicated in Sharon Devine’s memory.

Olive Crest, a leader in the prevention and treatment of child abuse for nearly 50 years, is the recipient of a generous donation in the amount of $500,000, given in memory of local Coachella Valley resident Sharon Devine.

A successful real estate agent, Devine was an active and dedicated volunteer with several Coachella Valley’s nonprofits. When she passed away unexpectedly last November at age 79, her family was not able to gather together to celebrate her life due to the pandemic. But recently, her family, along with some special friends, gathered to celebrate Devine’s well-lived life at the Olive Crest Counseling Center in Palm Desert, where one of the center’s rooms was dedicated in Devine’s memory.

Sharon Devine
Sharon Devine

“This is such a special and powerful tribute to Sharon Devine,” said Tracy Fitzsimmons, executive director of Olive Crest, Inland & Desert Communities. “As a result of this donation, our Olive Crest team will be able to provide vital services to vulnerable children and families throughout the Coachella Valley. We are so humbled and appreciative.”

Local philanthropists Bob and Connie Lurie made the donation in memory of their cherished friend Devine, who was Connie’s college roommate. Both of these ladies were proud members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

The Olive Crest out-patient Counseling Center, which opened its doors in December of 2021, is located in Palm Desert within the Berger Center Building. The center provides a broad range of priority mental and behavioral health services for children and young adults who are Medi-Cal eligible from birth through age 21.

Lorraine Brinton, James Brinton, Connie Lurie, Bob Lurie and Tracy Fitzsimmons attend the dedication of an Olive Crest Counseling Center room dedicated in Devine’s memory.
Lorraine Brinton, James Brinton, Connie Lurie, Bob Lurie and Tracy Fitzsimmons attend the dedication of an Olive Crest Counseling Center room dedicated in Devine’s memory.

Comprehensive and individualized assessment and services for children and young adults with emotional and behavioral problems are provided, in addition to individual, family and group therapy programs. The center also offers crisis intervention, rapid response, case management, medication support and monitoring, intensive care coordination across multiple agencies and intensive home-based services when applicable.

Attending this special dedication and reception celebrating Devine’s life were members of the Devine family, including Karen Devine, a news anchor at KESQ TV; Mike Devine; Julia Devine Hampton; Jill Devine; Zach Boetto; Bob and Connie Lurie; Adele Ruxton; Jenell VanDenBos; Fitzsimmons; and Dr. James and Lorraine Brinton, founders and board members of Olive Crest Desert Communities.

For more on Olive Crest, call (800) 550-2445 or visit olivecrest.org.

Madeline Zuckerman is owner and president of M. Zuckerman Marketing & Public Relations Inc., a strategic marketing, branding, public relations and special events firm with offices in Rancho Mirage and Newport Beach, California. Her clients have included South Coast Plaza, Pacific Symphony and Tiffany & Co. in Orange County and Desert Arc, Olive Crest and Mama's House here in the desert. She is a Founder of McCallum Theatre and has been a guest reporter with The Desert Sun for the past 14 years.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: $500,000 gift awarded to Olive Crest in memory of Sharon Devine