Gladys Kohn’s philanthropic contributions have evolved over the years, but her efforts, which range from advocating for women’s health to restoring the La Jolla Historical Society’s Wisteria Cottage, all stem from her insistence that “the jewel” is worth preserving. Kohn and her husband moved to La Jolla in 1986 when her husband’s job at Foodmaker, Inc. brought them to the beautiful coastal gem. Although she was a newcomer in town at the time, it was not in Kohn’s nature to stand idle. She had an itch to volunteer her time and get involved in the community. “My family has always been involved in community service on some level. It’s always been in my blood,” she said. “I joined Soroptimist because it was a way to meet people. Through Soroptimist you make a lot of friends, and we’ve done some really great things for the community as well.” Soroptimist International of La Jolla was founded in 1947 to improve the lives of women and girls in the community and around the world, as well as accomplish a number of service projects based on individual community need. “I’ve always been interested in women’s health, and we had a very active health committee at Soroptimist,” Kohn said. “We realized there was no research done on women’s health at the time. Some of our members went to Washington, [D.C.] and we lobbied the Health and Human Services Department on women’s health and set up a health symposium with them.” The actions taken on by the Soroptimist of La Jolla’s health committee in 1994 led to the creation of an entirely new entity, the Dorris A. Howell Foundation, which dedicates its efforts to providing $3,000 scholarship grants to students who conduct research on women’s health issues. “Dr. Dorris Howell is a retired pediatric oncologist. Dorris was a member of the club at the time, and she’s been such a huge influence in women’s health and the areas of the hospice movement,” she said. “So when she was out of town one time, we decided to name the foundation after her.” The nonprofit that was created out of the La Jolla Soroptimists’ health committee has been successful over the years in granting more than 150 scholarships for students, primarily at UCSD, San Diego State University and the Cal State schools, which focus their research on women’s health. “It was a great thing that happened,” she said. “You wouldn’t think it’s a lot of money, but we’re really seeing results.” Some of the subjects that have been researched, thanks in part to financial support from the Dorris A. Howell Foundation, include cervical cancer, breast cancer, ovarian carcinoma and Parkinson’s disease, among many other health-related topics. In addition to co-founding the foundation, one thing led to another and Kohn also became involved at the La Jolla Historical Society, where she has served on the Secret Garden Tour committee for 13 years. Last year, she served as chairwoman of the committee, which creates annual tours of tucked-away gardens in La Jolla to benefit the restoration of Wisteria Cottage. “I really enjoy working on that and other projects. I would hope that everyone does things to make them happy. That’s what it’s all about,” she said. “I love La Jolla. I love living in La Jolla, and the town is just so well worth preserving.”