SAVE THE DATE! The 2010 Families Matter Benefit and Celebration will be held on Friday, April 30th, at the Beverly Hills Hotel! We are pleased to announce that the 14th Annual Families Matter Benefit and Celebration will be held on Friday, April 30th, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This signature fundraising gala has always earned rave reviews for providing an enormously fun, warm, and inspiring evening, and we promise more of the same this year. We are also very pleased to announce that Co-Chairs for this year’s event will be Pam Smith and Lois Rosen. More details will be announced soon. If you want to receive updates about the event, click here. Meanwhile, please mark your calendars and look forward to a glorious evening in support of a great cause!
Holiday Fun at Juicy Couture! Children from FOF programs were treated to a fantastic holiday party at Juicy Couture. Check out the pics! December is a festive season of giving and fun and that was never more evident than at the first annual Juicy Couture Holiday Party for FOF Kids! Children from our Calling All Kids and Garden of Angels programs were treated to wonderful craft activities, great food, and, best of all, special gifts from Santa himself! The party was organized by longtime FOF supporter, Jenifer Barkon, who is the HR Director for Juicy Couture. The company’s entire staff participated in making this event a dream come true for kids who might not otherwise have much
to look forward to at Christmas. The company’s headquarters in Pacoima are right in the heart of the FOF service area and we are so grateful for their partnership and support! As our kids were often heard to say, “Thank you, Juicy Couture!!!”
A VOLUNTEER FOR THE AGES! How do you get to be a veteran volunteer at the tender age of 23? By starting when you are only 8 years old! Meet Robyn Strumpf, our 2009 Volunteer of the Year! It wouldn’t be a holiday season at Friends of the Family without a visit from our friend Robyn Strumpf, founder of Project Books and Blankies, a literacy non-profit organization. When Robyn was eight years old, she and her family started volunteering at Friends of the Family during the holidays each year. Robyn loved that experience and she also longed to help children learn to read, having had trouble learning to read herself as a young child. She overcame that challenge with loving help from her parents as they would cuddle with her favorite “blankie” and read with her night after night.Robyn started hand-making beautiful quilts and soliciting
Robyn Strumpf (center) delivers her latest holiday shipment of beautifully wrapped books for FOF children’s programs.
book donations and Project Books and Blankies was born. Throughout her school years, Robyn continued devoting countless volunteer hours to her cause, presenting beautiful gift baskets of books and “blankies” to thousands of children and helping to engage them in the magic of reading. Today, Robyn is finishing her Masters degree in Engineering at USC while continuing to find time to do her good work. It is with great pride that Friends of the Family salutes Robyn Strumpf as our 2009 Volunteer of the Year!
2009 Festival of Readers On Saturday, November 7th, Friends of the Family and First 5 LA hosted the 7th annual Festival of Readers. This fun family literacy fair celebrated our community’s efforts to raise awareness of the importance of reading as a family, and featured multicultural stage shows, storytelling, book giveaways, and arts and crafts booths. The 2009 Festival was held at Maclay Middle School in Pacoima and had approximately 800 in attendance. It was MC’d by Josefa Salinas of Hot 92 JAMZ, and featured renowned children’s folk musician Jose-Luis Orozco. What could be better than a fun and music-filled day for parents to support children’s school readiness and success in life? This year was a hit!
Free Tax Preparation for Families in our Community For 2009, Friends of the Family partnered with the Service Planning Area (SPA) 2 Council and the Greater Los Angeles Economic Alliance to offer free income tax preparation for families in our area. Individuals and families qualified for Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, filed their taxes electronically, and learned about tax preparation. In Service Planning Area 2, almost 900 returns were prepared claiming more than $230 thousand in EITC, a much needed income support for struggling families and a much needed shot in the arm for our local economy. Plans are underway to offer the program again in 2010. For more information, call our office at (818) 988-4430.
Privacy Policy | Site Map 
Home
