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| April 2009 |
Vol 1, Issue 4 |
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| My Friend's Place
Newsletter |
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The mission of My Friend's Place is to assist and inspire homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives. | |
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| Greetings! |
Happy Spring! Thanks for all you do to help homeless youth! Despite the challenges of these tough economic times, My Friend's Place continues to change the lives of young people in crisis.
Read on to find out more about how our programs are making a difference. And make sure to read the amazing poem written by one of the youth at MFP at the end of the newsletter. It is a reminder of why the work of MFP is so important.
Thank you!
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| Honoring our Donors |
 My Friend's Place honored our donors at a Donor Day of Service Barbeque on March 14th. We are so grateful for the generosity of our supporters. We could not continue our work serving homeless youth without the generosity of our community members. 70 homeless youth attended the barbeque, enjoying hot dogs and hamburgers, a nutritious salad and fruit, cookies and an ice cream sundae bar, all prepared and served by our community of supporters. Performers from Cirque du Monde along with the youth amazed our guests with juggling, stilt walking, acrobatics and fire breathing.
Thanks to all of our donors who make our work possible!  
Check out our donor, Nora Zelevansky's blogpost about the event at the pocket lint.
Nora is pictured on the far right. |
| Job Fair for Homeless Youth |
Employment is one of the top priorities for many of the young people who visit My Friend's Place. They know that securing a job is an important step on the path to stability. But for many, their lack of experience, lack of a California ID, their age and lack of confidence can pose significant obstacles. In the Employment Workshops that we offer at My Friend's Place, we strive to empower job seeking youth with the confidence and tools to attain employment.
On March 25, My Friend's Place presented a job fair for eligible job seekers, ages 16 -25 in collaboration with Covenant House California and Archdiocesan Youth Employment at the St. Brendan Church. Participating employers included Good Will Industries, City Year LA and others. 60 youth attended the job fair. MFP youth had the opportunity to attend Employment Workshops in preparation for the job fair, receiving support with resume preparation, interview skills, phone etiquette and interpersonal communication coaching. MFP provided workshop participants with proper interview clothes as well as transportation to the job fair. Our caring staff and volunteers offered encouragement and helped youth feel more self-confident as they met potential employers.   | |
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| COMING SOON in June!
Summer Luncheon for homeless youth & ONLINE FUNDRAISER featuring a FABULOUS ONLINE AUCTION! |
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On June 22, My Friend's Place will kick off our Summer Online Fundraising Drive with a healthy luncheon for homeless youth! We are gathering exciting items for our online auction. Details will be announced here next month! |
| April is National Volunteer Month! |
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Take action! Let us celebrate the extraordinary power of ordinary people to make social change through service.
CLICK HERE to learn more about how you can make a difference! |
| Volunteer Spotlight |
| We are thrilled to welcome our new friends from Coldwell Banker Los Feliz! They will volunteer bi-weekly at our center bringing donations, organizing our clothing closet, and gathering in-kind donations of much needed supplies for the young people who visit My Friend's Place. They will also host and serve a pizza party for hungry youth!
Thank you for being part of our community of supporters! |
| Make an IN-KIND DONATION TODAY! |
- Fast food gift cards in $5 amounts to McDonald's Subway, El Pollo Loco, etc.
- Shoes, especially in larger sizes
- Clothing
- Bus tokens
Please call Stuart at (323) 908-0011 x 116 or email at sbrewster@myfriendsplace.org to arrange a donation drop off. Thank you! | |
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| A Poem from a youth at My Friend's Place |
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We recently received a letter from a young person who used to visit My Friend's Place. He enclosed the following poem:
My Friend's Place is a place where
people do not get baked by
the sun light beaming down the face.
With the grace of God,
they see it as a place where
people can meditate
and have space
to recuperate
from reality,
to keep their sanity straight,
and hope not to face hate,
but try to keep their minds straight.
This place is a safe haven
like heaven resurrected
on earth
to keep the youth
from hurting themselves
and getting help from people
who care should they dare
to fight this life alone.
Because you guys are there
to teach them,
give them wisdom,
reunite with family
so they can be happy and
keep pushing
for the best things in life
despite how they look
and who they are
because they will become stars
because of YOU believing in them
when no one didn't.
That's My Friend's Place.
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