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| September 2010 | Vol 2, Issue 6
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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! | Fall is already upon us and My Friend's Place is gearing up for a busy season! We are excited to welcome new interns and staff as we continue to grow in our capacity to serve the wide ranging needs of youth living on the streets.
We are so grateful for the incredible support of our growing MFP family. Thank you for being a part of our community and for your support of homeless youth in Los Angeles!
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What's Your MO?
|  Actress Monique Coleman, perhaps best known for her role as Taylor McKessie in the High School Musical series, has launched GimmeMo, a new web talk show focusing on issues affecting teens and youth. In the first episode, she focuses on youth homelessness and interviews MFP staff members about our services. After learning about the needs of young people on the streets in Los Angeles, Monique knew she wanted to do more than just talk about the issue - she wanted to do something to help. With the help of the Los Angeles Food Bank, Monique arranged a special delivery of food to MFP that has bolstered the nutritional content of the meals we're able to provide and made a real difference!
Throughout the series, Monique hopes to help youth find a venue to discuss topics important to them and then empower them to make a difference in their communities. Thank you to Monique, the Los Angeles Food Bank, and the whole GimmeMo team for their incredible commitment to homeless youth!
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Welcome to New Interns and Staff
|  My Friend's Place welcomes Emily Labrecque and Dave Holmes,
our new full-time Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) interns! Emily will
spend the next year working with our Transformative Education and
Special Events team, while Dave will be working hard with the Direct
Service team maintaining our Safe Haven. One of last year's JVC interns, Kelsey Brennan, is also joining us as a regular part of our Direct Service team. This marks the seventh year My
Friend's Place and JVC have partnered together to
serve the homeless youth of Los Angeles.We also welcome new
part-time interns Mariel Reyes (CSUN) and Angela Bell (CSUN) to our Case
Management and Health Education teams.We are so excited to have Emily, Dave, Mariel, Kelsey and Angela as a part of our team. Together, we can
ensure a brighter future for the homeless youth of Los Angeles!
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August Volunteer of the Month: Elle Larson
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My Friend's Place is thrilled to announce that Elle Larson is our August Volunteer of the Month! Elle teaches a sewing workshop at MFP that has has been well received as practical and fun for the youth, though she acknowledges that, "I really get a lot out of this too."
 Elle says she was drawn to MFP because, "the youth have a lot of room to express themselves socially, and the staff provides a lot of support and guidance." Through her sewing workshop, Elle manages to get everyone involved while also helping the young people gain practical skills. She describes My Friend's Place as "a stable hub in the sea of uncertainty" and her workshops are certainly helping promote a sense of stability and productivity in the lives of the youth.
The response from the youth has been overwhelmingly positive. They have expressed that Elle is a great teacher and is really open to them. Thank you so much to Elle for your weekly dedication to providing a fun, stable environment for the youth of My Friend's Place!
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An Elegant Wine Tasting
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 Board Member Dana Sims put together a a wonderful evening of food, wine, and friends to benefit My Friend's Place in late August. Guests lounged poolside while enjoying hors d'ouevres and wine aged to perfection from Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard and Wineries.
Special thanks to Dana as well as co-hosts Justin Rosenblatt, Melissa Masse-Rosenblatt, and Belma Michael Johnson, plus all our fantastic volunteers for all their work on behalf of the homeless youth of Los Angeles!
Contribute now to support My Friend's Place! |
MFP Gets Four Star Rating
| For the second year in a row, My Friend's Place has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that rates the efficiency and capacity of non-profits.
With just 13% of our total budget going toward administrative and and fundraising costs, MFP is in the top efficiency bracket for non-profits of our kind. Thank you so much for helping us continue to invest in the success of the homeless youth of Los Angeles! Contribute now to support My Friend's Place! |
Shop at the MFP Marketplace
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Order custom-made MFP apparel and items and 100% of the proceeds will go toward supporting homeless youth!
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"Something Wonderful" on Sep. 12th!
Please join us for an incredible event this weekend. All proceeds will benefit My
Friend's Place's programs and services!  On Sunday, September 12th, Board
Members Ann Blanchard and Joanie Berkley invite you to join them at Something
Wonderful: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Performed by
incredible musical theater artists and hosted by Brad Ellis (the man behind the
piano on the hit show Glee), this special, intimate garden party performance
will delight audiences ages 7 and up. For information and tickets, click here.
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