CASINO MASQUERADE Classic Hollywood Glamour At The Los Angeles Athletic Club

On Friday, November 2nd, POPS the Club will host a "Casino Masquerade" in partnership with the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The event will take place in LAAC's historic Centennial Ballroom and Olympic Lounge. A festive night of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music, and casino games benefitting POPS the Club, an LA-­based nonprofit that transforms the lives of teens who have loved ones in prison. As Parole Commissioner Robert Barton says, "There should be a POPS club in every high school, transforming stigma and shame to hope and healing." Gala organizers call upon all of us to "Pick up our masks, so POPS students can drop theirs." The evening will celebrate POPS 2019 high school graduates and honor author and activist, Christina McDowell, the highly-­praised writer of the memoir After Perfect.

The DTLA Los Angeles Athletic Club is one of LA's iconic venues, long a social destination offering classic Hollywood glamour in a private club setting. For more than 125 years, it has remained dedicated to its mission of providing for the body, mind and spirit of each member. The LAAC has set aside a discounted block of rooms for event attendees. Festivities begin at 8 p.m. General Admission Includes casino chips, drink tickets, hors d'oeuvres & Jazz Lounge access. VIP Admission includes General Admission, VIP Lounge extended hours (7 pm to 2 am), premium cocktails and VIP gifts. Sponsorships and tickets are available for purchase by cash or check.

Christina McDowell is the author of After Perfect, a book that People Magazine calls a "searing memoir of loss and redemption" ...which exposes the side of The Wolf of Wall Street we didn't get to see on the screen. It tells the tale of Christina's own family's destruction in the wake of the Wall Street crisis and her father's incarceration. Valparaiso Pictures recently purchased film rights. Christina is a "POPS kid before there was POPS."

Her journey through stigma to self-­acceptance is captivating, and her activism for the children of the incarcerated is inspiring. Christina co-­produced (with David Arquette & Susan Sarandon) Matthew Cooke's Survivor's Guide to Prison, a 2018 award-­nominated documentary critics call compelling;; the LA Times' Michael Rechtshaffen compared the film to Ava DuVernay's 13th

POPS stands for Pain of the Prison System, and POPS the Club is a nonprofit that is transforming the lives of teenagers who have loved ones in prison and jail. One in 14 kids in the US has experienced parental incarceration, with its attendant shame and stigma. POPS provides a nurturing place for youth 14 to 20 where no one has to hide their circumstances or disguise their challenges.

POPS clubs provide tools for self-­expression and self-­empowerment. POPS members work is featured each year in an award-­ winning book collection. POPS teens stay in school, go on to higher education, pursue successful careers, and develop as leaders in the community.

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