Penny Lane Centers Of Southern California Will Host 3rd Annual Garden Party To Raise Funds For LGBTQ+ Programs

Penny Lane Centers, one of the largest and oldest non-profit social service agencies in Southern California and the first in the County of Los Angeles to accept transgender youth into their residential, foster family agency and other programs, is hosting their 3rd Annual Garden Party Fundraiser on Friday, August 23rd to raise much needed funds for their LGBTQ+ Programs and other initiatives to build a brighter future for LGBTQ+ youth and families. The annual fundraiser will be held at their North Hollywood center located at 10526 Dubnoff Way, North Hollywood, CA 91606.

The star-studded evening will consist of a red carpet and cocktail hour from 7:00pm to 8:00pm and the fundraiser will begin at 8:00pm. The event will include celebrity guest speakers in support of Penny Lane Centers and the amazing work that they do on a daily basis to help the LGBTQ+ youth in our communities. Guest speakers will include the always inspiring actress/activist Alexandra Billings ("Transparent"/Amazon, "Goliath"/Amazon), one of the first openly transgender actresses in Hollywood and activist/social justice leader Juanita Chavez, daughter of civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and Head of Communications for The Dolores Huerta Foundation. The evening will be hosted by actor/activist JM Longoria ("Miracles from Heaven", "Sin Verguenza") and the evening will end with a very moving performance soon to be announced. To support and buy tickets to the 3rd Annual Garden Party please click HERE (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/penny-lane-centers-garden-party-2019-tickets-60555249381)

Penny Lane is a non-profit organization that serves over 6000 clients a year in L.A. County providing an array of services to help, support and enhance our community. In 2010, Penny Lane was the first social service provider in California awarded the All-Children-All Family Seal (AC-AF), a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) initiative to improve services for the LGBTQ+ communities. The Garden Party Fundraiser will raise greatly needed funds for their LGBTQ+ Programs, including the TAY (Transitional Aged Youth) Homeless Drop-in Centers, also called the "Yellow Submarine" Drop-In Centers created to address that LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to be rejected by their families, pushing them to run away from their homes and end up homeless - 40% of homeless youth in L.A. County self-identify as LGBTQ+. The Drop-In Centers provide temporary safety and basic support such as showers, nutritional meals, clothing, linkages to housing, transportation vouchers and laundry facilities. The overall goal is to connect these youth to a range of resources that promote stability and self-sufficiency.

Other programs within the array of services that Penny Lane offers to LGBTQ+ individuals and families that the Garden Party Fundraiser will support is the Embracing Identities Program designed to help meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ Transitional Age Youth (TAY) population by providing support, informational groups and training programs for service providers, county and city departments schools and others who support our youth among many others. The Garden Party Fundraiser will also help fund the EDGY (Embracing the Diversity of GLBTQ+ Youth and Families) Conference, born from Penny Lane's consistent work with LGBTQ+ youth and families. The annual EDGY Conference was created to provide a "one-stop-shop" opportunity for youth-serving professionals to build awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices, and gather resources from leading experts and national organizations in the field. This year the 11th Annual EDGY Conference will be held on Friday, November 8th from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Penny Lane Centers is a member of the R.I.S.E. (Recognize. Intervene. Support. Empower.) Initiative. RISE aims to create-safe, stable families and supportive, competent care-giving organizations where LGBTQ+ youth are valued, celebrated and have access to the full range of positive opportunities. The initiative will create and implement a comprehensive system of care to help LGBTQ+ youth stay in homes where they feel safe and welcomed into adulthood.

For more Information about Penny Lane Centers:

www.pennylane.org

For more information about the EDGY Conference:

www.edgyconference.com

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