On any given night, an estimated 82,000 homeless men, women, and children sleep in Los Angeles shelters, cars, under freeway overpasses, on sidewalks, and in tent encampments throughout the county.* Of these individuals, 20 to 43 percent are in families, typically headed by a single mother. Homeless women and children are especially vulnerable, and the mothers often do not have the resources or job skills to build a better future.
World Vision serving Southern California is helping to change this as we walk alongside homeless women working to gain the skills and confidence they need to transform their lives and families. We partner with the shelters that provide a home for these women and their children, supplying the essentials that help them walk into a new future.
The Second Start Program supports women working to emerge from homelessness into jobs and hope-filled futures for themselves and their children. World Vision supports their efforts to build job and interview skills as they regain their self esteem. The Second Start Celebration honors these women with an annual luncheon. The celebration features a fashion show, with the women modeling new, donated, professional clothing, which World Vision provides.
This year’s celebration will be held on June 18th at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and will bring together more than 300 Beverly Hills community and business leaders (primarily women) to support the work World Vision is doing in the Southern California community. In preparation for the fashion show, the Miss Asia USA team also will encourage and equip the women through job-related self-presentation and etiquette training.
Your organization’s sponsorship or donation is critical to the success of this event. Your support also will provide local children and youth with vital programs, including World Vision’s Youth Empowerment Program, Children’s Store, Child-Friendly Spaces in disaster, and youth-led community advocacy projects.
We are counting on your support to host this luncheon, and to continue to serve vulnerable children, youth, and families in Southern California. We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact Janice Hulett at 323.888.2121 x2305 or by e-mail at jhulett@worldvision.org.
Thank you in advance for your willingness to equip some of our area’s most vulnerable women and children. Your generosity will make a difference not only in their lives, but in our community as well.
* Source: Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty, Weingart Center, Los Angeles
