My Friend’s Place Celebrates 30 Years with Star-Studded Gala

MY FRIEND’S PLACE TO COMMEMORATE THREE DECADES OF ASSISTING AND INSPIRING THE HOMELESS YOUTH OF LOS ANGELES WITH STAR-STUDDED BENEFIT GALA

ACTOR/COMEDIAN/MUSICIAN JACK BLACK WILL HOST THE GALA ON APRIL 7, 2018 AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

Honorees Include The Happy Hippie Foundation, USC Football’s Angela Helton, Chef and Food Activist Alice Waters, Community Advocate Cheryl Hayward, and Social Media Platform Instagram

My Friend’s Place, a nonprofit homeless youth resource center providing 30 years of providing vital, life-changing services to tens of thousands homeless youth in Los Angeles, will commemorate this milestone anniversary with a 30^th Anniversary Gala event on April 7, 2018 at the Hollywood Palladium. The announcement was made today by the organization’s executive director, Heather Carmichael, along with event co-chairs art consultant Sylvia Chivaratanond and WholeWorldBand CEO, Gregory Butler.

Actor/comedian/musician Jack Black (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) will host the benefit Gala as it honors the individual work of the following: The Happy Hippie Foundation, founded by Miley Cyrus; USC Football’s Angela Helton; Renowned chef, author and food activist Alice Waters; My Friend’s Place Board member and community advocate Cheryl Hayward; and Social media platform Instagram. The Gala is open to the public and ticket/sponsorship package information is available here.

“We are thrilled to have the acclaimed Jack Black host this year’s special My Friend’s Place 30^th Anniversary Gala, a night that will bring together our amazing Honorees; our organization’s co-founders; past and present Board of Directors; supporters; volunteers; and alumni who have benefited from our wide range of services and programming over the years,” said Ms. Carmichael. “As we reflect on our 30-year history in Los Angeles, we feel fortunate to celebrate our accomplishments, and remain resolute in our mission of developing and sustaining unique programming with the goal of ending youth homelessness, one young person at a time.”

Mr. Black said, “As a native born and raised in and around Los Angeles it is my pleasure to host this event honoring those who have stepped up with creative solutions to homelessness in this great city of ours. Les do dis!”

For one special night, more than 500 business and philanthropic leaders, community members and advocates for homeless youth will come together to celebrate My Friend’s Place and the champions of our community who make transformative opportunities possible for young people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. An evening of festivities that include world-class entertainment, dining and auctions, the 30th Anniversary Gala celebrates the partners who have tirelessly worked to help My Friend’s Place become the organization that it is today.

Last month, My Friend’s Place was awarded a Mayoral Proclamation designating January 8, 2018 as “My Friend’s Place Day” in Los Angeles by the Honorable Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, with the support of 13th District Councilman Mitch O’Farrell. Since its inception, My Friend’s Placehas helped tens of thousands of homeless youth between the ages 12/5 discover a path to wellness, self-sufficiency and a permanent exit from homelessness.

About My Friend’s Place:

On January 8, 1988, two friends working in Hollywood were compelled to help the homeless youth who populated the sidewalks just outside of their office door. Determined to effect change, no matter how small, the co-founders of My Friend’s Place, Steve LePore and Craig Scholz, began spending their break time making and distributing sack lunches to the young people living on the streets. Soon, this simple act became a grassroots movement and Steve and Craig had assembled a group of kind-hearted volunteers who traversed Hollywood delivering meals. After countless hours of interactions with these young people, the duo realized providing meals only addressed a small portion of the issue. Within a year, the idea was born for creating a judgment-free, “safe place” where intangible needs such as physical and mental health services, creative outlets and employment and education assistance could be met. Thirty years later, My Friend’s Place has grown into a dynamic resource center that offers a comprehensive continuum of services to more than 1,350 homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 25, and their children, each year. Through the expansive programming offered at its Hollywood location, My Friend’s Place provided more than 30,000 meals last year, in addition to engaging nearly 500 young people in more than 700 creative and living arts workshops across 21,000 individual visits.