Orange County enewsletter | May 2016
Help Our Kids
Young Adults Can Use Help Getting a New Start
A part of the work Olive Crest does is provide assistance to youth ages 16 to 24 whose only option as they approach adulthood is living independently. As this program continues to grow, there is constantly a need for extra support to help these young adults get started in their apartments. In fact, we just opened our 10th apartment and had a day where staff assembled furniture, hung pictures, and made an apartment into a home. This is often an exciting yet uncertain time for young adults living on their own for the first time, paying bills, and living away from those they grew up with. Help make a difference: Support Our “Transition a Teen” drive.
News and Updates
Olive Crest’s Spring Concert Event Rocked at the House of Blues
Olive Crest’s annual spring fundraiser, held at the world-famous House of Blues in Anaheim on May 7, boasted a crowd of more than 300 guests passionate about child abuse prevention. Jimmy Wayne, country music star and New York Times bestselling author of Walk to Beautiful, shared his inspirational account of growing up as a foster kid. Mr. Wayne performed for the group, and Olive Crest foster kids shared their stories of transformation in a dramatic stage presentation. More than $200,000 was raised for Olive Crest programs serving at-risk children and families in the Orange County area. Thank you to all our guests, volunteers, committee members, and sponsors who made this event so successful!
Foster Families Are Treated to a Day at Disneyland!
For National Foster Awareness Month in May, Olive Crest celebrated by hosting a Foster Family Appreciation Day at Disneyland. All certified foster families from our Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego areas were invited. There were 177 families welcomed to Disneyland for this special day. The kids had so much fun and even wrote thank you letters afterward to those who made it possible (shown below).
50 Foster Parents and Kids Have Fun Discovering Sea Life
There are a few great ways to spend a Saturday in Newport Beach, and Sea Life Discovery Tours is one of them! The tours allow a close-up view of sea life both above and below the water. Thanks to Shelli Zeller (of our volunteer group Town, Grown & Apron) and friends, almost 50 foster parents and kids from Olive Crest had a fun afternoon discovering the ocean together!
Special Thanks
We would like to express our gratitude to the Golden State Foods Foundation for its grant supporting our Safe Families for Children program in Orange County. The GSF Foundation supports more than 600 children’s charities and elementary schools across the U.S. to help those in need, and benefits a variety of worthy organizations, children and families throughout the country. We are proud to partner with the Golden State Foods Foundation, and we hope that together, we can continue helping those who need it most.
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