Paul Gibson will discuss Friends of Foster Children, which is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, volunteer organization founded in 1976 to enhance the quality of life for abused, abandoned and neglected children in the San Gabriel Valley at the Fall Conference of the Sierra Mar District of Business and Professional Women on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 2009 S. Garfield Avenue, Monterey Park. Registration is at 8:45 a.m. with the meeting starting at 9:30 a.m. The conference and luncheon is open to all interested people. There is no registration cost for guests, but the cost of the luncheon is $10. Call or E-mail Marie Clifton (626) 287-5306 or mclifton40@yahoo.com to make a reservation or for questions.

Gibson, who will be the morning speaker, volunteers with Friends of Foster Children, which provides goods, volunteer services and financial support to foster children living in residential treatment centers and emancipated youth. Friends of Foster Children has no paid staff and no facility so less than 6 percent of their annual budget is spent on operating costs. 94 percent of every donated dollar is applied to the children’s needs. He will let attendees know how they can be involved.

The afternoon speaker will be Rosemary Enzer, who is a volunteer with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Enzer has volunteered with CASA for the past eight years working with children and teenagers in the foster care system. She has also served as a Peer Coordinator, mentoring new CASAs and as a speaker at outreach recruiting meetings. A retired educator Enzer worked as an elementary principal and teacher and as a university instructor. She has also served as a consultant to underperforming schools. Her credits include authoring an Independent Living curriculum manual for transition age youth. Her other volunteer activities include the Los Angeles League of Women Voters and Hillview Mental Health Center where she is a member of the Board of Directors. Enzer joined BPW more than 30 years ago and has held numerous officers and chairs at the Club, District and State level. Currently, she serves as Secretary of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women.

CASA helps to improve the lives of children in the dependency system by pairing them with trained advocates who advocate, support, investigate, report and recommend solutions for the children. CASA is often the sole consistent adult anchor in the child’s life—and an adult who is not paid to care about her—and remains at the child’s side to ensure that she receives the services that she needs and deserves. This program also needs volunteers and will provide training for those involved.

The mission of Sierra Mar District of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women is “to promote and support equity for working women in all phases
of their lives and to promote personal empowerment and professional development.” Our objectives are “to advocate on state and national legislative issues of importance to women, to promote personal and professional development for women and to foster connections among women to promote BPW and its members.” Membership is open to both men and women who support this mission and these objectives. Those who are members also belong to EPW-USA and BPW International. For more information about membership contact Linda Wilson (626) 307-5650 or lindalwilson@juno.com.