San Gabriel, CA—Family Promise of San Gabriel Valley will have an informational and fundraising buffet dinner Sunday, September 26th starting at 5:00 P.M. at Luminarias Restaurant, 3500 W. Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park. Tickets for the event are $50 each or $400 for a table for eight and available by calling (626) 617-8877 or E-mailing  fpsgvbanquet2010@gmail.com. The keynote speaker will be Professor Gary L. Blasi from the UCLA School of Law Faculty, who will speak on homeless families. Professor Blasi has taught at Stanford and lectured at universities in England, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong and China. There also will be entertainment and a raffle.

Families with children comprise one of the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population today.  Families now make up 40 percent of the homeless population, and one out of every four homeless people is a child. Forty-two percent of homeless children are under the age of six. Two million additional American children will fall victim to the foreclosure crisis over the next two years. It is estimated that there are 2,780 homeless in the San Gabriel Valley with the only homeless shelter being in El Monte. There are only 343 beds to serve the homeless in the San Gabriel Valley. To address the need, Family Promise of San Gabriel Valley, which is a faith-based, 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization committed to helping homeless families to find employment and housing in order to achieve lasting independence, started in late 2008. There are presently eleven churches who have agreed to participate. The Fundraising Committee is working to raise about $100,000 to get the program up and running to help homeless families. To find out more about Family Promise and how one can participate call (626) 617-8877 or E-mail fpsgvbanquet2010@gmail.com or http://fpsgv.org/contact_us.

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