MEDIA CONTACT:

Jasmine Shafik        

(714) 530-0430 ext. 968

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 16, 2010

SOC and BGCGG Host a Christmas Party for McKinney-Vento Homeless Children

Garden Grove, CA (December 16, 2010) – On December 11, Suburban Optimist Club (SOC) teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove (BGCGG) to host a Christmas Party for 100 McKinney-Vento Homeless children and their families at Main Branch. According to the Orange County Department of Education(OCDE), over 1,000 homeless children are enrolled in the Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) alone.

Families enjoyed a home-cooked dinner and fun activities including face painting, painting glass ornaments and pine cones, assembling holiday foam kits, and playing games such as bowling and basketball. Anaheim Camera EnthusiastS (ACES) was on site to take professional studio portraits.  This was the first family photograph for many of these families, due to shuffling from home to home.

BGCGG is further supporting local homeless families through the “Adopt a Family for Christmas” program. If you would like to be involved, contact Chela Marin, McKinney-Vento GGUSD Case Manager and ARCHES Program Assistant for Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, at 714-532-7941. “Imagine trying to explain to a child why Santa will have to skip their home this year,” states Marin. 

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GARDEN GROVE

For more than 50 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove (BGCGG) has helped kids “BE GREAT” by changing and saving young lives, playing an integral role in its community. Striving to help children succeed in life, Boys & Girls Clubs provide hope and opportunity through afterschool, family support, and community outreach programs. Our 57 program sites serve over 8,500 families annually and 5,000 young people daily, from “Diapers to Diplomas,” ages 18 months-18 years old.

The Clubs are open daily with programs in character and leadership development, education and career enhancement, the arts, health and life skills, and sports, fitness and recreation. Our family outreach programs such as Family Campus Preschool, School Readiness, REACH For Literacy (Reading Education for Adults & CHildren), ARCHES (Access to Resources for Children's Health, Education and Support), FYOP (Family & Youth Outreach Program), and TRC (Truancy Reduction Center) expand our services to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met. Through our efforts we do our best to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Please visit www.begreatgardengrove.org for more information. Great Futures Start Here.

###