Saint John’s Health Center’s Irene Dunne Guild will hold its first annual PLAY DATE, an adult event for the child in everyone, on Feb. 5. The evening will feature games and activities (and a dress code of tennis shoes and jeans) designed to let attendees relive the play of childhood – all to benefit a child.
The fundraiser will benefit Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center (CFDC), one of the few surviving community mental health centers directed at helping the emotional and developmental needs of low-income and minority children and families. California’s budget crisis has hit the CFDC extremely hard. Starting in July, the CFDC will lose funding for one of its most significant programs: Partnerships for Families, which assists overburdened families who are at risk for child maltreatment. Partnerships for Families serves at-risk pregnant women as well as families with children 0-5 years of age. In the words of one mother, “Your support and acknowledgement with my tricky infant was a real blessing. I always felt respected, seen and cared about by you, whether you were listening to me share trying times about my relationship, teaching me how to parent or using resources to better my situation. In short, I feel like you believed in me as a client.â€
In response to Partnerships for Families need for funding as well as other CFDC programs whose funding is in jeopardy, the Irene Dunne Guild, one of Saint John’s most active support groups, is inviting the community to support PLAY DATE.
Supporters of the CFDC will gather from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. on Feb. 5 at Sports Club/L.A. at 1835 Sepulveda Blvd. in West Los Angeles for an evening of games and activities such as basketball hoop shoot, competitive putt-putt golf, simulated motorcycle and race car rides, and arcade and video games. Participants will play games to earn tickets to win exciting raffle prizes, such as fine jewelry or a year membership to Sports Club/LA. The night will also feature arts and crafts, dancing, gourmet kid food, wine tasting and a wine auction.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact Wendy Merritt at the Saint John’s Foundation at wendy.merritt@stjohns.org or at (310) 829-8443 by Jan. 21.
