The Los Angeles Mission has a serious reason for the End of Summer Block Party. But don’t tell the kids. They think it’s just for fun.
It’s a giant street fair on 5th Street for children – with food, games, prizes, crafts, face painting, bounce houses, giant inflatable slide, dunk tank and more. Children who live in the area will have a day of carefree summer play.
But the Mission wants kids to stay in school and graduate. The Mission believes education is a key variable in ending chronic homelessness in future generations. Commands of language and mathematics along with other skills are critical to future employment a fundamental of housing independence.
To help each school aged child will receive a backpack full of the school supplies necessary to succeed in class.
And this year, Soles4Souls and BOBS from SKECHERS will be making kids-size shoes available for the young participants.
Celebrities and political leaders will join hundreds of other volunteers to help serve the nearly 3,000 kids and their families who will attend. Approximately 1,000 backpacks of school supplies and shoes will be distributed to school-aged children. Scheduled to appear: Donald Faison (the Exes), Cacee Cobb, Sharna Burgess (Dancing with the Stars), Nikolette Noel (The Expendables 2), Max Charles (The Amazing Spiderman), Jason Wahler (The Hills), Janice Dickinson (Supermodel), Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars), Taylor Spreitler (Melissa and Joey), Lauren Storm (Flight 29 Down), Brandon Molale (True Blood), Jamie Gray Hyder (True Blood), Brandon Tyler Russell (Smitty), Drew Seeley (Glory Daze), Brendon Eggersten (Just Go With It), Allie Carlton (Guess How Much I Love You – voice), Misi Stomber (16-Love), Temara Melek (16-Love), Zach Callison (Diary of a Single Mom), Lia Marie Johnson (My Music), Amy Paffrath (Hollywood 411), Dylan Riley Snyder (Kickin’ It), Julianna Rose (Pretty Little Liars), Kota Wade, Jennessa Rose, Trent Carlton, Madison Carlton, Tina Nguyen, and more.
Families who receive backpacks won’t have to decide between food and school supplies for their children. The Los Angeles Mission, along with U.S. Bank, In-N-Out Burger, King Taco, Jackson Hewitt, Amcor and many others make the event possible. New shoes for the children were made available by Soles4Souls and BOBS from SKECHERS.
The End of Summer Block Party gives children who often experience fear, hunger, health issues and stress on a daily basis a chance to spend the day just being a kid!
WHEN: SATURDAY August 25, 2012, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
WHERE: Los Angeles Mission, 303 East 5th Street (on the corner of 5th and Wall Street), Los Angeles, CA 90013.
