SAN DIEGO — Following the end of its 41st annual Children’s Champions matching gift campaign and gala, Father Joe’s Villages announced on May 11 that it had raised a record-breaking $1.6 million.
“We thank everyone who generously gave their time and gifts in support of children and their families,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, President and CEO of the organization. “Their support will ensure that hundreds more children and their families are given what they need to transition away from life on the streets to a home of their own.”
Over the course of an evening gala on May 2 at the U.S. Grant Hotel, guests and sponsors supported life-changing services and programs through gifts, auctions and sponsorships.
Additionally, long-time donors Bob and Ellen Svatos were honored with the Bishop Maher Award for their 36 years of unwavering compassion in the service of neighbors in need, Gala Chairs Andrea and Greg McMullen were recognized for their extraordinary leadership and generosity to help make the evening a success while the Qualcomm Foundation was recognized with the Father Joe’s Villages Award for demonstrating the strength of their partnership in tackling homelessness, according to news release from Father Joe’s Villages.
Funds raised will ensure that families and children experiencing homelessness will have access to lifesaving health care, food, therapeutic childcare and other supportive programs, the release said.
According to this year’s Point in Time count, at least 23% of the 9,803 people experiencing homelessness in the San Diego region are children under the age of 18.
Children are especially vulnerable to the impacts of experiencing homelessness. Without early intervention, these children are up to four times more likely to have delayed development and twice as likely to repeat a grade in school. But when kids have the support they need, they thrive.
Children enrolled in Father Joe’s Villages’ Therapeutic Childcare Program, a daycare and preschool program, were not only able to have a safe, stable place to learn and play but more than 70% of children enrolled in the program saw improvements to their literacy and other key life skills.
The firm A-1 Storage presented the gala and it was hosted by award-winning journalist Monica Dean.
For more than 75 years, Father Joe’s Villages has striven to address the complicated needs of people who are experiencing homelessness, including providing housing for more than 2,000 people each night, along with health care, substance use treatment, job training, therapeutic childcare, and more.
This mission is made possible only through the efforts of compassionate staff, volunteer work, car donations, and generous public and private charitable contributions. For more information, please visit https://my.neighbor.org/.
