The Jeffrey Foundation 40th Anniversary Gala
40 Years of Loving and Caring
Los Angeles, CA, April 9, 2012-The Jeffrey Foundation, a non-profit Child Care/Resource Center offering educational programs, childcare and counseling for special needs children and their families, will celebrate the Foundation’s 40thAnniversary at a Special Gala Dinner and Show on Friday, May 4, 2012, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Olympic Collection, 11301 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles.
Peter Mark Richman will MC the evening, with music for dancing by the Angel City Big Band featuring Bonnie Bowden presenting a 40’s theme and entertainment by Deborah Aitkin and Larry Covin.
The event will be honoring The Jeffrey Foundation Founder, Mrs. Alyce Morris Winston, for her 40 years of leadership of the Jeffrey Foundation. Donors and Supporters will also be honored.
The “Circle of Love” campaign has pledged to raise $500,000 for the Educational Children’s Program and Family Resource Center provided by the Jeffrey Foundation in this 40thyear of operation.
The committee members for this event include: “Circle of Love” associate members Suz Landay, Joanna Kermani, Mara New, Elaine Bernard, Linda Schwartz, Bee Beyer and Bunny Amber.
The Jeffrey Foundation was founded in 1972 by CEO Alyce Morris Winston, and named in honor of her son, Jeffrey, who had Muscular Dystrophy. The Foundation has served thousands of children during its 40 years. Currently, in Los Angeles, there are over 30,000 special needs youth that require specialized care to ensure their quality of life. Many of these children are from families headed by single mothers with multiple children. Of these special needs youth, 85% of these children are in foster care and approximately 10% are living with a parent who has either lost custody once due to abuse, neglect/maltreatment or abandonment.
“When my son Jeffrey was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at the age of two,” said Morris Winston, “I had difficulty finding quality care and education. That need and awareness led me down a path where eventually The Jeffrey Foundation was born. Caring for the development and education of a special needs child is a full-time task that requires a highly skilled team of professional and caring individuals. The majority of teachers and caregivers just don’t have access to critical information and resources to care for these children. In Los Angeles, even today, there is a lack of organizations that provide this service.”
Morris Winston abandoned her career in training as a Max Factor make-up specialist and model and dedicated her life to making a difference in order to bridge the gap. The Jeffrey Foundation, which began in her living room, is now housed in two professional buildings on West Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles. Alyce’s son Jeffrey passed away in 1980. However, his legacy lives on. Today, the Foundation proudly serves special needs and typical children 18 months to 18 years and their families.
The Foundation serves children by developing and implementing an array of community-based therapeutic, recreational, educational and social programs. These comprehensive programs consist of childcare, preschool, K-12 educational programming, speech therapy, occupational therapy, life skills, after school activities and social events. The classes, which are inclusive, aim to build core competencies such as cognitive skill building, language development, gross and fine motor skills and social and emotional development, as well as provide health and nutrition.
“The mission of the Foundation is to provide each special need child a sense of well-being, self-sufficiency and the highest level of functioning possible,” said Morris Winston. “In our 40 years, we’ve served thousands of children. We also help the entire family by offering parenting classes and teaching family members how to understand, cope and enhance family life while working with their child’s disability.”
To inquire or RSVP to the Friday, May 4,2012 Gala, please call (323) 965-7536, Ext. 23.
Media RSVP & Contact: Ridini Entertainment, Maryann Spencer (818) 884-0104.
SCBA # ID 042605-648 PI
Information Card # R2444 / 2012-25
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CONTACT:
Alyce Morris Winston
(323) 965-7536 Ext: 23
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