Laura’s House Ladies’ Guild to host holiday party for shelter alumni
Posted on November 29, 2011
Guild Members: from left to right, Jena Schuster, Madalyn Parsons, Valerie Ross, Shannon Champion, Andrea McCallister, LH Director of Development & Communications
The annual event will honor the women and children who have graduated from the Laura’s House shelter and Step Ahead Transitional Housing programs; guild members will collect wrapped gifts and gift cards for local retailers, restaurants and grocers
LADERA RANCH, Calif., Nov. 28, 2011 – Laura’s House, a non-profit organization whose mission is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse, today announced that its Ladies’ Guild will host the annual Alumni Holiday Party on Sunday, December 11, 2011.
Each year, Laura’s House celebrates the holiday season with alumni from its shelter and Step Ahead Transitional Housing program by collecting gift cards and wrapped gifts for the women and children who have graduated and are building lives that are free of violence. The event includes a visit from Santa and his Christmas elves, food, music, entertainment, and arts & crafts. This year, attendees at the Alumni Holiday Party will dine on tacos, burritos and Baja surf specialties donated by Baja Surf Tacos in Ladera Ranch.
The Alumni Holiday Party will be hosted again this year by the Laura’s House Ladies’ Guild. Established in December 2010, the Ladies’ Guild brings together more than a dozen women from the Orange County community who support the mission of Laura’s House through fundraising and awareness-building events held throughout the year. During 2011, the Ladies’ Guild hosted several events for shelter residents, including assembling and delivering special gift baskets and Mother’s Day, and collecting clothing and school supplies for the Laura’s House back-to-school clothing drive.
“We are grateful to the Ladies’ Guild for supporting Laura’s House in hosting our Alumni Holiday Party, and for their commitment throughout the year to helping us fulfill our mission to ‘end the silence’ of domestic violence,” said Andrea McCallister, Director of Development & Communications for Laura’s House.
Coto de Caza resident, Jena Schuster, heads up the Ladies’ Guild. “I am proud to be a part of the Laura’s House Ladies’ Guild,” said Schuster. “Over the past year, it has been a wonderful experience working with the dedicated women who have joined the guild, and are committed to helping Laura’s House. We are looking forward to hosting the Alumni Holiday party this year, and excited about continuing to partner with Laura’s House in the coming year to raise much-needed funds and build greater awareness throughout the community for the innovative programs and services that the organization provides to families impacted by domestic violence.”
For more information on how to become involved with the Laura’s House Ladies’ Guild, please call (949) 361-3775. In early 2012, a schedule of Ladies’ Guild events will be posted on the Laura’s House Website at www.laurashouse.org/events.
About Laura’s House Annually, Laura’s House provides residential shelter services to more than 200 women and children, counseling to more than 300 clients, legal services to more than 300 clients and assists with more than 1,700 crisis hot-line calls. The mission of Laura’s House is changing social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
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