[Altadena, California] May 15, 2018 – Child and family services nonprofit Five Acres has received a game-changing gift in the form of $1 million in unrestricted dollars from the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation.
The foundation also made a $123,600 grant in 2016 to support Five Acres’ transportation program for abused and neglected children in residential treatment. This new gift will substantially impact the nonprofit’s strategic goal of increasing financial vitality by 20% by the year 2020.
“With Five Acres in its 130th year of service, we’re looking ahead to how we can ease LA’s growing foster care crisis by broadening preventative programs for families and sourcing more parents for children in need of loving foster and foster-adoptive homes,” said Five Acres CEO Chanel Boutakidis. “This incredible gift from the Petersen Foundation will strengthen existing services and lay the groundwork for new and better ways for us to keep families together.”
In recent years, Five Acres has expanded its behavioral health services across multiple counties in Southern California by partnering with private health care organizations. Their community-based specialty services division was also launched to provide focused mental health services to the deaf community, foster families, survivors of domestic abuse, families of children with severe behavioral challenges and more.
“Five Acres has proven its ability to effectively steward gifts both large and small, even during periods of financial or legislative change” said Kelley Bannon Lashley, Five Acres’ Vice Chair of Advancement. “I’m excited to see the transformative work they achieve with kids and families due to this gift.”
Photo caption: The Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation has awarded $1 million in unrestricted dollars to Five Acres, an Los Angeles-based child and family services nonprofit focusing on community-based mental health care, foster care and adoption.
About Five Acres
Five Acres is a child and family service agency ensuring every child has a safe, healthy and permanent family solution through advocacy, prevention and evidence-based services. Established as an orphanage in 1888, today Five Acres offers programs spanning a full continuum of care including community-based counseling and support services, intensive residential care, a therapeutic school for special needs students and foster care and adoption services. Currently, Five Acres serves approximately 8,700 children and their families across five counties. Visit 5acres.org for more information.