Courtyard at Five Acres’ newest offices in West Covina, California.

Five Acres invites the community to join them for an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the nonprofit’s newest offices in West Covina. The event will take place on October 4, 2018 at 2934 E. Garvey Ave. South in West Covina from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with West Covina mayor Lloyd Johnson conducting the ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m.

“Five Acres is one of the oldest nonprofits in L.A., opening as an orphanage in 1888 and expanding its services to five counties across Los Angeles,” said Five Acres CEO, Chanel Boutakidis. “The new location in West Covina replaces Five Acres’ former offices in El Monte and San Dimas and brings many teams together under one roof, allowing us to better serve at-risk children and families and expand into new areas to help prevent child abuse, keep families together and help them thrive.”

Guests at the open house will have the opportunity to explore Five Acres’ two new suites, meet their staff and leadership and learn more about Five Acres’ community-based mental/ behavioral health care, foster care and adoptions programs.

To RSVP or learn more about the event, please contact Kim Hutchings at khutchings@5acres.org. To contact Five Acres’ new location in West Covina, please visit 5acres.org/contact or call (626) 214-0301.

About Five Acres

Five Acres is a child and family services 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 for foster youth, and foster care and adoption services. In 2017, Five Acres served over 8,700 children and their families across five counties. Visit 5acres.org for more information.

 

[Altadena, Calif] July 25, 2018 – Five Acres, one of San Gabriel Valley’s oldest nonprofits, has launched The Alliance, a new volunteer program which connects young professionals with foster youth living at Five Acres’ Altadena campus. Ideal for those aged 21–45 years, members of The Alliance will have the opportunity to create fun enrichment/educational experiences for foster youth living at Five Acres, serve as first-string volunteers at major Five Acres fundraising events and advocate for foster youth in the community.

“There’s a deep need for positive role models and life experiences for the foster youth we care for, who face a greater risk of becoming of homeless, incarcerated or unemployed than other children,” says Sue Lee, manager of Five Acres’ community outreach and volunteer program. “The Alliance gives its members a chance to share their knowledge with our kids, network with likeminded young professionals and gain leadership skills.”

Joining The Alliance requires a Live Scan, TB (tuberculosis) test, short interview process with Five Acres and a $100 annual due to fund activities for the children. Monthly meetings will vary include activity planning, networking events or professional development events.

The next meeting of The Alliance will take place August 14, 2018 at 6:00 pm at Five Acres’ Zeilstra Training Center at 747 W. Mountain View Street in Altadena. Those interested in attending can RSVP at volunteer@5acres.org or visit 5acres.org/volunteer to learn more.

About Five Acres

Five Acres is a child and family services 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 for foster youth, and foster care and adoption services. In 2017, Five Acres served over 8,700 children and their families across five counties. Visit 5acres.org for more information

Five Acres CEO Chanel Boutakidis with the Diamonds & Roses Gala emcee George Gray, auctioneer Nick Di Nieri and gala co-chairs Kirsten Hansen and Matt McIntyre. — Photo courtesy Melissa Kobe

[Altadena, California] June 18, 2018 – More than 300 guests gathered at the private home of Tom and Mariann Nolan in support of at-risk families and foster youth at Five Acres’ Diamonds & Roses Gala. The event coincided with the nonprofit’s 130th anniversary and featured George Gray of the Price is Right as emcee, Nick Di Nieri as auctioneer and a special 80’s-themed after-party performance by Past Action Heroes. Proceeds from the evening will support critical mental and behavioral health programs for families in crisis and foster care/adoption for children in need of permanent families.

In celebration of 130 years of service, Five Acres commissioned a short film from filmmaker brothers Matt and Nathan Fackrell. The video spotlighted Five Acres’ clients and staff, some of whom lived at Five Acres as foster youth themselves and returned to help children like them. The film preceded a final call where thousands of dollars in donations were doubled by a surprise matching gift by an anonymous donor.

The event was made possible by multiple volunteers, underwriters and sponsors, including an anonymous Diamond sponsor; Wells Fargo as Rose sponsor; East West Bank as Tech sponsor; and Rusnak Auto Group, Trader Joe’s and the Strafaces, Hoefts and Bennett families as Silver Star sponsors. Pasadena Now and Outlook Newspapers served as the night’s exclusive digital and print sponsors, respectively.

Five Acres’ special 130th anniversary short film is currently available at YouTube.com/FiveAcresChannel. To learn more about their work in the community, please visit 5acres.org.

 

[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 130^th 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.

 

Matt Lillard, creator of 5JammaSlamma, with Five Acres CEO Chanel Boutakidis – Photo courtesy Lisa Weingarten

[Altadena, California] May 2, 2018 – 5JammaSlamma, the foster youth slam poetry workshop hosted by actor Matt Lillard (Scooby Doo, Good Girls) enjoyed its best turnout to date at its second annual celebration last month. Accompanied by Hawaii’s poet laureate Kealoha and other notable artists, foster youth from Five Acres performed original works of poetry before 150 guests at Werkartz in downtown Los Angeles.

5JammaSlamma began in 2017 as Lillard’s week-long workshop to teach foster youth the power of creative writing, bringing in poets and musicians to work with the children. With the support of Engaging the Senses and Say Word, the workshop expanded to a six-month program and will continue serve children living in residential foster care at Five Acres, one of LA’s oldest child and family services nonprofits.

Several foster youth from Five Acres performed original poetry at Lillard’s 5JammaSlamma celebration. – Photo courtesy Lisa Weingarten

“5JammaSlamma asks for no money from the friends who attend,” said Lillard about the celebration. “We only ask that we as a community stand as witness to the beauty our young poets find in themselves.”

With LA’s foster care crisis continuing to grow, 5JammaSlamma exemplifies the level of supportive advocacy needed to help foster youth thrive.

“Five Acres’ mission is permanency for every child, whether that be through preventing kids from entering foster care, reunification with a biological family or through foster-adoption,” said Five Acres CEO Chanel Boutakidis. “5JammaSlamma provides a necessary life-enriching experience to children who are navigating very adult challenges, and we’re so thankful to Matt, Engaging the Senses and Say Word for giving them the opportunity share their stories.”

To learn more about future events supporting foster youth, please contact Five Acres at events@5acres.org.

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.

About Matt Lillard
Matthew Lillard, a veteran of both stage and screen, is well known for his performances in over 50 films and television shows over the last 20 years. With titles like Scream, The Descendants and Scooby Doo 1 & 2, Lillard is associated with a number of Hollywood Box Office hits totaling over $800 million dollars in revenue worldwide. He received critical success with independent titles SLC Punk! and Ed Burn’s The Groomsmen, debuted three films at the acclaimed Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2012 South by Southwest Film Festival with his directorial debut Fat Kid Rules the World.
A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and New York’s prestigious Circle in the Square, the award-winning actor has been an Artistic Director of theatre companies in both Los Angeles and New York City, directing 6 plays in 2015 including the European premieres of Neil LaBute’s Filthy Talk for Interesting Times and Stephen Belber’s Fault Lines. Recently appearing in a pivotal role in the reboot of Twin Peaks, Lillard currently stars in NBC’s Good Girls.

 

 

[Altadena, California] May 2, 2018  – Tickets are available for the Diamonds & Roses Gala: Five Acres’ 130^th Birthday Bash on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the home of Mariann and Tom Nolan in La Cañada Flintridge. Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception, gourmet meal with wine, live and silent auction, wine and “bling” opportunities, plus a special after-party performance by ‘80s tribute band Past Action Heroes. Proceeds from the evening will support critical mental and behavioral health programs for families in crisis as well as foster care and adoption for children in need of permanent families.

The event marks Five Acres’ landmark anniversary of 130 years of uninterrupted service to kids and families in Southern California. The Diamonds & Roses Gala sponsorship committee is led by Kirsten Hansen and Matt McIntyre, co-chairs; Tami Gittleman, theme chair; Natalie Bazarevitsch and Don Boline, opportunity co-chairs; and Shoshana Puccia and Kris Ordaz, auction co-chairs.

Guests of the birthday bash will have a chance to win big on unique auction experiences, including seven nights in a private Paris apartment and four suite tickets and VIP parking to see Shania Twain at the Staples Center. A special opportunity drawing will declare several victors the recipient of an exclusive wine and spirits collection, a multi-colored sapphire and ruby necklace from Eric Ruyak, Hespera Designs as well as a Tiffany & Co® diamond necklace generously donated by Pasadena native Sheila Grether-Marion.

Television personality George Gray will emcee the gala, bringing his rich entertainment experience to what promises to be a lively affair. Gray has hosted “The Price is Right” since 2011 and is well-known for hosting “The Weakest Link” and “Junkyard Wars,” for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Sponsors for Diamonds & Roses Gala: Five Acres 130^th Birthday Bash include Outlook Newspapers and Pasadena Now as print and digital media sponsors, respectively; an anonymous Diamond Sponsor; Wells Fargo as Rose Sponsor; Rusnak Auto Group and the Strafaces, Hoefts and Bennetts as Silver Star Sponsors; and East West Bank as Tech Sponsor.

Individual tickets, sponsorships and underwriting opportunities for the gala are available now. To attend or support the event, please visit 5acres.org/gala or contact Five Acres at events@5acres.org | 626-773-3776

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.