The Los Angeles Post

ELAC TLC Committee Donates $10,000 to Fight Homelessness

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From Left-Right-Cecilia Cruz, Dr. Erica L. Jacquez, Barbara Kappos, Dr. Armond Aghakhanian, Senator Susan Rubio, Andrea Marchetti, Dr. Raúl Rodríguez, Trustee Andra Hoffman, Tina Hwang, Kassandra M. Sánchez, Trustee Dr. Gabriel Buelna
East Los Angeles (CA) –On Tuesday, December 3, 2019, during East Los Angeles (ELAC) Foundation’s Transforming Lives (TLC) Campaign panel discussion titled “The Connection Between Domestic Violence & Homelessness,” the TLC Committee presented a $10,000 check to Jovenes Inc. to fight Homelessness.
The $10,000 donation will help house two ELAC students for an entire year. This is the second year in the row that ELAC’s TLC Committee is donating $10,000 to support our students through organizations like Jovenes Inc.
“I am very proud to present the second $10,000 check on behalf of our Board. As part of the ELAC Community, we want our students to be successful in their educational pursuits. Unfortunately, too many of our students are facing significant challenges, far beyond the cost of textbooks or tuition, directly impacting their ability to complete their educational goals. We need your continued support of our Huskies and need to raise awareness of the number of challenges our students are facing and provide the entire ELAC Community with a way to help our students overcome these challenges through annual giving. This is the least we can do to help our students,” said ELAC Foundation Chair Emeritus Tina Hwang, who was instrumental in launching the ELAC TLC Campaign, which has raised thousands of dollars to support our students.
 “We are deeply appreciative of the support Jovenes is receiving from the Transforming Lives Campaign. These funds will help Jovenes move homeless ELAC students into stable housing and pay for their rent so that they can focus on school and achieve their dreams of higher education. Jovenes’ partnership with ELAC and the ELAC Foundation demonstrates what is possible when we prioritize helping students meet their basic needs so that they can lead healthy and successful lives,” said Andrea Marchetti, Executive Director of Jovenes Inc.
The event was attended by CA State Senator Susan Rubio, President Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Andra Hoffman, 2nd VP of Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees,Dr. Gabriel Buelna, Interim President, East Los Angeles College, Dr. Raúl Rodríguez, Executive Director of East Los Angeles Women’s Center Barbara Kappos, ELAC Foundation Chair Emeritus Tina Hwang, ELAC Foundation Board members Dr Erica L. Jacquez and Kassandra M. Sánchez, ELAC Student Health Center and TLC Coordinator Cecilia Executive Director of Jovenes Inc Andrea Marchetti, Assemblymember Ed Chau District Director Daisy Ma,
and hundreds of students, faculty, and staff.
According to an L.A. Times, article “1 in 5 L.A. community college students is homeless.” There are many reasons our students lack fixed, regular and adequate housing, including: parental conflict, family separation, exiting foster care, neglect, or abuse. Most recently, the Transforming Lives Campaign (TLC) assisted students who were displaced due to domestic violence issues. Other TLC students are veterans who bravely served our nation; single parents trying to raise their child/children while attending college; foster youth facing challenges that make it difficult and sometimes impossible to consider a college education; and Dreamers pursuing the “American Dream” of becoming the first in their families to be college graduates.