LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Lafayette Juniors Raise Nearly $50,000 for Charity


From left: Melanie Brinkman, Laura Lashinsky, Candy Calhoun, Amy Friedli, Whitney Firestone, and Jenny Shepherd Photo provided

The Lafayette Juniors raised nearly $50,000 in the past 12 months for local non-profit organizations. The funds were distributed by the Juniors June 5 in a special ceremony at the Lafayette Community Center to First Place for Youth, STAND!, the Lafayette Library, the Special Education Enrichment and Development Foundation of Lafayette (SEED), and Twin Canyon Camp. "We would like to thank everyone who supported us throughout the year," said Tina Sebree, Lafayette Juniors president. "Their exceptional generosity enabled our beneficiaries to expand the services they provide to children and families in our local communities."

The Lafayette Juniors have a history of organizing fundraising events like the Rummage Sale in the fall and Kitchen Tour in the spring for the sole purpose of raising money for selected beneficiaries. This year the Juniors chose First Place for Youth as their major beneficiary and donated $25,000 to support its work with foster youth 16 to 24 years old who are close to aging out of the foster care system or have recently aged out of care.

"The Lafayette Juniors are a remarkable group of women with the magic combination of compassion and action. Their donation of $25,000 will be used to give foster kids support right when they are learning to support themselves, including helping them get their first apartment, their first job and continue on with school," explained Valerie Todd, director of major gifts for First Place for Youth. The Lafayette Juniors also donated $10,000 to STAND!, $5,000 each to SEED and the Lafayette Library, and $4,000 to Twin Canyon Camp.

The Juniors are looking forward to continuing this tradition of giving and are now accepting applications from all non-profits in Contra Costa and neighboring counties in the San Francisco Bay Area who serve children, families and seniors. They will select 4 to 5 organizations from the applicant pool to become their 2014-15 beneficiaries. Fundraising for these groups will begin this fall. To obtain an application or learn more about the Lafayette Juniors please visit www.lafayettejuniors.org.