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Juniors present Ruby's Place, its major beneficiary, with $25,000. From left: Tina Frechman, Rachel Blatt, Addy Park, Manijeh Kaviani, Sean Murphy, Teli Thayer, and Alison Crane Photo provided
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The Lafayette Juniors raised $50,000 in the past 12 months for local nonprofit organizations. The funds were distributed June 4 in a special ceremony at the Lafayette Community Center to Ruby's Place, Boys & Girls Club of Diablo Valley, Las Trampas, Trinity Center Walnut Creek, and VESTIA.
The Lafayette Juniors have a history of organizing fundraising events like the Rummage Sale in the fall and Kitchen Tour in the spring to raise money for selected beneficiaries. This year the Juniors chose Ruby's Place, California's first incorporated shelter for women and children impacted by domestic violence, as their major beneficiary, donating $25,000 to support the work Ruby Place's has been doing since the shelter's founding in 1972. Today, 43 women and children each day call Ruby's Place home and rely on the shelter and its staff for a comprehensive array of services for safety and healing as they begin to live their lives free of abuse.
The $25,000 donation will be used to remodel the intake room "so that we have a confidential and safe space for women and children when they are admitted to the shelter to speak openly with our staff. We will also use the Juniors donation to upgrade our existing shelter facilities with a handicap accessible bathroom," states Vera R. Ciammetti, CEO of Ruby's Place. The Lafayette Juniors also donated $10,000 to Boys & Girls Club of Diablo Valley, $5,000 each to Las Trampas, Trinity Center Walnut Creek and VESTIA.
The Lafayette Juniors are accepting applications through July 31 from all nonprofits in Contra Costa and neighboring counties in the San Francisco Bay Area who serve women, families and seniors and others requiring assistance. The Juniors will select four organizations from the applicant pool to become their 2015-16 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.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA