Mary Salcedo was our speaker/presenter and did a great job of organizing this year’s program. The program was kicked off by a visit from Santa who had presents for the little ones. Mary then thanked everyone for the donations of canned goods and books for the shelter.
This year, the club was supporting Maryvale with gifts for the girls in their care. Maryvale was represented by Rose White and Jessica who were invited to tell us a little about the organization. Maryville was founded in 1856 by the Catholic Daughters of Charity. The original site was located near Union Station in Los Angeles. In 1953, the Rosemead location was dedicated and opened under the name of Maryvale. Currently Maryvale is a residential facility for girls ages 6 through 18 in Rosemead, California. The facility can accommodate up to 60 girls and they currently have 55 in residence. The girls usually will stay for 3 to 9 months but in some cases they can be there for as long as 3 years. An After Care Program supports former residents as well as Transitional Housing in El Monte. In 1999, the Early Education Program, originally established at Maryvale’s Rosemead campus in 1968, expanded to include a second location in Duarte. Mental Health Services are an integral part of Maryvale’s program of care as well. The Maryvale Family Resource & Early Education Center, opened in Duarte in 2010, expands crisis prevention services to families, children and individuals.
Rose and Jessica explained that some of the girls had never had a Christmas and thanked the club for all our support in providing resources to the community.
Mary then presided over the final 2 events: the drawing for the table center pieces and the Bingo Game. To everyone’s amusement, some of our members seemed to struggle a bit with the concept of a “Bingo”, resulting in several false “Bingos”. The eventual winners received a selection of valuable merchandise including such items as a shoe horn and “Bad Boy” T-shirts.
Happy Holidays.