FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Laura Mecoy
(310) 546-5860
Laura@mecoy.net
VENICE FAMILY CLINIC 50TH ANNIVERSARY KICKOFF PARTY FEATURES PERFORMANCES BY AWARD-WINNING RECORDING ARTISTS JENNIFER HUDSON AND BLAKE SHELTON
Nonprofit Community Health Center Online Celebration on Oct. 11 Includes Appearances by Jason Alexander, Billy Crystal, Frank Gehry, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Huertas, Angelica Huston, Norman Lear, Mandy Moore, Ray Romano, Chris Sullivan and Molly Shannon
LOS ANGELES – (October 7, 2020) –
Venice Family Clinic, a nonprofit community health center, announced today that it will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a star-studded Kickoff Party on Oct. 11 that will feature performances by award-winning recording artists Jennifer Hudson and Blake Shelton, as well as appearances by a cast of some of the biggest luminaries on the stage, screen and television.
Health, Justice, Action: The Kickoff Party will premiere online at 6 p.m. on Oct. 11 with appearances by Jason Alexander, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Huertas, Angelica Huston, Mandy Moore, Ray Romano, Chris Sullivan and Molly Shannon. Artist Fritz Chesnut, renowned architect Frank Gehry and writer, producer and director Norman Lear will also participate in the production. South Bay Children’s Choir will also perform.
“Our 50th anniversary will be dazzling. We have an incredible cast of gifted and generous singers, songwriters, actors and artists donating their time and talents to our Kickoff Party,” said Elizabeth Benson Forer, Venice Family Clinic CEO. “Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, as part of the original Comic Relief, helped us build our homeless health care program. Frank Gehry personally called artists to help the Clinic when we founded our now iconic Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction. We’re proud to welcome them and so many other celebrities who have contributed to our mission over the years.”.”
Following the Kickoff Party, Venice Family Clinic is asking the community to participate in a Week of Action by volunteering to help the 28,000 low-income men, women and children that the Clinic serves, as well as many other people facing financial hardships.
The volunteer activities include some socially distanced ones that can be done at the Clinic’s sites as well as at-home activities, including donating to Venice Family Clinic or ordering holiday toys and other items online for the Clinic to deliver to people in need. Volunteers may also fill backpacks with school supplies for the Clinic’s pediatric patients. Or they may assemble kits of soap, shampoo and other hygiene items that the Clinic’s street medicine team can distribute to individuals experiencing homelessness.
School supplies and hygiene kits can be delivered to Venice Family Clinic’s Santa Monica site, Simms/Mann Health & Wellness Center from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Oct. 15. It is located at 2509 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405.
UCLA Health and Cedars-Sinai are presenting sponsors for the Clinic’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, and L.A. Care Health Plan, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan are sponsors for the event as well. The public is invited to register for the Kickoff Party and Week of Action as well as learn more about the Clinic’s 50th Anniversary by visiting VeniceFamilyClinic.org/50years.
About Venice Family Clinic
Venice Family Clinic is a leader in providing comprehensive, high-quality primary health care to people in need. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Clinic has grown from a small storefront operation into one of Los Angeles’ leading community health centers, providing care to 28,000 men, women and children annually through 14 sites in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood and Culver City. The Clinic leads the way in providing comprehensive and integrated care by creating a one-stop health system that offers multiple services, often at the same locations and same time as primary care appointments. These services include dental care, substance use treatment, mental health services, vision screenings, child development services, health education, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, street medicine for people experiencing homelessness and health insurance enrollment services. For more information, visit venicefamilyclinic.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.