Hope Blooms For Children At Father Joe’s Villages’ 37th Annual Children’s Charity Gala
Each spring, Father Joe’s Villages hosts its signature black-tie event, the Children’s Charity Gala, to raise funds for critical programs and services for children and families experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
On May 7, after a pandemic-related hiatus, the 37th Annual Children’s Charity Gala returns to an in-person format to support life-changing services for more than 450 families and more than 900 children served by Father Joe’s Villages annually. These services include housing, food and health care, as well as therapeutic childcare, academic support, tutoring and family counseling for children overcoming homelessness.
A night to remember
At the 2022 Children’s Charity Gala: Hope Blooms, more than 350 people will gather in the U.S. Grant Hotel for an evening of cocktails, dinner and dancing to music entertainment by Republic of Music. At the event, local leaders, Ed and Ann Witt and Mike and Celia Schleyhahn, will accept awards for their commitment to helping San Diegans experiencing and overcoming homelessness reach new heights.
This year’s theme, Hope Blooms, reflects how Father Joe’s Villages helps the children it serves grow into their full potential.
Ending homelessness one life at a time
According to research, children who are homeless are four times as likely to have delayed development and twice as likely to repeat a grade in school. To break the cycle of homelessness, the nonprofit puts an emphasis on providing critical care to children – just as it did for more than 900 children in 2021.
Funds raised at this event will benefit programs for children experiencing homelessness such as Father Joe’s Villages’ fully licensed and accredited Therapeutic Childcare Center, which provides preschool and after-school programs and emergency and life-sustaining services like food, shelter and healthcare.
Gala Honorary Chairs
This year’s Children’s Charity Gala Honorary Chairs are Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano R. Amon, and his wife, Adriana G. Amon. Recently, the Amons funded Father Joe’s Villages’ Saint Margaret of Cortona Harbor, a program that supports new or expecting mothers between the ages of 18 to 24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as well as their children.
Gala Honorees
Ed and Ann Witt will receive the inaugural Father Joe Carroll Award, acknowledging a longstanding commitment to the mission of Father Joe’s Villages that has helped make the organization what it is today. Serving as the Chairs of the Hope Lives Here Campaign, Ed and Ann continue to dedicate their efforts to continue the mission of Father Joe’s Villages, ending homelessness one life at a time.
Mike and Celia Schleyhahn will receive the Bishop Maher Award, presented to those who put the needs of the poor first and, through their leadership, have helped mobilize assistance for those experiencing homelessness. Through their community leadership and advocacy, and their own personal support, the Schleyhahns have supported Father Joe’s Villages’ work to further its mission to help end homelessness.
About Father Joe’s Villages
As San Diego’s largest homeless services provider, Father Joe’s Villages ensures that each person can rediscover hope and leave homelessness behind. To address the complex needs of people who are homeless, the organization provides housing for more than 2,500 people each night, along with health care, substance use disorder treatment, job training, therapeutic childcare and more. This mission is made possible only through the efforts of compassionate staff, volunteer work, car donation, and generous public and private charitable contributions. For more information, please visit here.
See you there, San Diego!
