June 2023 Newsletter

"Happy Pride!" This greeting can be heard throughout the month of June – at the market, at the library, at the park – as the LGBTQ+ community celebrates Pride Month.  A frequent question we get asked, though, is...“Why do we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month? We celebrate Pride Month, because the LGBTQ+ Community – like other marginalized communities – has had to fight for equal rights. Learn more about pride and hear all about the 13th Annual EDGY Conference that was held this past May by clicking on this article!

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On May 22nd  several Penny Lane TAY Drop in Center youth from Commerce were guest artists at the “Thriving into Adulthood” event in Pomona. This unique art convening was held at Cal Poly Pomona campus with staff transporting the clients. This amazing opportunity came about following the annual LA County Homeless Youth Count in January  when the TAY Centers were contacted by the Conrad Hilton Foundation wanting to survey our clients. Check it out!

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What are you doing this June 5th? Please join us in learning more about our Case Manager job opportunities in our Independent Transitional/Permanent Support Housing Programs. Additionally, The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) has announced two new behavioral health scholarship programs, and we wanted to make sure you and your staff knew about them!  We’re asking that you consider partnering with us to promote these opportunities. Please feel free to click on the article to share these resources to whomever you think would benefit this month.

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In our monthly Wellness Corner our North Hills Family Center Clinical Regional Director, Parviz Nafari, shares his thoughts on the truth of our core being.  We wake up every morning to a virtual world that despite being real fails to encapsulate the truth of our core being. Every day we wake up within the boundaries of time and space and try our best to accomplish as much as we can before the sun goes down, or sometimes continue into the dark hours of the night. Check it out this month, a must read!

This month you get to meet Summer Davidson Gomez.  Summer is the LGBTQ+ Project Manager, and has been at Penny Lane Centers for 10 years now!  When she first came and interviewed at Penny Lane, one of the things that caught her eye was a small rainbow flag sticker on someone’s cubicle.  That little sticker sent her the message that Penny Lane is a place that celebrates diversity, that embraces ALL identities, even her queer identity.  She knew this was a place that she wanted to be! Learn all about Summer, her family and more this month!

This past month sure was filled with lots of positive Mental Health as we celebrated Mental Health Awareness month over at Penny Lane Centers. We had some of our Penny Lane team attend outreach events in the San Fernando Valley to promote our services and let the community how they can be connected to us. We also give some updates on what is happening over at Witherbee Hall and more! Check out what we have been up to this past month.

On Saturday May 27th the Penny Lane TAY Drop-in Center in Commerce held its first ever Prom event! This idea came from our intern Alana and several of the clients. Due to COVID the last couple of years many youth were unable to attend their schools’ prom.  While not a replacement for their school prom this event was very special to them as it was fully their own.  Check out some of the fun from their evening Under the Stars this month!

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Meet our Board Member James Ocon this month!  James has been a Penny Lane Centers Board Member since 2009. James has been a Financial Advisor for 25 years. He’s currently an Investment Officer for Wells Fargo Advisors and offers a wide range of wealth management services. He is also a member of Bankers without Borders and sits on the Board of Abbey Road. Click on the link to learn more about James this month.

Check all the open positions at Penny Lane Centers this month!