Hemacinto – Hosts Luncheon to Help Teen Parents

Hemacinto Assistance League member Beverly Nickerson decides to purchase a gently used sweater and dress on sale at the Nov. 17 Hemacinto Assistance League luncheon and fashion show at the Salvation Army headquarters. The clothing items came from the League’s thrift store in Hemet.

More than 100 members of Assistance Leagueof Hemacinto rallied Saturday, Nov. 17, at Hemet’s Salvation Army headquarters to help raise scholarship money to help some of the communities’ teen parents coming out of high school.

A luncheon served by Milano Brothers Pizza concluded with a fashion show with selections of dresses and styles found at the league’s Thrift Store and Boutique at 180 N. Girard St. Showing the fashions were their own league members and one of their husbands.

Monica Martinez, committee chairman of the Teen Parents Support Program annual luncheon and style show, said the proceeds from this years’ event will benefit 12 mothers and 10 babies and toddlers.

“We help further the teen parents’ education and provide scholarships for the students who are graduating and going on to college,” Martinez said.

In addition to the fashion show, the attendees could purchase items shown and racks of women’s clothes brought to the event from the boutique. Twenty-five gift baskets and a Christmas tree filled with gift certificates were raffled off to benefit the teen parents and the scholarship program.

The gift baskets with items valued between $25 and $75 were donated to the league’s charity event by 15 local stores, restaurants and businesses and many members.

“Thank you to our sponsors and thank you to our members and the people from the community who came to the luncheon to support the teens,” Martinez said. She added that Assistance League does give gift cards to the high school students from perfect attendance as well as the scholarships for the teen parents planning to go to college.

Assistance League adopted the Teen Parent Support Program as one of their philanthropic programs in 1996 with its goal to encourage pregnant and parenting teens enrolled in the program to remain in school to complete their high school education. Some of the students that choose to continue to their education past high school with college scholarships. The scholarship winners have successfully completed their high school’s education and have participated in the Hemet Cal-SAFE and Helen Hunt Jackson Programs as well as San Jacinto graduates from Mountain View High School and Mountain Heights Academy.

This year there are four graduating students who will benefit from the luncheon and raffle, Martinez said.

Assistance League of Hemacinto has served the communities of Hemet and San Jacinto for 40 years and continues to be one of the leading nonprofit organizations in the communities.

Judith Atherton served as the fashion show coordinator and Kat Waters as the luncheon chairman.

For more information about Assistance League, see their website at www.assistanceleague.org/hemacinto/, or call the thrift store at (951) 652-8307.