•  The 5^th Annual Phoenix House Recovery Month Celebration Event, at Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles  – On Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. to 4:15p.m. at Phoenix House Academy, Lake View Terrace, CA, the 5^th Annual Recovery  Month Celebration will take place, guided by a motto, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!”  The event will include an awards ceremony for a poster-making competition by teams of boys and girls and presentations by youth about their volunteering for community activities. 

 

• “Dodgers Recovery Month Baseball Game” for Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles - On Thursday, September 23, 2010 in the evening, youth and approved parents from Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles, at Lake View Terrace, will go on a field trip to a special Dodgers Baseball Game celebrating Recovery Month at the Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. The team provides discount tickets to an annual game and a celebration for clients enrolled in treatment programs in Los Angeles County.

 

• “Dodgers Recovery Month Baseball Game” for clients at Phoenix House Santa Fe Springs – September, date TBA. Women and children from Phoenix House Santa Fe Springs will go on a field trip to a special Dodgers Baseball Game celebrating Recovery Month at the Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. The team provides discount tickets to an annual game and a celebration for clients enrolled in treatment programs in Los Angeles County.

 

• “Voices of Recovery – Poetry Reading” at Phoenix House, Venice -  This event will be held on September 21 at 2 p.m., at Phoenix House, Venice, with featured poets Jon Epstein (who writes about his personal experience with addiction and recovery) and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk.  The event The event will include poems by Phoenix House clients published in an anthology, “Words That Free US: Voices of Recovery,” an Open Mike for current clients, and music created by youth in the Phoenix Rising Music Program at the Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles.

 

• “Voices of Recovery – Poetry Reading” at Phoenix House Orange County -  The Poetry Reading will take place on September 16 at 2 p.m., at Phoenix House Orange County, Santa Ana, with featured poets Dr. Maja Trochimczyk and her guests. The event will include poems by Phoenix House clients published in an anthology, “Words That Free US: Voices of Recovery,” an Open Mike for current clients, and music created by youth in the Phoenix Rising Music Program at the Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles.

 

• Poster Contest, T-Shirts and a Luau with Talent Show at Phoenix House Orange County - In a month-long celebration, clients of Phoenix House will participate in a poster contest. The design chosen as the winner will be printed on T-shirts.  The events also include a collaborative Fund-raising Event/Car Wash with Dairy Queen on September 24th to raise awareness about Recovery Month. The festivities will culminate with a Luau and a Talent Show at the Santa Ana Facility.

 

• Phoenix House San Diego participates in “Recovery Happens 2010” San Diego County-Wide Event  - On September 17, 2010, at 11:00am – 2:00pm at the County Administration Building (West Lawn), 1600 Pacific Coast Highway, San Diego, CA 92101,  San Diego’s county-wide “Recovery Happens 2010″ event will be held, with the participation of numerous community organizations,  special speakers and entertainment throughout the day.  Phoenix House will participate in a Recovery Resource Fair and present its evidence-based residential and outpatient treatment programs for teens in the County.

 

• Open House at Phoenix House Academy in Descanso -  On Thursday, September 30th at 9:30am to 11:30am Phoenix House Academy of San Diego will hold an Open House at 23981 Sherilton Valley Road, Descanso, CA 91916.  Tours will be conducted by staff and residents and refreshments will be shared with guests.  Elizabeth Urquhart, Director, may be contacted at eurquhart@phoenixhouse.org for more information.

Visitors from the DJ AM Memorial Fund pose with staff and residents of Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles in the facility’s recording studio.

Phoenix House Academy of Los Angeles was thrilled to receive a grant from the DJ AM Memorial Fund to honor the late Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM. The grant will help expand and enhance  the Phoenix Rising Music Program, which benefits teens struggling with substance abuse and related problems. In addition to this generous financial support, the DJ AM Memorial Fund will also donate DJ equipment. These wonderful gifts will allow Phoenix House Academy students the opportunity to record, perform, and learn how to DJ. 

The DJ station is a great new addition to Phoenix House’s music program, which was established several years ago through donations by singer / songwriter Kara DioGuardi. For more information about the DJ AM Memorial Fund and its support of Phoenix House, please click here (The Huffington Post).

Each year, Phoenix House Academy provides residential treatment and schooling to over three hundred teens who, like Samantha, suffer from co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders and their related problems. Click here to see the articles that appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News  and the Los Angeles Times about this year’s Academic Bowl.

On behalf of Phoenix Houses of California’s board of directors, Geoffrey Nathanson presented her with a plaque acknowledging “her tireless efforts on behalf of those in need in our community” – a token of our thanks for all she has done to help support families who are struggling with addiction and its related problems.

In the photo (left to right): Anthony Belcher, Phoenix House graduate now on staff at New Directions; Congresswoman Jane Harman; Sheila Monsod, coordinator of Outpatient Program; Nicholas and Anthony, two current residents; Counselor Thomas Tophia; Geoffrey Nathanson, member of Phoenix House’s Board of Directors; and Simon Dahi, Ph.D., Mental Health Therapist.

 Mr. Cespedes spoke in English and Spanish about the need for service, volunteering and working together to overcome serious societal issues, like addiction and gangs. His connection to Phoenix House dated back to his youth when, as a former foster child, he befriended two graduates from Phoenix House in New York after college who became his mentors and supporters. Their friendship was a great asset in his life and helped him find and sustain a positive direction that eventually led him to his current position. The Deputy Mayor congratulated the youth at Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles for their spirit of sharing and community involvement as demonstrated by their community service projects.

Sky Hutchason spoke about how gratedful the children were at Casa Esperanza who were tutored by teens from Phoenix Academy. The teens at Phoenix House received certificates and talked about their volunteer experiences and how they learned valuable lessons about civic sprit, community, and the importance of work that, as one teen said, “makes the world go around” when everyone does their share.

In the photo:  Phoenix Academy students Collin, Luis, Carolina & Maria with Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Guillermo Cespedes.

At our program for women with children in Santa Fe Springs, 11 Big Sunday volunteers worked on two projects, reorganizing the donated-clothing room and planting more flowers in the Serenity Garden, created by Big Sunday volunteers two years ago.

At our program for women in Monrovia, volunteers repainted a long hallway with donated paint and spiffed up the facility for another year of services. 

At Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles in Lake View Terrace, youth had a blast: after volunteering for Global Youth Service Day and celebrating their volunteer projects on April 25, they enjoyed a tour of Hollywood and a free movie at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, courtesy of Big Sunday.

In previous years, Big Sunday volunteers landscaped and planted a new garden at Phoenix House Venice (the mosaic features the Big Sunday logo) and at Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles, painted our facilities in Santa Ana and Monrovia, and chipped in to brighten our surroundings at our program in Santa Fe Springs.  Phoenix House thanks Big Sunday for bringing so many new friends and sources of support to our programs serving our community!

Phoenix House staff was in five locations, distributing information about prescription drug abuse, addiction, and treatment. We are proud to be able to contribute to this worthy effort. The use of social media, including Phoenix House’s Facebook site, could be credited for the astounding growth in its popularity and success.

 “We are facing extremely difficult times, which is why your support tonight is invaluable,” said Timothy Noonan, Phoenix Houses of California Board Chairman.  “You help Phoenix House continue its treatment programs amidst public funding cuts and, in doing so, safeguard our youth, open the door to their recovery, and help them change their lives in vital and lasting ways.”

 Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company presented the 2010 Phoenix Rising Award to the cast and executive producers of Bones, a drama that captures real life struggles portrayed by characters with whom the teens at Phoenix House can readily identify.  Executive Producer Stephen Nathan, who has been a friend to Phoenix House for years, received the award on behalf of the cast and  co-producers Hart Hanson, Barry Josephson, and Ian Toynton. 

 George Mihlsten presented the 2010 Public Service Award to Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky for his contribution to civic life, long-time commitment to treatment and exemplary leadership in bringing positive change to the lives of at-risk and disadvantaged youth and families in Los Angeles.  Recounting his involvement with Phoenix House, Yaroslavsky called upon guests to continue and strengthen their support of Phoenix House’s unique and effective approach to healing troubled youth and their families.

 Actor Charles Shaughnessy hosted the evening’s program, which featured red carpet arrivals, a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dinner.  Serving as event co-chairs were Christina and Timothy J. Noonan, Jeanne and Anthony Pritzker, Kevin Reilly, and George Mihlsten.  Sheriff Lee Baca and former mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan joined as honorary co-chairs.  Major sponsors included Timothy J. Noonan of Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC and Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation as “Benefactors,” and Bank of America, Fox Broadcasting Company & Twentieth Century Fox Television, Neil Kadisha, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, Chris Weitz, Mary Hayley & Selim Zilkha as “Patrons.”

 Phoenix House’s annual “Triumph for Teens” awards gala celebrates the victories of young people over substance abuse.  It is an evening of recognition for adolescents who have learned the lessons of honesty, responsibility, and concern for others on their road to recovery. 

 Previous honorees have included Los Angeles Police Department Chief William J. Bratton, Los Angeles Juvenile Court Judge Michael Nash, Timothy Noonan, president and CEO of Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC, Lynn Pike, COO of CapitalOne, television anchor, legal analyst, trial attorney, and best-selling author Rikki Klieman, actress and advocate Lorna Luft, Paramount Pictures’ Freedom Writers, directors Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) and Betty Thomas (28 Days) as well as six outstanding television shows:  ABC’s Brothers and Sisters and George Lopez, Fox’s House, CBS’s Joan of Arcadia, the WB series 7^th Heaven, and Lifetime Television’s The Division.

On Thursday, November 19, 2009, Phoenix Academy Orange County was one of the beneficiaries of the Good News for Kids Gala, an inspirational and entertaining evening of music, dance, and celebration held each year in Anaheim, CA  Becky Baeling, Billboard recording artist with a passion for those less fortunate and a dear friend of Phoenix House, was the featured honoree. The benefit supported Phoenix House and other worthy causes  in Southern California.

The event included a silent auction and a reception. Sponsors included: Golden State Foods, Grubb & Ellis, Property Solutions Worldwide, Merrill Lynch, The Orange County Register and United Stationers.

http://goodnewsforkids.org/gala/index.htm

Skylight will donate 10% of the sales of “Blame” from this event to support Phoenix House’s treatment programs in Los Angeles, which every day help hundreds of youth and adults in our community overcome the trauma of addiction and its related problems.

Sunday,    November 22
Start:         4:00 PM
Location:  Skylight Books, 1818 North Vermont, Los Angeles, CA

Blame (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Books located at 1818 North Vermont Avenue.By mentioning Phoenix House when purchasing the book from Skylight, 10% of the sale will be donated to support Phoenix House’s programs, which helps individuals, families, and communities rise above addiction.

In this gripping tale, Huneven charts the parameters of guilt and how a young, wisecracking intellectual becomes a shadow of her former self. Patsy MacLemoore, a boozy history professor, is helping her boyfriend, Brice, take care of his niece, Joey, whose mother is undergoing cancer treatment. But when Patsy goes on a bender and emerges from a drunken blackout in jail, she learns she’s accused of having run down a mother and daughter in her driveway. After her conviction, Patsy transforms from free spirit into a convict, and Huneven deftly underscores the bizarre trajectory Patsy’s life has taken. Huneven’s exploration of misdeeds real and imagined is humane, insightful and beautiful.

Michelle Huneven is the author of two previous novels, Round Rock and Jamesland. She has received a General Electric Foundation Award for Younger Writers and a Whiting Writers’ Award for fiction. She lives in Altadena, California.