The Teen project fashion show benefit
By: Kate Malouf
The mission of the Teen Project is to provide a full life transformation to prior foster and at-risk young women who have survived human trafficking and homelessness by providing sobriety, psychotherapy, and a life-sustaining higher education.
The Teen Project is a nonprofit 501c3 serving at-risk young women. We provide drug treatment at no cost to eligible recipients through the support of the County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC), and our gracious donors. The Teen Project is a parent to the parentless, providing young women without resources with a chance at life.
The Teen Project is the vision of one woman, Lauri Burns, who dedicates her life to helping homeless teens across the country. Many teens aging out of foster care find themselves homeless within weeks of being emancipated from the system. Without a path, money, support of a family, or a place to sleep, unfortunately, many of these teens inevitably end up turning to drugs and prostitution. For these kids the future is bleak. The Teen Project provides these at-risk teens the resources and support of a family unit, by providing safe housing, financial support towards a higher education, counseling, and mentoring on how to lead a productive, happy and healthy life.
The Teen Project Orange County Committee is a nonprofit group of mothers and daughters that raise funds and awareness for our parent organization The Teen Project. Kate Malouf and Robin West are the Co-Chairs/Advisors of this year’s committee.
Since 2014 our committee has provided these parentless young women with countless items to survive and feel normal. Girls in grades 7-12 come together & attend monthly meetings to organize and put together necessities needed for the young women at Vera’s Sanctuary and our Lake Forest home. Our committee helps and brings the holidays, birthdays and even baby showers to their home. We have had parent volunteers redecorate whole homes and make it feel like a home. We provide compassion and our own daughters step up to drive to the homes and deliver these much appreciated items to the girls. There is a genuine connection and the impact is felt from both sides.
We live in such a privileged community but the young ladies and mothers of The Teen Project OC recognizes that human trafficking is all around us and we aim to raise awareness each year and welcome new members to the committee throughout the year. We are not exclusive, we are inclusive. Most of our members are from our own area schools, Newport Harbor, CdM & Mater Dei High Schools.
Our annual Teen Project Fashion Show Benefit Luncheon happens each May. It is our committee's biggest volunteer event that gives back all year.
This year our luncheon will be on Sunday, May 7th, at 12 noon at The VEA Newport Hotel & Resort.
This event is open to the public. Tickets are available at www.theteenprojectfashionshowbenefit.com.
We are grateful to South Coast Plaza for being our Title Sponsor once again this year. Fashion Show Producer and Professional Stylist, Deborah Keillor of DK Stylists, who is also one of the founding committee members, is producing the fashion show. Our emcee for the luncheon this year is Newport Beach’s own Kate Casey, host of Reality Life, one of the highest-rated podcasts in TV & Film. We will also have the CEO of The Teen Project, Lauri Burns, speak along with one of the girls whom she has rescued from human trafficking. It’s an incredible emotional afternoon, and we hope to raise the funds necessary to give back to these teens and continue giving them “a second chance at life.”
To find out more information about Teen Project, visit here: www.theteenproject.com
Co-Chairs, Kate Malouf (right) and Robin West (left)