H.B. youth shelter celebrates

its second anniversary

Community Services Programs, Inc. also

finishes its change drive, hoping to collect $10,000.

 

HUNTINGTON BEACH It started with white walls and minimal furniture.

Two years later, the Community Services Programs Inc. youth shelter in Surf City has housed and helped more than 200 children and youth in crisis, said Elsa Greenfield, the program and shelter's director.

On Tuesday, she and other program officials will celebrate the shelter's second anniversary and thank those who made it possible.

At 3 p.m. present and future community supporters are welcome to the shelter's anniversary activities. Some sponsors are: Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, Rainbows Disposal, Mazda Dealer, Chevron, Hitachi Transports, Orange County's County's Credit Union, Curves Gym, Assistance League and the Oak View Youth Leadership Group.

These groups have helped the shelter by offering resources, volunteering time and raising money. The shelter provides refuge for homeless, runaway and at-risk adolescents, Greenfield said.

"The shelter has not only been a safe haven and protection from the dangers of the streets, but also a place where youth and their families receive professional comprehensive services and lasting solutions to complex problems," Greenfield said.

The celebration also marks the culmination of the "Change for Change Drive." Greenfield said. It's a grass-roots effort where people donate their change to the program. Officials are hoping to raise $10,000.

"It's a great thing because it's all grass roots," Greenfield said. "Also, it shows that difficult times... with having to meet budgets … call for creative ways to get everyone involved in raising money."