Grand Opening of The Santana House
Grand opening of the Santana House, The Violence Intervention Program’s new facility on the grounds of L.A. County/USC Medical Center – intended to serve the children & families of East L.A. – set for Wed., Jan. 24, 11am-1pm.
On Wed., January 24, The Santana House, a multi-purpose facility that represents the Violence Intervention Program’s (VIP) latest physical site expansion, will mark its Grand Opening in a newly renovated building on the grounds of Los Angeles County (LAC) – University Of Southern California (USC) Medical Center. The Santana House, which will serve the children and families of East Los Angeles, is named in honor of longtime VIP supporters Carlos and Deborah Santana, who will be in attendance.
Dignitaries including L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina will also be present for the Grand Opening, which is jointly hosted by VIP and LAC. The event, running from 11AM-1PM, will feature an 11:15 AM ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a presentation to the Santanas. A buffet lunch will be provided by La Fiesta Grande Mexican Restaurant y Cantina, and the acclaimed Mariachi Band from East L.A.’s Theodore Roosevelt High School is scheduled to perform. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour The Santana House facility, which is located at 1733 Griffin Ave., L.A., CA, 90031 (free parking is available off Sichel Street in Lot 14).
VIP founder/Executive Director, world renowned pediatrician and high profile expert on matters of rape and violent crime Dr. Astrid Heger commented, “We are grateful to Carlos and Deborah Santana for their ongoing interest in and philanthropic support of our work. The Santana House will provide a number of our essential programs with much-needed space, and empower us to reach even more people.” Renovation of The Santana House was also made possible by major contributors including The Ahmanson Foundation, The David Vickter Foundation, Dillavou Family Foundation, Equity Office Properties, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Rose Hills Foundation, Weingart Foundation, Wolfson Family Foundation and the County of Los Angeles.
Established in ’84 at LAC/USC Medical Center, VIP serves victims of child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse and dependent adult abuse. 24/7 medical, forensic, mental health and advocacy services are provided to over 5,000 people annually, and VIP is renowned as LAC’s first multidisciplinary Family Advocacy Center for evaluating and treating all forms of family violence and sexual assault. The Santana House allows VIP to expand its critical services to children in foster care and integrate Department of Children and Family Services Emergency Response Workers into multidisciplinary assessments of children at risk for foster placement. The Santana House is also the new home of the LAC Elder Abuse Forensic Center.
Musician Carlos Santana and author Deborah Santana’s support for VIP is an ideal fit with their work overseeing the Milagro Foundation, the non-profit organization they founded in 1998. Serving children and youth in the areas of health, education and the arts, Milagro – which means “miracle” – has granted over $2 million to agencies & programs worldwide since its inception.
For more information The Santana House, log on to www.violenceinterventionprogram