Father Joe’s Villages to Host Gala Benefiting Children in Need

Father Joe’s Villages invites the community to create a better tomorrow for local children at its 2018 Children’s Charity Gala: Up, Up and Away on May 5 at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel. Father Joe’s Villages will honor four community leaders who serve neighbors experiencing poverty and homelessness. The gala will raise funds for Father Joe’s Villages’ therapeutic childcare center and other services for children and families.

“Children who are homeless are four times as likely to have developmental delays and twice as apt to repeat a grade in school. Over half will not finish high school,” says Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages. “Our therapeutic childcare programs and other family services lift children up and into a future of success by giving them the tools they need to break the cycle of homelessness.”

Courtesy of Ashley Strong Photography

Father Joe’s Villages will award four honorees’ contributions to Father Joe’s Villages’ mission to end homelessness, one life at a time.

Qualcomm Co-Founder Franklin Antonio will receive the Father Joe’s Villages Award. Mr. Antonio’s compassion and generosity made the Franklin Antonio Public Lunch Program possible. The public lunch program operates every day of the year, ensuring that all community members have access to a nutritious meal daily.

Father Joe’s Villages will recognize two schools for the Bishop Maher Award: Cathedral Catholic High School and St. Augustine High School. Cathedral Catholic High School students have volunteered serving meals at Father Joe’s Villages at least monthly for more than seven years, bringing more than 20 students each time. St. Augustine High School students first volunteered 18 years ago and have been serving lunch monthly ever since.

Receiving the Founder’s Award is the entire Mulvaney family. Jim Mulvaney Sr. worked alongside Father Joe as the first chairman of the board of Father Joe’s Villages. He was a treasured leader and public servant who passed on the commitment to helping those in need to his children. Jim Jr. joined the board and served alongside his father and he and other members of the Mulvaney family carry on the family legacy of support for our neighbors in need today.

In 2017, Father Joe’s Villages’ therapeutic childcare program worked with more than 450 parents and children to build resilience, self-sufficiency and the foundation for a better tomorrow.

Courtesy of Ashley Strong Photography

All gala proceeds will help provide safe housing, nutritious meals, childcare, medical and dental services, mental health treatment, parent education and more for children and families in need.

The evening will begin with a VIP reception at 5 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. social hour and silent auction with hosted bar and entertainment. The event will also feature an exquisite dinner and program, including a live auction and dancing to San Diego’s favorite band, Atomic Groove.

Tickets and sponsorships are available at www.fjvgala.com or by calling 1-800-HOMELESS.

As one of San Diego’s largest homeless services providers, Father Joe’s Villages sees that each person can rediscover hope and transform their life. To address the complex needs of people who are homeless, the organization provides housing for more than 2,000 each night, along with healthcare, addiction treatment, education, job training and therapeutic childcare. Staff, volunteers and generous public and private donors make their mission possible. For more information, please visit: http://www.neighbor.org/.