On March 18, KYCC’s Menlo Family Center hosted “Menlo Family Night,” a family-friendly event that promoted healthy parent-child relationships and strong families. Over 80 children and their families attended, getting to know neighbors and staff at the Menlo Family Apartments, while learning about KYCC’s services and other community resources.

There was a one-hour long “Protective Factors” workshop facilitated by Denise Serrette from Para Los Ninos, as part of Best Start Metro LA, a sustainable, organized community partnership that maintains healthy and safe neighborhoods for children and families. Menlo Family Center is a subcontractor of the Metro PAS (Prevention and After-Care Services) program, which provides resources to referred families, including Menlo Family Apartment residents.

Protective Factors are measured steps for families to become stronger. They include concrete support in time of need; parental resilience; knowledge of child development; social connections; socioemotional competence of children; and the promotion of healthy parent-child relationships.

Our community partners Las Fotos Project took professional family portraits that we framed and gifted to the Menlo families. Many of our families have never had a family portrait, and KYCC wanted a memento from the event to remind them of their family bonds.

KYCC is grateful to L.A. Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu for donating $5,000 worth of clothing and footwear to the Menlo children, and Schools on Wheels gifted backpacks and school supplies. Special thanks to the Bank of America volunteers who helped out at the event.