Every year, Pepperdine University initiates a community-wide day of service called Step Forward Day where students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteer to give back to their local communities.
This year, the Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP), led by Dean Farzin Madjidi, selected the Union Rescue Mission’s Angeles House as their Step Forward Day location. Angeles House is a transitional facility that provides safe and secure housing for unsheltered children and their parents.
Within 12-36 months, the families at Angeles House can transition from homelessness to independence with long-term rehabilitation programs, counseling services, training, and spiritual care. The Union Rescue Mission is one of GSEP’s service partners within the school’s Urban Initiative Program, led by Dr. Lonnie McNamee.
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The GSEP Urban Initiative links community partners committed to understanding and addressing the mental health and educational issues of the underserved in Los Angeles and around the world. The aim of the Urban Initiative is to develop transformative solutions to social problems that have both a humanitarian value and are grounded in problem-oriented perspectives.
In addition to the Urban Initiative, GSEP’s Foster Grandparent Program, led by Dr. Shanetta Weatherspoon, provided the volunteer services of foster grandparents to participate in the Step Forward Day Community Gathering event.
The Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) offers a multigenerational approach to community volunteerism by giving older adults the opportunity to volunteer with youth ranging from infancy to 21 years of age. They are mentors, tutors, and friends to children with exceptional needs or circumstances.
The GSEP Alumni Relations Office led by Dr. Renee Dorn and the GSEP Diversity Council led by Dr. Charles Gross and Dr. Gabriella Miramontes also collaborated with the Urban Initiative and FGP to create the Step Forward Day Community Gathering event for the residents of Angeles House.
The event included family activities with bounce houses for the kids, along with games and competitions to win prizes. Food and snacks were provided by GSEP and two vendors, IAMCHEFKEV LLC and Juanita’s Tacos for everyone in attendance. Music and entertainment were provided by DJ Boomer and the Boomsquad Youth Academy.
When asked what the greatest need was for the over 250 current residents, winter items and rain gear was top of the list. The GSEP volunteers donated and distributed umbrellas, jackets, hats, and gloves to the resident families. The day was a great success bringing the community together to support the residents of Angeles House, but the need is still great.
To learn more about Angeles House, visit https://urm.org/services/urms-angeles-house/. To learn more about Pepperdine University and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP), visit https://www.pepperdine.edu/ and https://gsep.pepperdine.edu/.
