HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES

HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES RAISES MORE THAN $250,000

AT ANNUAL “EVERY ANGELENO COUNTS” 5K & FESTIVAL

Thousands of supporters attended the annual event held at the organization’s Chinatown Headquarters

Photo Credit: Salvador Sanchez, Homeboy Industries

On October 24,  Homeboy Industries hosted its annual Every Angeleno Counts 5K and Festival, presented by KPCC. The 5K and Festival brought together thousands of Angelenos of all ages and raised more than $250,000 that will support job training and therapeutic services at Homeboy Industries, the most successful gang rehabilitation/re-entry program in the world, helping formerly gang-involved men and women develop the strength and skills to transform their lives. The festival included a certified 5K run/walk, a 1K Kiddie Run, an art exhibition featuring 50+ renowned and emerging artists, music from legendary KROQ DJ Richard Blade, a vendor village, and the first ever Homegirl Café Thousand Friend Brunch.

“Today’s festival marked a tangible moment of compassion as men, women, and children from all backgrounds stood in solidarity, dispelling the myth that some lives matter less than others,” said Homeboy Industries Founder, Father Greg Boyle. “On this beautiful Los Angeles morning, we worked to obliterate once and for all the illusion that we are separate, but instead that we are all bound by a common thread of love and kinship. At today’s festival, we once again saw that Every Angeleno Counts.”

Homeboy Industries is the largest and most successful gang rehabilitation program dedicated to providing formerly gang-involved men and women an invaluable opportunity to transform their lives and become contributing members of society. The organization’s holistic free services and programs support over 10,000 men and women a year on their journey to find the strength to overcome their pasts, re-imagine their futures and break the inter-generational cycle of gang violence. Homeboy’s job training focused businesses (Homeboy Foods, Homegirl Café & Catering, and Homeboy Silkscreen & Embroidery) along with its rehabilitative programs—which include comprehensive therapy services, GED classes, and free tattoo removal—provide a healing alternative to gang life, while creating more inclusive and healthier communities.

Photo Credit: Salvador Sanchez, Homeboy Industries

Each year, over 10,000 formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women from across Southern California come through Homeboy Industries’ doors in an effort to make a positive change. They are welcomed into a community of mutuality, kinship and respect, and receive a wide variety of holistic services – ranging from tattoo removal to anger management and parenting classes – so they can graduate from Homeboy’s trainee program, become contributing members of the community, and know that they count.

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