Christine Avanti-Fischer on Dream Center LA:
I believe that nutrition and exercise are key ingredients to living a happy and fulfilled life. In my books I talk about a PC combo – the optimal combination of Protein and Carbohydrates to maintain a healthy, active life. I’d like to add an addendum to that. For a completely fulfilled life I think what you need is what I refer to as a PC FP combo: Protein, Carbohydrates, Faith and Philanthropy.
Many years ago I was in a dark place in my life. I needed guidance, acceptance and unconditional love. I found that at the Angelus Temple. Pastor Matthew and Pastor Caroline are two of the most loving people you could ever meet, and I was welcomed into the congregation with the unconditional acceptance I had been seeking my whole life. I met friends for life there. I also found my passion for volunteerism.
I believe that for a church to truly be of service to those in need, it must be accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week – life doesn’t wait until Sunday morning to throw it’s challenges at you. Pastors Matthew and Caroline understood the need to be of service to people of all walks of life at any time of the day,any day of the week.
To address that need they created the Dream Center – A 15 floor, multiple building Center in the heart of Los Angeles. I could go on forever about the founding of the Dream Center but they tell their story, I tell mine. Click here to read the full story. Have a tissue handy.
I’ve been of service to the Dream Center for over 15 years. Because it’s such a diversified place, there is something for everybody. They devote each floor in the main building to a specific social cause: homelessness, poverty, alcohol and drug rehab, and off site they have a human trafficking rescue and rehab. The brilliance of it is that, as we all know, these issues crosscut with each other: poverty and homelessness sow the seeds of trafficking, substance abuse leads to poverty and homelessness and on and on. The Dream Center is equipped to handle the direst of situations: They have a human trafficking rescue team, the shelter can then provide a home for the girl. When she’s ready she’ll attend a high school on campus, work with counselors, train for skills – reclaim her life. All in the safety and familiarity of the same place. It’s an amazing achievement of the Dream Center to be able to have so many resources available for the people they serve.
In the past couple of years I have begun to focus my efforts at the Dream center. Through our family foundation, JDFF, I have been able to help the Dream center’s human trafficking rescue nonprofit Project Hope. I’m now able to give back what I’ve been given –
unconditional love and support. I wouldn’t be whereI am todaywithout my faith, and I thank God everyday that Angelus Temple and the Dream Center were revealed to me.
Recently I have learned through my work with Project Hope that children who age out of the foster system without being adopted are one of the most at risk demographics to be trafficked into sex slavery. Project Hope is now working on a foster program to provide a safe haven for kids who age out without being adopted. This is just one of the new programs the Dream Center is working on to better serve the people of Los Angeles, and just one of the many reasons JDFF is proud to support the Dream Center.
For more information about the Dream Center click here.
To get involved with the Dream Center click here