Staff Writer
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Jane Seymour, star of “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” live music performances, free food and a chance to share some time with up to 2,000 excited foster children is the agenda for the upcoming Day of the Child event.
Pierce College will host its third annual Day of the Child at Shepard Stadium on Sunday.
Other ambassadors of goodwill include Wyclef Jean, Stephen Dorff, Tracy Edmonds, Wilmer Valderrama, Radha Mitchell and Esai Morales.
The festival is the brainchild of Children Uniting Nations founder Daphna Ziman, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Police Department and the City of Los Angeles.
“Children Uniting Nations is an organization dedicated to providing quality mentoring relationships based on academic achievements for children in foster care,” said a CUN spokesperson.
Many of the celebrities attending are well known for their contributions to other charity causes.
The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and goes until 4:30 p.m. Members are matched up one-on-one with foster children for four to five hours. People looking for volunteer opportunities in child development are invited to follow up on the progress of their “child” by contacting the offices of Children Uniting Nations, 9911 W. Pico Blvd., Suite 990, Los Angeles 90035.
The phone number is (310) 203-0500 or consult their web site at www.children uniting nations.org.
There are approximately 523,000 children in foster care across our nation. The state of California houses up to 28 percent (154,993) of them. Hispanic, black, then white Americans dominate the race/ethnicity at 36.1, 31.3 and 26.8 percent respectfully.
Native Americans and Asians combined represent less than 5 percent. And in our state, more than half are newborns to 10 years of age and 48 percent are between the ages of 11 to 18.
Applications are available at the “Day of the Child” booth in front of the Business Building and the enterprise manager’s office in the Administration Building.
“There has already been a huge response, said Enterprise Manager Larry Kraus.
“And only approved applicants can attend this event.”
Deadline to return applications was Tuesday. Applicants will be subject to background checks.