A GRATITUDE GALA: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF ADVOCATING FOR YOUTH AND COMMUNITY

Last month, Centinela Youth Services commemorated its 50th anniversary with a moving community celebration.  The evening opened with reflections on five decades of restorative work, followed by heartfelt recognition of individuals whose efforts continue to transform lives across the region. Kaci Patterson received the Transformation Award for her unwavering commitment to community-centered reform. Judge Katherine Lucero and Victoria Birch were honored with the Innovator Award, celebrating their groundbreaking approaches to supporting youth. Pastor Shep Crawford and Brother James Muhammad were presented with the Community Leader Award for their profound peacebuilding efforts. 

One guest reflected, “What an inspiring event. A reflection of community-wide collaboration that left me feeling grateful, humbled, and overwhelmingly excited to do more.” 

One of many memorable moments from the night took place when guests watched a short video telling the story of Deven, a young person who, through CYS’s restorative programs, found a path to accountability, healing, and hope. His story served as a powerful reminder of why the organization’s work matters—and why it must continue. We highly recommend checking it out.  

This year's celebration brought together 134 guests, raised $51,501 in support of our work, and honored 12 incredible young people whose stories inspire us every day. For those moved by the impact of CYS’s mission, contributions are warmly welcomed. Donations help ensure that youth continue to receive the restorative, life-changing support they deserve. 

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THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS

We want to take a moment to sincerely thank our funders for their generous support and partnership over the past 50 years. Your commitment has been essential to our growth, innovation, and impact. We look forward to continuing this journey together for many years to come. We asked a few of our supporting funders to reflect on why they believe the work we do at CYS is important and impactful. 

University of Southern California-Dworak-Peck School of Social Work 

"Centinela Youth Services has historically been the front runners when it comes to restorative justice practices and influencing systems of care to become more healing in nature for some of our city and county's most marginalized youth. Thank you Centinela!"

California Wellness Foundation 

“For fifty years, Centinela Youth Services has been a steady force for healing and safety in Los Angeles. We’re proud to have supported their violence prevention work and celebrate this milestone honoring decades of community impact.” 

Annie E Casey Foundation

“Centinela Youth Services are nationally recognized experts in supporting and holding young people accountable for their behavior outside of the traditional justice system. They use the principles of restorative justice to build a sense of community while responding to conflict and harm, all while build­ing and sus­tain­ing col­lab­o­ra­tion among com­mu­ni­ty-based orga­ni­za­tions and their part­ners with­in the jus­tice-sys­tem. Far beyond their doors in Los Angeles County, Centinela’s commitment to community-led diversion and restorative justice has modeled for others how to think differently and achieve trust, alignment and results.”