By NINA KIDD
Special to the Palisades News
On March 18, I attended Steve Englemann’s community service class at Palisades High. I wanted to talk to them about getting involved in a homeless-related fundraising event at Theatre Palisades.
I asked the students in this class if they had spoken to a particular Palisades homeless man camped on Sunset.
One boy nodded. “He was scared,” the student reported. “He was scared of the people in the towers.” The student, six-foot-plus, shrugged and spread his hands.
The rest of the kids looked interested, but not surprised.
I told them that Ocean Park Community Center caseworkers (hired by the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness) had told me that, so far, this man had chosen the streets over their help.
The class wanted to know more. They wanted to know what they could do to help.
I told them that on May 21 or 22 at Pierson Playhouse (across the street from PaliHi), they could take part in a powerful homeless story. After the Saturday night performance of a short play, Alison Hurst, executive director and founder of Safe Place for Youth, a kids’ homeless center in Venice, will speak. Sunday, after the 2 p.m. show, Juliana Hudson, also from SPY, will be there.
Homeless kids?
The entire class was listening.
On May 21-22, two performances of the one-act play, The Liar’s Punishment, followed by a panel discussion, will help fund OPCC’s work in the Palisades. Tickets cost $50. But with Mr. Englemann supervising, students who agree to afterwards share what they learned on social media, can earn a free “scholarship” ticket.
Ten students signed up.
To sponsor a PaliHi community service student’s ticket, please send a $50 check to Theatre Palisades and mark the memo line, “Scholarship.” This will enable students to join adults at this educational event. All tickets are tax deductible. Call the Theatre Palisades box office at (310) 454-1970, or visit www.theatrepalisades.org.
Steve Englemann and Nina Kidd
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