(PCM) Miley Cyrus launches Prizeo fundraising campaign and asks fans to join her fight to end youth homelessness. The campaign benefits My Friend’s Place, a drop-in service center in Hollywood that assists and inspires homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives. Cyrus met with youth and staff at My Friend’s Place where she learned about the challenges and potential solutions around the issue of homelessness.
Cyrus also used her big win during last nights MTV Video Music Awards to bring even more attention to this very important cause. Instead of Cyrus coming up to the stage to accept her award, a young man named Jesse stepped up to the stage in her place and made the following hard-hitting speech:
“I am accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now. I know this because I’m one of these people. I have survived in shelters all over the city. I have cleaned your hotel rooms, I have been an extra in your movies, I have been an extra in your life. Though I have been invisible to you on the streets, I have a lot of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight. Los Angeles, entertainment capital, has the largest population of homeless youth in America. The music industry will make over $7 billion this year and outside these doors are 54,000 human beings who have no place to call home. If you want to make powerful change in the world right now, please join us and go to Miley’s Facebook page. A dream you dream alone is only a dream, but a dream you dream together is reality. Thank you so much for your time.”
Fans can support the cause by making a donation at www.prizeo.com/mileycyrus between now and September 21. For every $5 donation, fans will be entered to win a chance to meet Cyrus at her upcoming concert on September 28, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The grand prize package includes two tickets, backstage access, hanging out with Miley before the show, as well as airfare and accommodations for two. The campaign will also offer an exclusive, limited-edition t-shirt, with net proceeds benefitting My Friend’s Place.
“I’m just getting started,” said Cyrus, “and I want to make sure my fans are part of helping me to give back and make an impact on this issue – we all have the power to make change happen. This is about helping youth, people just like you and me have the opportunity to find their inner power and potential, no matter what their circumstances.”
An estimated 4,000 homeless youth live in Los Angeles County, many of whom are fleeing abuse or are kicked out of their homes by their guardians. In the U.S., it is estimated that on any given night there are 1 million homeless youth living on the street, in abandoned buildings, with friends or strangers. These youth are at increased risk of engaging in dangerous behaviors, experiencing anxiety and depression, and becoming involved in the criminal justice system.
“My Friend’s Place is so grateful for Miley’s genuine interest and involvement in supporting homeless youth in Los Angeles,” said My Friend’s Place Executive Director Heather Carmichael. “By Miley drawing attention to the nation’s homeless youth crisis and the work we are doing locally, we hope to soon be able to expand our services and help even more young people.”
My Friend’s Placeprovides homeless youth with opportunities to improve their psychological, intellectual and physical capacity to reach their potential and build self-sufficient lives. In collaboration with leading social services providers and educational institutions as well as over 500 volunteers, My Friend’s Place offers a free and comprehensive continuum of care that combines emergency necessities with therapeutic, health, employment and education assistance, and creative arts services.
Join Miley in the fight to end youth homelessness by donating here: www.prizeo.com/mileycyrus.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mileycyrus.
http://smarturl.it/MyFriendsPlace
#MYFRIENDSPLACE
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