For well over a year, Lahaina Beach House in Pacific Beach has been keeping a low profile while serving the community.  The time for serving in the shadows has come to an end.

Best known for serving tasty beverages on their world famous party deck in PB where the perfect sunsets can be viewed year ’round, Lahaina General Manager Steve Medley has been quietly donating food to Embrace to be served to the homeless by college student volunteers, on a regular basis, for almost 2 years.  For socially conscious patrons, the news that Lahaina Beach House does more than just sling drinks, and that the popular watering hole also helps people in need, should bring a smile to their faces.

“Steve has never once declined our request for food donations.  Not only are his donated 5 gallon buckets of chili helping us serve less fortunate people in need, Lahaina’s acts of philanthropy have caused other vendors to step forward and follow suit.  The partnership has been great,” said Sean Sheppard, Founder of Embrace.

The 10-year old nonprofit organization mobilizes college student volunteers to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities, and relies on sponsors like Lahainas to continue assist San Diegans in need.

For more info on Embrace, visit www.Embrace1.org

SDSU Associated Student President and Embrace Intern, Rob O'Keefe

Rob is currently finishing up his 5th year at San Diego State University with a double major in Political Science and International Security & Conflict Resolution. As the SDSU Associated Students Student Body President, he is looking forward to graduation. Rob aggressively sought out an internship with Embrace after discovering all the ways the organization mobilizes college students to serve the community and hopes to lay a foundation for future students to get involved. You can contact Rob via email at rokeefe@mail.sdsu.edu

SDSU Freshman Scott Callens

Scott Callens is a freshman at San Diego State University. He is studying finance with a minor in entrepreneurship. He is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and is V.P. of Philanthropy for the International Business Society. His future aspirations are to become the president of his fraternity and/or Associated Student President at San Diego State. Scott’s passions are traveling, helping others, and staying active. He is experienced in leadership, problem solving and coming up with creative ideas.

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The event occurs on Saturday, November 17, 2012 on the corners of 16th and Island in the east village of San Diego between 12noon and 2pm.

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2012 PRE EVENT UNION TRIBUNE TV COVERAGE OF EMBRACE THE STREETS IV

Contact: Rebecca Bamberger

BAM Communications

C: 619-917-5109

Rebecca@bamcommunications.biz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Embrace to Host 4th Annual “Embrace the Streets” Event

100 College Students to pass out thousands of pounds of clothing, blankets and food donated to 700 San Diego homeless civilians and veterans in downtown San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA – (Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012) – For the fourth consecutive year, Embrace, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes college students to address San Diego community needs, will team up with corporate sponsors, college student volunteers and community members to host its annual “Embrace the Streets” event for San Diego’s homeless.

On Saturday, Nov. 17th from Noon to 2 p.m., on the corners of 16th and Island in the East Village of San Diego, hundreds of homeless civilians and veterans living on the streets of downtown, or in temporary housing, will receive blankets, clothing and prepared food from more than 100 college student volunteers from SDSU, UCSD and other 2 and 4 year institutions of higher learning in San Diego.

“This year’s event is already positioning itself to be bigger and better than years prior,” said Embrace Founder Sean Sheppard. “Since our first ‘Embrace the Streets’ event in 2009, college students have collected and disseminated tens of thousands of pounds of clothing and worked with our food sponsors to serve thousands of meals to our homeless civilians and veterans in need.”

Last year’s event alone collected and donated over 2000 pounds of clothing and bedding, in addition to handing out 600 meals to the homeless veterans and homeless civilians who attended. All left over food will be donated to the Veteran’s Village of San Diego. The “Embrace the Streets” effort will begin with a week-long clothing, blanket and sheets drive, with a donation site at the North Love Library Walkway on San Diego State University’s campus Monday, Nov 5 through Friday, Nov. 9.

As the main food sponsor for this year’s event, The San Diego Food Bank will donate all of the meat for the event, to then be prepared by Slow Cal BBQ Food Truck and Urban Eats Food Truck.

In 2011, San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria presented Embrace with a City Council Resolution and The 2010 effort warranted a City Council Resolution from Councilman Carl Demaio, a California Legislature Assembly Resolution from Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher and a Proclamation from the City of San Diego from Mayor Jerry Sanders.

Major sponsors for this year’s “Embrace the Streets” event are San Diego Gas and Electric and the San Diego Food Bank.

About Embrace

Founded in 2000, Embrace uses community service to bring diverse groups of people together to bring about social wellness in our society. The organization focuses on the utilization of college students and recent graduates to develop their leadership qualities and remedy community problems such as health disparities and homelessness on a volunteer basis. Founder Sean Sheppard’s ultimate goal is to bring about legislation that makes community service mandatory for all college students that attend state funded institutions of higher education.

For more information on Embrace and its programs, visit www.embrace1.org

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Contact: Rebecca Bamberger

BAM Communications

C: 619-917-5109   Rebecca@bamcommunications.biz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Embrace’s Life Center Model selected to receive planning grant from Alliance Healthcare Foundation

Alliance Healthcare Foundation provides Embrace with a $25,000 grant with the intent of attracting a funding partner to match its investment

San Diego, Calif., (August 20, 2012) – Embrace, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes college students to address San Diego community needs, was chosen as the recipient of a $25,000 grant from Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

AHF, an organization that works to advance health and wellness of the most vulnerable in San Diego, is providing the grant to Embrace with the intent of seeking a funding partner to match its investment and making a larger, longer-term investment in the near future.

Embrace’s Life Center Model, one of the five finalists for AHF’s $1,000,000 Innovative Initiative grant, was chosen to receive the $25,000 grant for the student-run center’s public health initiative.

“Building upon an already solid working relationship with the AHF staff, I anticipate, with their assistance, rolling out a scalable, innovative model that allows corporate America to help enable college students to play a key role in fixing a segment of our public health system that has long been in need of repairing,” said Embrace Founder, Sean Sheppard. “Alliance’s investment will allow college students to better utilize their education, energy and pension for volunteering in the public health sector.”

“AHF is excited to be a partner with the Embrace Life Center concept,” said Alliance Healthcare Foundation’s Executive Director, Nancy Sasaki. “The phrase ‘starving student’ takes on a whole new meaning in this economy and what we really value about this project is the concept of providing a healthy food source to a community (students) whose needs go unrecognized. Our organization supports those organizations that are advancing health and wellness, and the fact that the Embrace Life Center also uses students is an added bonus.”

The Life Center Model entails students majoring in public health, life sciences and social work providing emergency food bank services, CalFresh registration, Affordable Care Act counseling and various life science and public health services to low income students and non-students in need. The self-sustaining model’s most innovative component is its membership structure and corporate sponsorship piece.

For more information on Embrace, visit www.embrace1.org

About Embrace

Founded in 2000, Embrace uses community service to bring diverse groups of people together to bring about social wellness in our society. The organization focuses on the utilization of college students and recent graduates to develop their leadership qualities and remedy community problems such as health disparities and homelessness on a volunteer basis. Founder Sean Sheppard’s ultimate goal is to bring about legislation that makes community service mandatory for all college students that attend state funded institutions of higher education.

For more information on Embrace, visit www.embrace1.org

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Contact: Rebecca Bamberger

BAM Communications

C: 619-917-5109

Rebecca@bamcommunications.biz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Embrace launches ‘Embrace the Philippines’ effort

for Manila fire relief

Donation from the Marshall Faulk Foundation enables local student organizations and youth ministries to compete to collect the most canned goods and cases of water

San Diego, Calif. – (May 29, 2012) – Embrace, a local non-profit organization that mobilizes diverse groups of college students to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities, is launching a humanitarian campaign called Embrace The Philippines, in a relief effort to assist the 5,000 Filipino families who have lost their homes due to the massive fire that struck Manila, Philippines on May 11, 2012.  The student-led campaign is calling upon the San Diego community to collect cases of bottled water and canned goods to support victims.

From June 1-June 30, student organizations and youth ministries are invited to collect canned goods and water for the Philippines fire relief aid. In order to financially assist the student organizations with the work they do to serve the San Diego community throughout the year, the two groups that collect the most canned goods and cases of water will each be rewarded with $1,000 from the Marshall Faulk Foundation for their organization.

“The moment I heard that more than 5,000 families were suddenly homeless due to the Manila fire, I knew Embrace was going to help,” said Sean Sheppard, Founder and CEO of Embrace. “We’re going to do all we can to immediately provide food and water as we work with officials on the ground in the Philippines to strategize how college students can assist with the home rebuilding process as well. Embrace is in this for the long haul.”

“It’s great to see today’s youth helping those in need,” said Marshall Faulk, NFL Hall of Fame inductee and San Diego State University All-American. “I’m glad my Foundation could help them ‘Embrace the Philippines’ by supporting their efforts.”

Cases of water and canned goods drop off points include the SDSU Physical Plant Department, the Gonzalez Sports Academy in Chula Vista, CA and Revive Day Spa & Salon/Hollywood Tans in La Mesa, CA. Collections will be shipped by the end of July. Groups participating are expected to tally their donations and report back to Embrace at the end of the month.

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, the Mabuhay FilAm Festival at Kimball Park in National City will join Embrace The Philippines collection efforts.  Filipino Americans from all points of San Diego county that attend the festival to celebrate 114 years of Philippine Independence, will be asked to bring canned goods and cases of water.

The Tavern at The Beach in Pacific Beach, CA will conduct a month-long cases-of-water drive including an event dubbed ‘Water Aid’ on Thursday, June 21, 2012. For the entire month of June, patrons who donate a case of water (minimum 24 bottle case, 12 ounces each) will receive one complimentary beverage.

Student organizations and ministries including American Legion Post 201, American Legion Post 434, Athletic Kids Association, Hiking Ministry (Rock Church), Never Knew A Father’s love (Rock Church), Kaliloa O Kaleo’Onalani, SDSU Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Search and Rescue Unit Foundation (Philippines), Yokoz Islander Grill and Sushi Bar, SDSU Student African-American Brotherhood, SDSU’s Circle K, UCSD’s Circle K and SDSU Foodies have already begun organizing relief efforts.

To learn more about how you can help, visit www.Embrace1.org/philippines.

About Embrace

Founded in 2000, Embrace uses community service to bring diverse groups of people together to bring about social wellness in our society. The organization focuses on the utilization of college students and recent graduates to develop their leadership qualities and remedy community problems such as health disparities and homelessness on a volunteer basis. Founder Sean Sheppard’s ultimate goal is to bring about legislation that makes community service mandatory for all college students that attend state funded institutions of higher education.

Visit www.embrace1.org for more information.

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