DEDICATED TO PRESERVING A HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNED BY RENOWNED ARCHITECT, JULIA MORGAN
Our Guest Speaker in January is the inspirational Carissa Phelps. Carissa Phelps is an author, attorney, and advocate for sexually exploited children and homeless youth. She is the subject of the award-winning documentary, Carissa, the 2008 film that revisits her life as a sexually exploited runaway child living on the streets of Fresno, California. Having been involved in various petty crimes and probation violations, as well as grand theft auto, she was incarcerated at the CK Wakefield Home for Boys, during their pilot program to integrate girls into the facility. Teaching herself mathematics and working to overcome numerous rapes, sexual exploitation, and substance abuse and addictions, she eventually graduated with an MBA and a law degree from UCLA. She is the founder of Runaway Girl, Inc., which advocates for runaway and homeless youth, while providing training for organizations to effectively reach out and address homelessness and human trafficking. In 2012, her life story was told in the book Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time.
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