Palm Springs
Christopher Kennedy does it again!
I just learned that one of my faves, celebrity interior designer Christopher Kennedy, is going to donate services for the new Sanctuary Palm Springs House for LGBT youth in foster care. Kennedy will also hold a fundraiser on May 27th to support the home redesign. When I last caught up with the indefatigable Mr. Kennedy it was at his Christopher Kennedy Compound Home Tour (Modernism Week Show House 2017). Not content to rest on his laurels, Kennedy is passionate about giving back to the community, and Sanctuary Palm Springs is truly an excellent cause.
After years of preparations and arduous state certifications, Sanctuary Palm Springs will begin welcoming its first residents this summer at a 2100 square foot home in Palm Springs. Due to the growth of the organization, it has recently secured a second house (specifically purchased for the organization by Barry McCabe) which it will bring operational later in the year thanks to the help of Christopher Kennedy.
Christopher Kennedy and his husband, David Clark, will volunteer their design services and facilitate the necessary renovations to create six bedrooms and three bathrooms in the 2400 square foot home, while also securing all the furnishings and décor in the home, and donating items from his local retail store. To help support the home’s design costs, Kennedy will host a “Before Party” fundraiser at the residence on Saturday, May 27 from 2- 4 p.m. The house is located at 2325 E. Joyce Street in Palm Springs. Entry tickets are $20 and can purchased at the door.
At the event, guests can tour the house and learn how they can help sponsor specific items for the home, sponsor an entire room, or donate to the general renovation fund. Kennedy will debut his plans for the transformation and discuss how he is already working with key vendors to provide all items for the home at wholesale pricing, or below, while also working to secure product donations from manufacturers.
“To me, interior design, at its best, is transformative to people’s lives by creating spaces that are functional, organized, comfortable, and beautiful,” says Kennedy. “It is my pleasure and honor to use my skills as a designer to help create a safe and inspiring home for the residents of Sanctuary Palm Springs. The physical environment of Sanctuary is a backdrop for wonderful programming offered by the organization, and between the two, it our mission to prepare these at-risk youth for a lifetime of success.”
About Sanctuary Palm Springs:
Sanctuary Palm Springs is a home for LGBT youth in foster care. The home is a place of safety, support, and self-responsibility where each foster-youth resident can learn the life skills needed to become an independent, self-sufficient adult. Though Sanctuary Palm Springs plans to develop other programs serving foster youth between the ages of 13 through17, the first home in Palm Springs will support foster youth who are ages 18 though 21. It is a state-certified program called Transitional Housing Placement Plus Foster Care Program (THP+FC), created when Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations went into effect. In order to qualify for placement with Sanctuary Palm Springs, residents must be studying for their GED, enrolled in college or a vocational training program, or be working at least 80 hours a month. Prior to this new legislation in California, there were no continuing housing services for foster youth who had transitioned into adulthood. Statistics demonstrate that LGBT youth in foster care are the most vulnerable: many are in danger of becoming homeless, resorting to prostitution, abusing drugs or alcohol, or at risk for self-harm or suicide. At Sanctuary Palm Springs, the residents learn the skills necessary to become self-sufficient adults prepared to take on the responsibilities of employment to cover their living expenses such as rent and food. Also, through Sanctuary Palm Springs’ Matched Mentor program, they will have the opportunity of connecting with successful adults in the LGBT and general community who can help them find their special gifts and possibly their ideal employment or career path.
About Christopher Kennedy:
“A golden state of mind” describes Christopher Kennedy’s philosophy towards interior design, and life. With a belief that surroundings should inspire, and that good design impacts our lives for the better, Christopher creates interiors and products that are refreshingly exuberant. Combining Jet Set nostalgia with California modernism, Christopher’s work has been featured in Dwell, California Home + Design, Luxe, California Homes, Traditional Home, and The Los Angeles Times. From his base in Palm Springs, this prolific designer also creates an eponymous furniture line, candles, bedding, artwork for Wendover, and pottery for Habitudes. He is the author two books: California Modern and Making Midcentury Modern. Each year, for Modernism Week in Palm Springs, Kennedy spearheads The Christopher Kennedy Compound: Modernism Week Show House, Palm Springs’ only decorator showcase, which raises approximately $100,000 for preservation, scholarships, and neighborhoods in and around Palm Springs.
