NEWS & EVENTS

-PIC YEAR END RECAP 2025-

SUNRISE STORIES – Voices From the Community

Welcome to Sunrise Stories, where every voice matters, and every story inspires.

Sunrise Stories highlights real moments and real voices from the Deaf community. These short reflections share how the PIC Foundation programs, from resources to advocacy, are making a meaningful difference in everyday life. Each story reflects our mission to positively impact, strengthen, and uplift the Deaf community while continuing to Build Bridges. Break Barriers.

-COMMUNITY CHRISTAMS TOY GIVEAWAY-

Community Christmas Toy Giveaway Brings Joy to Over 1,000 Children

The Positively Impacting Communities (PIC) Foundation, in partnership with the Ashlynn B. Jackson (ABJ) Foundation and Mt. Sinai Church, proudly hosted a Community Christmas Toy Giveaway, bringing hope, joy, and holiday cheer to children across our community. Through collective generosity and intentional collaboration, over 1,000 toys were collected and purchased, blessing children within the community, church families, and partnering organizations. This effort ensured that hundreds of children experienced the magic of the holiday season with dignity, love, and celebration.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to Faithful Central Church and the Los Angeles/Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Department for their generous toy donations and continued support, which helped expand the reach and impact of this initiative. A special thank you to our dedicated volunteers, whose time, energy, and commitment made this event possible. From planning and preparation to setup, distribution, and cleanup, our volunteers showed up with heart and purpose—ensuring every child was served with care and respect.

This giveaway is a true reflection of what’s possible when organizations and individuals come together with a shared mission to serve, uplift, and strengthen our communities.

-WINTER FESTIVAL-

The PIC Foundation proudly partnered with Marlton School for the 2025 Winter Festival, marking our third year of spreading joy and creating unforgettable moments for children and youth. Every student received a toy, along with festive cookies and cupcakes, and even a special visit from the PIC Elf, Azusena. Special thanks to the Ashlynn B. Jackson Foundation, Toys for Tots, Barrio Photo Booth, our dedicated volunteers, and generous donors for helping make this celebration truly magical.

-SILENT PLATES TURKEY GIVEAWAY-

This season, the PIC Foundation put Deaf children at the heart of our mission. Through our Silent Plates Program, we provided Thanksgiving Turkeys to families across Los Angeles, ensuring Deaf children could enjoy a warm holiday meal surrounded by love and stability. Over 310 Deaf+ children and their families benefited, allowing parents to redirect their limited resources toward essential needs while still giving their children a meaningful holiday experience. This support does more than fill a table; it strengthens families, reduces stress, and reminds every Deaf+ child that their community cares deeply for them.

The PIC Foundation continues Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers, as we uplift and empower Deaf+ children and the overall Deaf community year-round.

-PIC ME READING PROGRAM-

What a beautiful celebration of literacy, community, and connection! We had the honor of joining the City of Inglewood at the Willie Agee Playhouse for their Annual Kids Reading Day & Book Exchange, and what an incredible turnout! It was inspiring to see children of all ages fully immersed in the joy of reading. From engaging story time sessions to curious questions and spontaneous dancing during intermission, the energy was unforgettable. Parents, educators, and community leaders showed up strong in support of literacy, and we felt the love!

SPECIAL THANKS to Shelli Boone and Olive Tuesday for being AMAZING Organizers and Hosts!

-JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION-

The PIC Foundation, in proud partnership with The Black Deaf Project and SoCal Black Deaf Advocates (BDA), united to bridge the gap between the Deaf and hearing communities through a vibrant Juneteenth celebration. The day was filled with joy, connection, and culture, featuring delicious food, interactive games, line dancing, arts and crafts, a powerful Juneteenth history drama, a lively kid zone, and so much more. It was more than an event—it was a moment of unity, empowerment, and shared heritage.

-DELETE THE DIVIDE-

The PIC Foundation is proudly and consistently Positively Impacting the Deaf Communities.

Did you know that we also serve as a resource hub for the broader Deaf+ community? Due to our partnership with Delete The Divide, Deaf+ students at Marlton School received FREE LAPTOPS to support their learning and enhance digital access. The free laptop giveaway event was a huge success, putting smiles on the faces of Deaf+ children and making homes more accessible. Love and Inclusion were definitely on display.

-SILENT PLATES SPRING BREAK-

The PIC Foundation’s ‘Silent Plates’ Initiative was a great success on Thursday, April 10, 2025. We provided food to deaf+ children, parents,

family members, and staff. In total, over 550 individuals benefited from our initiative.

-WINTER FESTIVAL-

The PIC Foundation partnered with Marlton School for their 2024 Winter Festival. We provided toys for all children and youth. Special thanks to Toys 4 Tots, Barrio Photobooth, Paparazzi ME, our volunteers, and donors for a memorable event.

-BACK 2 SCHOOL EVENT-

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to our Sponsors, Donors, & Vendors: SOLES4SOULS, COSTCOS, RAISING KANE, SMART&FINAL and PAPARAZZI ME! PHOTOBOOTH. We provided shoes/socks, food/drinks, and school supplies and captured memorable photos for 200 children, parents/families, teachers, staff, and faculty.