Gabriel’s House ribbon cutting this Saturday

PALMDALE – The community is invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony this Saturday to celebrate the opening of “Gabriel’s House,” located at 38533 4th Street East in Palmdale.

The City’s third Neighborhood House is named in memory of eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who was killed last year after prolonged child abuse. (Read more on Gabriel’s story here).

The festivities will begin at 8 a.m., Saturday, March 1 with a complimentary pancake breakfast. An official ribbon cutting ceremony, led by Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford will take place at 9:15 a.m.

Program information and demonstrations led by Jimmy and Kim Lu of The Art Branch will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

“We’re inviting everyone to come and check out what is going to be a very positive and creative force in our community,” said Palmdale’s Director of Neighborhood Services Mike Miller.

Working with The Art Branch, “Gabriel’s House” will serve as a music and performing arts center to provide children in the area with the opportunity to develop their creative talents.

A generous $20,000 donation by the Warnack Foundation provided for the musical instruments, sheet music, equipment and miscellaneous supplies needed for the start-up program.

“Gabriel’s House will create opportunities for local youth to develop music and theater skills free of charge,” said Mayor Ledford. “Through the generosity of A.C. and  Shaughne Warnack, and the hard work of city staff and the Art Branch, this dream of creating something positive for our youth has become a reality.”

Saturday’s ribbon cutting ceremony is being held by the city of Palmdale in partnership with the Art Branch.

For information about programs at Gabriel’s House, contact Jimmy Lu at 310-806-8496.For more information about volunteering, call Trish Jones at 661-267-5473.

Previous related stories: Making a difference at Gabriel’s House

–