"Burn Notice" cast helps Hillsides

For the second year, USA Network’s cast of “Burn Notice” donate autographed shoes for Hillsides Foster Soles in Los Angeles, an online auction of celebrity autographed shoes and celebrity photograph. Held during Foster Care Awareness Month in May, the online auction raises awareness of national foster care issues and the plight of children and youth in the system.

On the set of “Burn Notice” in Miami, Florida, Celebrities Jeffrey Donovan, Bruce Campbell, Gabrielle Anwar, and Coby Bell take off their soles to bring awareness of foster care children in America. With more than 500,000 children in foster care and nearly 30,000 children in Los Angeles receiving child welfare services, Hillsides Foster Soles takes steps to lighten the load of children living at Hillsides, a Los Angeles children’s charity that services foster care children and vulnerable youth.

“This event is a great opportunity to reach out to the entertainment industry and let them know that there is a way they can help many vulnerable children and families in crisis during tough times in their lives,” said Joseph M. Costa, the charity’s chief executive officer. “Hillsides Foster Soles will enable Hillsides to offer children in need the extras they deserve during their residence at our 17-acre campus while educating the community about foster care issues.”

The Los Angeles kickoff event to launch the auction will be hosted, once again, by Bar Celona in Pasadena on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Online auction runs May 4th through May 20th.

This year’s celebrity participants include: Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel, Elton John and his band, Billy Joel, Larry King, Ryan Seacrest, Billy Zane, Dave Koz, Jack Johnson, Jamie Kennedy, Marlee Matlin, Dr. Drew Pinsky, “Dancing with the Stars” performers, Wayne Newton, Adam Sandler, Florence Henderson, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, and many more.

Guests who bid on May 4 will get a chance to vie for celebrity shoes with online visitors until the auction’s closing date, May 20. The event is open to the public. Admission is $25 if tickets are purchased online at http://www.hillsides.org/ or $35 at the door. Bar Celona is located at 46 E. Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena.

Hillsides Foster Soles 2009 was awarded national winner of the PR News Non-Profit PR Awards in “Event PR,” a finalist in “PR on a Shoestring,” and Best of Pasadena, from Pasadena Magazine.
To learn more about the foster care children’s charity or “Foster Soles,” visit http://www.hillsides.org/ or call Carrie Espinoza at 323-255-9005.


About Hillsides: As a Pasadena foster care charity founded in 1913, Hillsides creates safe places for children at risk and their families by providing residential care, mental health services to break the cycle of domestic violence, special education, and advocacy. To learn more about Hillsides, visit http://www.hillsides.org/.