Fund-Raiser for Hot Line to Take a Look at Gangs
Gangs will be the topic of discussion at an April 19 fund-raiser in Santa Monica for Teen Line, a hot line that uses trained volunteer teen-agers to listen to the problems of their peers.
“People’s Court” Judge Joseph A. Wapner will introduce a veteran gang member and a gang interventionist who will present an “explicit first-hand look at gangs in our community,” according to Teen Line program coordinator Elaine Leader.
The subject was chosen because an increasing number of calls to the hot line pertain to worries about gangs, Leader said.
The hot line, which has been in operation since 1981, has received more than 80,000 calls involving a range of problems facing teen-agers, including drugs, suicide, and physical and sexual abuse, Leader said.
Proceeds of the luncheon at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica will go to support the toll-free line, (800) TLC-TEEN.
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