$18,000 Raised for Homeless Shelter

Organizers of a recent fund-raiser say they have raised $18,000 to benefit the Trudy and Norman Louis Valley Shelter for the homeless in North Hollywood.

“USO Extravaganza,” a Casino-style event held Sept. 18 at the California National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, drew 300 people and featured a show by the Lennon Sisters. It was sponsored by Continental Coin Corp. of Van Nuys.

The money raised will be used to provide medical care, job placement programs, meals and other services at the nonprofit shelter, which offers emergency housing to about 90 families.

“The people who go to these shelters aren’t bums on the street,” said Kenneth Gerston, chief executive officer of Continental Coin.

“I had a friend, an electrical worker, who lost his job, lost his house and had a wife and two kids,” said Gerston, who serves on the board of directors of L.A. Family Housing Corp., which operates the shelter. “I referred them there.”