VAN NUYS : Yoko Ono to Help Group for Children

Yoko Ono has offered a $10,000 matching grant to an organization that runs a Van Nuys shelter for sexually abused children, a spokesman said Thursday.

Lois Lee, founder and executive director of Children of the Night, said Ono, the widow of John Lennon, has been a longtime supporter of the 14-year-old organization dedicated to helping troubled youth.

“She’s been a regular contributor,” Lee said. “But she usually doesn’t lend her name out, so this is nice.”

In addition to the 24-bed shelter, Children of the Night runs outreach programs for runaways in Hollywood and Orange and San Diego counties.

The group also has a nationwide hot line for troubled youths, and offers academic and vocational training for children who stay at the shelter, Lee said.

The organization, which has an annual budget of about $1.5 million, also places young people in alcohol, drug and prenatal education programs, Lee said.