Juneteenth celebration will be held next month to raise money for local foster care program

A Palm Desert non-profit will hold its 7th annualJuneteenth celebration in La Quinta next month to raise money for its foster care program.

The Family Health & Support Network’s Juneteenth in the Coachella Valley is scheduled for June 14 at La Quinta Resort and commemorates the emancipation of slaves in Texas and the United States as a whole, spokesman Tim O’Bayley said.

The director of strategic consulting at the Casey Family Programs in Washington, D.C., Orande Miller, who grew up in foster homes in Ohio, will give the keynote speech.

Singer Alfreda James and saxophonist Chase Huna, a La Quinta High School student, will perform, and local actress Gye Nyame Maat will serve as host, according to O’Bayley.

Juneteenth, celebrated on the 19th, is a holiday is an official 42 states and the District of Columbia.

Juneteenth in the Coachella Valley begins with a VIP reception at 6 p.m., then dinner and awards at 7 p.m.

Organizers suggested people wear “smart casual white.”

Tickets are $65 for general admission and $85 for VIP reception and seating.

For information and tickets, go to www.juneteenthcv.com or call (760) 340-2442.

Family Health & Support Network Inc. is a state-licensed foster agency with contracts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties for children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect.

For information on the organization, go to www.fhsnet.org.