Homeboy Industries Founder Rev. Boyle to Speak, Sign Books

The Rev. Greg Boyle, founder of Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries, will speak at the Titan Student Union Tuesday, Feb. 14, about how love and kinship transform lives. The event is open to the public free of charge.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800.0"] The Rev. Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and executive director of Homeboy Industries, to speak Feb. 14 at CSUF on “The Power of Boundless Compassion"[/caption]

Homeboy Industries, founded in 1988, trains and supports more than 10,000 former gang members and previously incarcerated men and women each year. The rehabilitation and re-entry program offers job training and placement, education, therapy, tattoo removal, substance abuse treatment and legal assistance. The organization’s Homeboy Bakery, Homegirl Café & Catering, and Homeboy Silkscreen and Embroidery serve as models for more than 70 partner organizations across the globe.

Boyle, a Jesuit priest and executive director of the program, has received the Civic Medal of Honor and the California Peace Prize. He was named a Champion of Change in 2014 and received the 2016 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation.

The event — sponsored by the Religious Studies and Chicana and Chicano Studies departments, and the Religious Studies Student Association — begins with a 1 p.m. screening of the short film “Out of the Fire.” Boyle and some of those he has assisted are set to speak at 1:30 p.m., followed by questions from the audience. A 2:30 p.m. signing session follows of Boyle’s book, “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion.”

On-campus parking at 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, is $8 per vehicle for the day/evening or $2 per hour in “Park and Pay” spaces. Details are available online.