Friends of Youth, a Redmond-based non-profit agency, presents Dave Pelzer as the keynote speaker for its third annual fundraising luncheon – Celebration of Youth – at noon Thursday, Mar. 19 at the Hilton Bellevue Hotel.

Pelzer, the author of “A Child Called ‘It’,” was abused by his mentally-disturbed, alcoholic mother when he was a child. When he was 12 years old, he was finally saved from his troubled mother and placed in foster care. All these experiences did not discourage Pelzer; in fact, they propelled him to be a stronger individual.

Pelzer is the author of seven inspirational books. His first book, “A Child Called ‘It’,” has been on The New York Times’ best sellers list for more than six years. In addition to writing, Pelzer makes time to contribute to the community and his efforts have been recognized through numerous awards. In 1993, Pelzer was honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans, and in the following year, he was the only American to be honored as The Outstanding Young Persons of the World. Pelzer also received the National Jefferson Award in 2005.

Registration for Celebration of Youth is free; there is a suggested donation of $150. For reservations or more information, contact the donor relations coordinator, Shui Ching Mo, at Shui@friendsofyouth.org, or (425) 869-6490, ext. 326.

Sponsors for this event include ATS Automation, Citi Private Bank, Kibble & Prentice, Kid’s Club/ Sole Food, Rogers & Norman, 425 Magazine, bSQUARE Corporation, Extra Mile Marketing, and Point B.