Until Midnight on June 30th, your gift will be doubled up to $500,000 thanks to a generous donor. Our new total as of today is $1,715,875.00! Please update your friends and network with this great news. And thank you so much for all of your hard work in helping us get the word out.
Thanks!!
As of June 13th, we have raised an amazing $1,633,923 towards our $2.8 million goal to keep Hope Gardens open! Thanks for your support to keep women and children from returning to the mean streets of Skid Row.
With 2 ½ weeks to go, we have only $ 1,166,077 left to raise. Through the generosity of our 2010 Heroes for Hope Award recipient, Scott Minerd, any gift received by June 15th, will be doubled up to $500,000! Please consider:
1) Donating online
OR
2) Texting “URM” at 85944 to donate $10 via your cell phone—reply “yes” when prompted
Thank you so much and please help us spread the word!!
A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Standard messaging rates and additional fees may apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 85944.
People sometimes wonder why I am so passionate about people who are experiencing homelessness. I have to admit I don’t always fully understand my compulsion to be big hearted and compassionate. All I know is that I cannot not respond to people who are struggling, and I have never met a person experiencing homelessness who I have not instantly felt an enormous amount of love for.
This love explains a lot of my passion, but I also have a special understanding of the predicament that people experiencing homelessness face.
I saw it the other day, a man, standing on the corner, lost, alone, troubled, frustrated, pounding his cane on the sidewalk and yelling at the top of his lungs at no one in particular. He had no power to fix his mental illness, change his current state of homelessness, or even reach out to anyone for help. To those like me passing by, he appeared dangerous, and no one came to his aid.
His state took me back just a few weeks ago. I arrived home and dinner was ready on the stove. I received a call from a news reporter that a grandmother and grandson were living in a tent in Burbank and in need of assistance. I went to race out the door, and my wife said, “Eat your dinner!” I said, “I don’t have time, I have to go!” and headed out the door without eating.
I arrived at the library, connected with this sweet grandma, and encouraged the strong young man, who was a football phenom in high school and hoping to get into a local college football program. We waited a bit for the URM van to arrive, and then loaded them up to head to our Project Restart program on the 5th floor of Union Rescue Mission.
I felt encouraged that we were able to help, and headed to my car for the ride home and dinner. I am a diabetic, and I felt my blood sugar go low, and became shaky. I turned off my insulin pump, sat down in my car, recognized that I was too shaky to drive, found some Fritos and ate them, sat for a minute, then realized it wasn’t enough. I was in trouble. I started to have muscle seizures. It took me a bit, but I got out of my car and headed for the front door of the library for help. But I didn’t make it. I collapsed onto the ground in the dark parking lot, skinned up my hands and worse yet, broke my cell phone. I thought, “I am finished.” I somehow put my phone back together, after a struggle, dialed my wife amidst the convulsions, and spoke in a sporadic broken way to her that I needed help. She somehow figured out that I was at a library in Burbank, but there are 3!
A few people drove by, saw me convulsing, but did not stop. Out of nowhere, a good Samaritan, maybe a guardian angel, came up to me and asked if I needed help. I told him I was a diabetic, and he brought me a Krispy Krème donut. Someone else held me while I struggled and poured orange juice down my throat. They saved my life! I don’t remember the call, but I guess my son called me some time during this struggle, and I told him which library that I was at. A fire truck and ambulance arrived, picked me up, treated me with a jolt of glucose, got my sugar level up to a dangerously low level, and took me to a hospital. My wife met me at the hospital, and boy was I in trouble for missing dinner! I now have a picnic basket in the back seat loaded with enough snacks to feed everyone on Skid Row!
When we encounter people who are alone, helpless and struggling, we can respond one of two ways. The first is to ask “what will happen to me if I get involved?” The second is to ask “what will happen to them if I don’t get involved?”
I am so thankful for people who ask the second question and take the time to reach out and rescue others. Thank you, for being one of those who rescue!
Sometimes the humanity can be lost in the headlines of the recent press releases and the regional media coverage of what’s happening at Hope Gardens. We think it’s important to show you the reality and hear the stories of our guests in their own words. For the next several days we’ll be sharing their stories.
Serwa, who you met in yesterday’s Faces of Hope Gardens video, is one of our Hope Gardens graduates. Take a moment to watch this video to witness the joy she experienced when she was finally able to move out into her own apartment. Today, Serwa is graduating from Mission College and preparing to start Nursing School!
Would you join us in keeping Hope Gardens open? A donation of any amount will help.
Sometimes the humanity can be lost in the headlines of the recent press releases and the regional media coverage of what’s happening at Hope Gardens. We think it’s important to show you the reality and hear the stories of our guests in their own words. For the next several days we’ll be sharing their stories.
Meet Serwa, a single mom, and her son Elijah. Here she shares the joy that Hope Gardens and URM were able to bring to her and her son last Christmas. Check back soon for Part 2 of her story!
Would you join us in keeping Hope Gardens open? A donation of any amount will help.
As of June 4th, we have raised an amazing $773,390 towards our $2.8 million goal to keep Hope Gardens open! We are so grateful for your support to keep women and children from returning to Skid Row.
Here is a video of just one of the many women who find refuge at Hope Gardens. Please take a moment to watch this video and consider donating today. Remember, we still need to raise a little over $2 million by June 30th to prevent Hope Gardens from closing. No gift is too large or too small.
Last week, the Steve Clarkson Dreammaker Foundation hosted a “Celebrity Golf Classic” with proceeds benefitting URM! We are so grateful for Steve Clarkson and his foundation for hosting the event, free of charge to us. It is so encouraging to see people coming together to help Union Rescue Mission and those experiencing homelessness in LA.
The Steve Clarkson Dreammaker Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of programs and initiatives that empower youth to achieve their dreams as well as other charitable causes. It was established in 2009 by the legendary quarterback coach Steve Clarkson.
The golf classic took place at the Montecito Country Club in Santa Barbara, CA. A few of the celebrity participants included Joe Montana, Warren Moon, Matt Leinart and other NFL stars. The event started with a breakfast and auction, followed by the actual Golf Classic. At the end of the day, there was a celebrity gala, auction and awards party.
Thank you to all who attended and supported the tournament, and to the Dreammaker Foundation for making it possible!
Sometimes the humanity can be lost in the headlines of the recent press releases and the regional media coverage of what’s happening at Hope Gardens. We think it’s important to show you the reality and hear the stories of our guests in their own words. For the next several days we’ll be sharing their stories.
Meet Bobby, a third-grader heading to camp. He was looking forwarding to swimming and just having fun! Each year, many kids from Hope Gardens Family Center have an opportunity to attend Summer Camp, something that many of them have never experienced. It’s a great chance for them to see things they’ve never seen or done before, especially growing up on the streets of Skid Row.
Would you join us in keeping Hope Gardens open? A donation of any amount will help.
We have experienced both celebration and disappointment at URM this past month. Although we have many things to be thankful for, we are also facing the worst financial shortfall I’ve seen in decades. As you may have heard already, unless we raise $2.8 million by June 30th, we will have to close Hope Gardens Family Center.
Please take a moment to watch my quick update and please consider doing at least one of the following:
1) Donate online
2) Text “URM” at 85944 to donate $10 via your cell phone—reply “yes” when prompted
3) Become our fan on Facebook—we will receive $1 for every new fan, up to $25,000
4) Share this message on Facebook, Twitter, and in blogs
We need your help now more than ever.
Blessings,
Andy Bales, CEO
A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Standard messaging rates and additional fees may apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 85944.
Sometimes the humanity can be lost in the headlines of the recent press releases and the regional media coverage of what’s happening at Hope Gardens. We think it’s important to show you the reality and hear the stories of our guests in their own words. For the next several days we’ll be sharing their stories.
Meet Shannon, a mom raising her two kids on her own. She’s thankful for Hope Gardens because it allowed her to meet some great friends – something she’d never had before. She’s also excited to learn – she plans on completing her GED while getting her life, and her family, back together.
Would you join us in keeping Hope Gardens open? A donation of any amount will help.