Growing Up on Kid Row

How your generous support is helping kids at Union Rescue Mission find hope and safety from the nightmare of Skid Row.

Los Angeles’ Skid Row is an apocalyptic wasteland filled with people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol, women selling themselves, broken bodies, and broken minds. Old trash and used needles carpet the sidewalks, and the air is rife with the stench of urine, crack smoke, and unwashed, sweaty skin. Life is cheap on these streets, where assaults, rapes, robberies, and even murders are just part of everyday life.

It’s said that people don’t live on Skid Row, they die on Skid Row. Yet for nearly 100 children living at Union Rescue Mission, it’s home. Most of these kids live in families that simply got hit too hard by the Great Recession, lost jobs and homes, ran out of resources, and had nowhere else to turn. Union Rescue Mission is the only Mission in Los Angeles that helps everyone — single moms with kids, single dads with kids, two-parent families, and families with teenagers.

As a result, since December 2007, the number of children living at Union Rescue Mission has risen a tragic 216%. Last year alone, the Mission rescued 450 families, along with 900 children, from the streets.

“I thank God that we’ve been able to rescue so many precious families and help them get back on their feet,” says Andy Bales, President and CEO of Union Rescue Mission. “But really, no child should have to live here on Skid Row. Experiencing homelessness is hard enough for kids without exposing them to things that could really scar them for life.”

While the children are safe and cared for inside the Mission, they must still ride busses to school and walk to local markets and libraries — and witness things no child should ever have to see. That’s why Union Rescue Mission’s goal is to move every mother and child away from Skid Row and into safe facilities like Hope Gardens Family Center, which offers mothers the long-term help they need to get back on their feet, and offers their children safety, tutoring, a quality education, and the chance to play like kids in an environment free from drugs, violence, and predators.

Because no child deserves to live on Kid Row.

Let’s Save Kids from Skid Row

Imagine being a child who just wants to hang out with friends in the neighborhood, maybe ride a bike down to the corner market for some candy.

Well, this isn’t possible for the kids living at Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row. They need their parents’ protection just to go to the store a block away. That’s the reality for nearly 100 beautiful, smart, talented kids living here at the Mission, where we’re surrounded by violence, drug use, prostitution, and 600 registered sex offenders. When they leave the safety of these walls, they see, smell, and hear things kids should never experience. Some of our kids once witnessed a man getting stabbed to death.

That’s why one of the greatest passions of my life is trying to get every mother and child out of Skid Row and to the safety of someplace like our Hope Gardens Family Center, where there are no predators, violence, or drugs. At Hope Gardens, our children breathe clean air, play like kids, learn at a great school, receive tutoring … and get the peace, safety, and hope they need.

Blessings,

Andy Bales, CEO

We will be hosting our 4th Heroes for Hope Luncheon this Thursday at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels from 12-1pm!  Our theme this year is focused on celebrating people who share their time, talent and treasure. 

We will be celebrating special heroes, including our 2011 Honoree, Brad Bell, writer and producer of the day time drama, The Bold and the Beautiful.  Through the initiative of Mr. Bell, daytime drama television actually came to the downtown streets of Los Angeles to witness firsthand what we see every day.  Real life stories of people experiencing homelessness were used in the program’s storyline to share with the world both the need and the amazing life transformation taking place on Skid Row.

 If you would like to attend the event, please register by going to urm.org/lunchaccept.  Deadline for registration is Tuesday 6/14.  The event will include a complimentary lunch, inspiring stores of life transformation, fellowship and an opportunity to give to the Mission. 

The luncheon is being made possible through the generous sponsorship of:

We honored Porto’s Bakery in Glendale today by presenting them with a plaque in appreciation for their long time support and commitment to helping serve those who are experiencing homelessness.

Rev. Andy Bales said “With the cost of food continuing to rise and donations steadily declining Porto’s donations have been an added life-line to the thousands of meals served daily at the Mission. It is an honor to honor Porto’s Bakery for providing bread and other wonderful treats for our guests”.

URM’s Associate Director of Eimago, Elizabeth Kelly said “It was awesome how much was donated to our Winter Shelters, and our guests truly looked forward to the delicious pastries with their early morning coffee”.

 URM’s head Chef Larry Wheeler said “The donations have helped us immensely and are served daily to our guests, there was one week when we were unable to pickup and the guests were all upset asking what had happened to the delicious pastries…the bread donations have helped us as well and helped our budget greatly, we make almost of all the sandwiches with bread donated by Porto’s.”

 Porto’s bakery located at 315 North Brand Boulevard in Glendale California has been faithfully donating between 250-400 boxes of pastries on a monthly basis since 2008, and just this year the Glendale store has graciously stepped up. Monthly donations have more than doubled, to over 800 boxes of pastries a month.

 A background history from their website tells the story of this families humble beginnings http://www.portosbakery.com/content/porto%E2%80%99s-bakery-cafe

Union Rescue Mission’s Vice President of Marketing and Development, Jacqui Groseth, has been nominated for L.A. Business Journal’s “Women Making A Difference” Award.

At the end of April 2010 with only two months left in the fiscal year, the gap between URM’s budget and income was over 5 million dollars. After exploring every conceivable option to survive and keep URM’s core programs and services intact, the mission’s board and senior leadership made a painful decision to close Hope Gardens Family Center, an oasis for single moms with children and senior ladies experiencing homelessness, unless 2.8 million dollars could be raised by June 30, 2010.

Jacqui played a vital role in developing and executing the “Save Hope Gardens Campaign” which launched on May 24th. Utilizing 7 different core communication channels/categories with multiple electronic and social media sub-channels the campaign generated $3.8 million dollars in donations and did in fact save Hope Gardens. “It was nothing short of a miracle” says Liz Mooradian, historian and special assistant to URM’s CEO.

Jacqui has been helping rescue missions and other non-profit organizations gain brand awareness and raise money for over 15 years. In August of 2008 she joined the staff of Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles as the Associate Development Director- a move that brought her full circle on a journey she began 32 years ago as a high school student volunteering her time each month to help people experiencing homelessness on Skid Row right here in the City of Angels. In January of 2011, Jacqui was promoted to the position of Vice President of Marketing and Development. She provides leadership for Union Rescue Mission’s Volunteer, Gift-in-Kind, Communications, Gift Processing, Donor Relations and Direct Marketing departments. Her primary responsibility is to ensure that the Mission’s fundraising and communication messaging adheres to URM’s brand guide, mission statement and established marketing and fundraising goals.

Because of Jacqui’s extensive marketing and communication skills she is regularly asked to share her expertise via speaking engagements and training seminars. Her career accomplishments include several industry awards including Echo, Telly and the USPS Gold Mailbox Award. Earlier this year she earned the “Paul Harris Fellow” award for her support of Rotary International. Jacqui has served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles including: San Marino Library Foundation Committee Member, Young Life Foothills Committee Member and San Gabriel Christian School Board Moderator. She and husband Jeff are active in their community and are the proud parents of daughter, Samantha who recently graduated Magna Cum Lade from Northeastern University.

The Los Angeles Business Journal said it is “Proud to honor women of outstanding achievement in our business community”.  The 19^th Annual Award Luncheon and Ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Century City Plaza and will recognize L.A.’s most successful women business leaders.