The Latest

This year’s Union Rescue Mission Golf Classic was held on May 9th at Trump National Golf Course, sponsored by the generosity of Toyota Motors Sales. The Trump National Golf Course is hidden away in the California cliffs taking advantage of one of the  most incredible views of the Pacific Ocean from every hole. Noted as the most expensive golf course ever built, participants in the Golf Classic truly enjoyed a luxurious day.

In teams of four, participants took to the 18 holes of the course, some of which had contest games and prizes for the golfers. Following the golfing, a Silent Auction, Live Auction, Dinner and program awaited both golfers and guests. The whole day was a testament to the generous hearts of many doing their part to help URM aid in making a lasting difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.

Good Friday morning brought our younger children and mothers of Hope Gardens Family Center out to have fun with an Easter Egg Hunt.

The children were given personalized Easter Baskets, which were generously handcrafted and donated.

Each child opened their basket, full of toys and candy, and then rushed to the lawn to hunt for the hidden eggs filled with prizes.

The Easter festivities will continue throughout the day as another Easter Egg hunt for the older children at Hope Gardens will be held. Thank you to all those who were a part of blessing for these children and mothers. It warms our hearts to see so many smiles on the faces of our families at Hope Gardens this Easter Weekend.

On Saturday, Union Rescue Mission hosted an Easter Outreach event for the local Skid Row Community. We had live musical performances while guests were able to “shop” for items they needed. Everyone receive tickets that they could redeem for items/services of their choice, such as clothing, shoes, snacks, hygiene items, Bibles and even a foot washing and medical check.

In the past, we have gone out into the community to deliver hygiene boxes. This year we wanted to try something new that would accomplish the same purpose of blessing our community during Easter, but would also allow people to customize the items that they needed and could use, not just a generic box of hygiene items.

The event was a success thanks to many volunteers from Faith Community Church, Rights of Passage group from Faithful Central Bible Church, UCLA students with our foot washing stations, Reality LA Church, A Village Community Church, and Church of God and Christ.

Last year the URM Men’s Basketball team won the Skid Row Basketball Championships. They are now facing a new year, as defending champions, and competing against seven other teams in the league.

Every Thursday night, the league’s games take place in the URM gymnasium.

Thursday, April 16th the gym filled with an audience as URM took on Project 180 in one of the closest games played this year. The two teams were neck and neck all night, as Project 180 rarely let URM keep much of a lead on them.

With 15 seconds at the end of the second half, URM was down 55-57. Unable to make another shot, the game ended with Project 180 as the winner.

Player David Jackson was the URM high scorer for the game, with fifteen rebounds and scoring eighteen points for the team.

Although our men played hard, the loss was still disappointing to the team. However, our URM players are looking forward to playing next week and continue working to repeat their championship title again this season.

Coach Carl Williams calls a time out late in the second half to encourage the team to fight till the end.

Many of the valuable life lessons needed to survive in the world are learned outside of a traditional classroom. There are key components in addition to school such as developing dreams and goals, becoming well-rounded individuals, and learning from all different walks of life and professions that can make a person more successful. This is exactly what Christopher Kai had in mind when he began his weekly “Life Skills” class for teens at URM in September 2010.

Each Monday night, Chris brings in guest speakers in addition to teaching his own classes – they have ranged from an entrepreneur, a singer, a child psychologist, a security expert, a graphic designer, a special ED teacher, a college admissions counselor, an NFL football player, a fashion designer, an LA Times writer and more. 

He aims to actively engage the small group in learning, whether it is having them pretend to be blind or stand up straight when they are practicing public speaking.  

The goal is that by the end of the class, students have learned something about the schooling, career choice, and overall perspective on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of each speaker. He volunteers to hold this class for an hour each week in the hopes that students going through a hard time with struggles now will realize that those struggles can be used in a positive way for their future successes.

Christopher Kai is an author of a self-published college-success guide as well as a speaker and professional songwriter.

Life Transformation is one of the main ideas we focus on here at URM, from men’s programs, to women’s programs, and families. This week, we were honored to celebrate the graduation of 5 women from our 2nd Step Women’s Program.

We were blessed with awesome music thanks to Francisco “Chico” diaz, our special guest singer. And Ms. Carol Picott delivered an encourageing message to our graduatin ladies about what it looks like to be a vessel of Honor for the Lord. At the end, we got to see our graduating ladies dance their way into the next season of their lives.

Congratulations to these 5 new graduates – they have worked hard and we wish them the best as they continue their journeys. Thanks to everyone who made this graduation possible!

This morning, volunteers from Calvary Church – Pacific Palisades came to URM to host a kids carnival!

Pre-K and Elementary kids enjoyed jumpers, facepainting, games and more in the Chapel area, while Jr. High and High School kids had their own games and fun up in the gym!

Thanks so much to everyone who made this event happen. It was a fun morning for everyone, and it brightened the weekend for all the kids here at URM!

This Wednesday, Officer Deon Joseph of the LAPD came to the URM teen room to hold a monthly class to help inform teens about issues affecting their lives. Officer Deon is stationed in the Skid Row area, and has made a great connection in the community. He enjoys giving back, helping the people of Skid Row, and educating youth.

This months topic was racial slurs – Officer Joseph gave a lively lesson on the history of some of the more common racial slurs and how, even when said in casual or seemingly innocent ways, they can have a really negative effect. The kids got into the lesson, asking questions and having some debates.

We are so thankful for Officer Joseph’s presence in our community, and for coming down to help make a positive impact on kids!