Menu
  • Ways to Give
      • Give Monthly
      • Give Now
    • Donate Crypto
    • Other Ways to Give
    • Gifts in Kind
    • Stock or Property
    • Make a gift in your Will
    • Make a planned gift from retirement or appreciated assets
    • Employer Matching Gifts
    • Thrift Store
  • End Homelessness
    • Problems + Solutions
    • You Are The Mission
    • Stories from Skid Row
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Events
    • More Ways to Get Involved
    • Involve Your Church
    • Distribute Outreach Kits
    • Thrift Store
  • How We Help
    • Levels of Service
    • Emergency Services
    • Gateway Project
    • Life-Transformation Ministry
    • Hope Gardens
    • Angeles House
    • Clinics
    • Learning Center
    • If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, we can help. To learn more about our emergency and recovery services, please call us at (213) 347-6300.
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Statement of Faith
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Friends and Partners
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Financial Information
    • Contact
    • Donor Relations
    • Staff Directory
    • Driving Directions
    • Careers
    • The Latest
    • Newsletters
    • In The News
    • Stories From Skid Row
    • Press Releases
    • FM Radio Show/ Podcast
    • Follow Us
Top Home Give Today

In This Newsletter

  • Surrounded by Love…Thanks to YOU!
  • Changing Kids’ Lives Today—and For Years to Come
  • Facts About the Children You’re Helping
  • Show Your Compassion…Give 1 Special Gift
  • Notes from Andy
The Mission — January 2020 -- COPY

SURROUNDED BY LOVE...THANKS TO YOU!

Marianna is a precious, beautiful child. At 10 years of age, she is full of energy and oozes confidence, and her smile lights up a room. She is not the same child who came to Hope Gardens last spring. The trauma she once experienced is unimaginable.

BECAUSE YOU CARE, CHILDREN HAVE HOPE AND A BRIGHT FUTURE — THANK YOU!

When Marianna’s mother faced some serious challenges in her life, Marianna spent two years in foster care, where she endured horrific abuse.

“It was very hard,” she says. “It was really bad.” That’s all she will say about it.

“Then my foster mom didn’t want me no more. She said I wasn’t a good person and wanted me to get out of her house. So mom got me back, and I was set free.”

THRIVING ONE ON ONE

When Marianna and her mom first came to Hope Gardens last spring, Marianna was frightened and traumatized. “She was very quiet and fearful,” says Diane, the volunteer head of Level Up, Hope Gardens’ after-school tutoring program. “She was overwhelmed and behind educationally, especially in math.”

Level Up pairs volunteer tutors with individual students to help them with their homework, to build their self-confidence, and to get them back up to their academic grade level.

“Marianna and I really seemed to connect,” Diane says. “She knows I’m only here to help and encourage her. It’s all positive. We worked really hard on her math, and she has progressed so much. She’s already up to grade level, and she’s doing well at school! She’s come so far. I’m a little surprised actually. Over the past several months, since I started working with her, I’ve watched her self-esteem and confidence grow. I didn’t realize that I was having that kind of impact on her. She’s such a sweetheart.”

“THE BEST THING I EVER HAD”

“Before I came to Level Up, I never did my homework,” Marianna says. “Now my grades are getting better. What I like best about Level Up, though, is Ms. Diane. She’s so nice and helpful.

“I really like Hope Gardens, too,” Marianna adds. “I love the trees and the plants, and I have so many friends—and I get to be with my mom. That’s the best thing I ever had. I feel really loved here.”

The Mission — February 2020

With your help, kids at URM feel safe and loved.

HELP TODAY

Your gift will make a difference for more individuals and children like Marianna. Please help today.

The Mission — February 2020 1

CHANGING KIDS’ LIVES TODAY — AND FOR YEARS TO COME

by Diane Schultz

At Hope Gardens, we have about 32 kids participating in our Level Up afterschool program. Many of these children, having experienced homelessness or coming from foster care, have been traumatized in some way. They have fallen behind in school because they haven’t been able to attend regularly. When they are unable to do well at school, this can add to their trauma and low self-esteem.

At Level Up, we focus on helping children learn the basics—mental math, basic arithmetic, reading, and writing. The goal is to help each one of them get up to grade level. We want them to understand what success in school feels like, which increases their chances for success later in life.

I really believe that we’re not just helping these kids academically, but we’re impacting every part of their lives, now and in the future. The confidence and skills they gain here will impact how they feel about themselves now and will influence what they do for years to come.

“I like Level Up because I get to do my homework here with my friends, and there’s so much to do. My favorite subject is math. I always do my math homework first. Reading is my hardest subject, because there’s really hard words I don’t understand. But I’m learning to read better in Level Up. I never want to leave Level Up!”
—Aryanna, 8

This Valentine’s Day, Your Love Could Save a Child’s Life

HELP TODAY

Help change lives today and for years to come! Give today to provide hope and help.

Thanks to your support, children at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens feel cherished, loved, and cared for—and they’re getting help to overcome their challenges and succeed for a lifetime!

Facts About the Children You’re Helping

280

Children under 18 who currently live at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens.

At School

Most children at both locations attend school. Most don’t want their peers to know they live in a shelter.

Family Facts

Most children live with just one parent, though Union Rescue Mission also accepts intact families. Union Rescue Mission is the only mission in Los Angeles that accepts single moms with kids, single dads with kids, intact families, and families with teenage boys.

Trauma

Many children have experienced terrible abuse, hunger, and fear.

HELP TODAY

So many families are struggling and need your help. Please give to provide meals, shelter, and lifesaving care to those most in need.

PLANNED GIVING

Fine-Tune Your 2020 Philanthropic Vision

Want to see lower taxes and increased income? We have ideas you may not have considered that will help you maximize your tax deductions, like deciding what to do with the standard deduction.

Are you already making annual gifts to help us in our work? Consider adding a planned gift to your current gifts this year. You will increase the impact of your giving, provide greater tax savings, preserve wealth for you and your family, and help continue our work in the future.

For more information, please contact:

Rosie Perez, rperez@urm.org
213-673-4593

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hear Greg Laurie at the 2020 Mayor’s Breakfast

Join Greg Laurie and special guests on February 22, 2020, at 8:00 am for the 47th Annual Los Angeles Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. Get tickets at lamayorsprayerbreakfast.com.

You’re Invited to the Angels of Hope 2020 Gala

Enjoy a night of laughter and joy at a benefit for URM’s Hope Gardens Family Center, 5:30 pm on March 14, 2020, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. RSVP at urm.org/gala.

Stories from Skid Row

Jazzmine, a teenager, ended up homeless with her mom. Then she came to Hope Gardens. Watch how your support helped turn her “nightmare into a dream” at urm.org/stories.

WATCH MORE STORIES

SHOW YOUR COMPASSION...GIVE 1 SPECIAL GIFT

The Mission — February 2020 2

The number of children and families devastated by homelessness in Los Angeles is an unimaginable tragedy.

Many of these children will bear the emotional scars of their trauma for the rest of their lives.

But there’s hope. Union Rescue Mission is the only mission in Los Angeles that accepts single mothers and fathers with children, intact families, even families with teenagers. We will never turn away a woman or child who needs our help.

Here are examples of how your gift today can bless one of these precious children. Your gift of any amount will help children, and families and adults too.

Here are examples of how your gift today can bless one of these precious children. Your gift of any amount will help children, and families and adults too.

$42

I can provide 1 night of safe shelter for a child or individual

$62

I can provide 1 day of job readiness and work therapy for a mom or dad

$101.60

I can provide 40 meals and transformation for hungry people

$80

I can help 1 child participate in a special activity or field trip

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, please help shower a child at Union Rescue Mission or Hope Gardens with God’s life-changing love. You’ll bless entire families and adults too!

Please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!

For more information or to put your gift to work even faster, go to urm.org/2020-february-newsletter

HELP TODAY

1 special gift is all it takes! Will you give your best gift possible to help as much as you can today?

NOTES FROM ANDY

EDUCATION IS THE KEY

Los Angeles is currently experiencing the worst man-made disaster in the United States. There are 58,000 people devastated by homelessness in this city—and the fastest-growing demographic is women and kids. Right now, nearly 300 precious kids reside at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens.

It’s heartbreaking. Homelessness harms kids in every way. They’re more likely to get sick. Their self-esteem suffers. They will carry the emotional scars the rest of their lives. And many times, they are at least two years behind the other kids in school.

Education is the key to help lift kids out of poverty and homelessness. Fortunately, there are people like Diane, who directs our Level Up tutoring program for children at Hope Gardens. Diane loves these children and is passionate about transforming their lives—not only academically, but also emotionally. She’s making a profound difference.

We can only make that kind of difference in kids’ lives because people like you also care. In fact, you make it all possible. Last year, your support helped nearly 1,000 children escape homelessness. Even more, your support continues to give kids the chance to become something special.

Thank you and God bless you!

The Mission – May 2017 5

Blessings, Andy

To read Andy’s blog, please visit revandysblog.com.

  • End Homelessness
  • Donate
  • Volunteer

Join Our Community


Sign up below to receive heartwarming stories, updates, and more delivered to your inbox.


Union Rescue Mission

We embrace people with the compassion of Christ.

86%
Union Rescue Mission is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Tax Identification Number: 95-1709293.
86% of all gifts are put back into life-changing programs. Donor Privacy Policy
Make a Gift
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Press Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2025 Union Rescue Mission
  • Give Today
  •  Home
  •  Ways to Give
    • Give Online
    • Gifts in Kind
    • Gift Catalog
    • Stock or Property
    • Planned Giving
    • Employer Matching Gifts
    • Thrift Store
  •  End Homelessness
    • Problems + Solutions
    • You Are The Mission
    • Stories from Skid Row
  •  Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Fundraise for URM
    • Involve Your Church
    • Distribute Outreach Kits
    • Union Rescue Mission Store
    • Thrift Store
    • Events
  •  How We Help
    • Levels of Service
    • Emergency Services
    • Gateway Project
    • Life-Transformation
    • Hope Gardens
    • Angeles House
    • Clinics
    • Learning Center
  •  About
    • Statement of Faith
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Friends and Partners
    • FAQs
    • Financial Information
    • Press Contact
    • Careers
  •  Contact
    • Donor Relations
    • Driving Directions
    • Staff Directory
  •  News
    • The Latest
    • In The News
    • Rev Andy’s Blog
    • Monthly Video Update
    • The Mission
    • Media & Press
    • Podcast
  • Statement of Faith

How often would you like to make this gift?