“It made me so sad,” he recalls. “I felt helpless and it really affected my life. My grades went down and I isolated myself from people. I didn’t trust anyone and
didn’t want to get close to anyone.”

When Abraham was 11, his mother, Sandy, finally left the home. After staying in a long string of hotels and shelters, in May 2021, they finally turned to Hope Gardens for long-term help. “

It was hard at first,” he admits. “I didn’t want to be here at all. I was nervous and I didn’t open up or talk to anyone. It took a few weeks, but eventually I made a couple of friends.”

The turning point came when he attended a summer camp for the kids at Hope Gardens. “That was the first time I felt happy,” he says. “I made all kinds of new friends, and I started to trust them. Now I consider them my brothers and sisters. That was also the first time I learned about God. They taught me that God is always with me and my mom, no matter what. Then they prayed for me, and I just started crying. Jesus changed my life. When I got back, my mom and I started going to church and we started praying more.

Since coming to Hope Gardens, Abraham has let his emotional walls down and has opened up to staff and other people here. He says he sees big changes in his mom, as well. They both feel safe and happy, and they have a whole new relationship.

“I’m 15 now, and I thank God, because when we needed His help, He brought us to Hope Gardens,” he says. “I’ve learned that sometimes life happens and I can’t change the past. All I can do is give everything to God, keep praying, and keep moving forward. If I could talk to a donor who made this
possible for my mom and me, I’d just say, ‘Thank you and God bless you. Because of you, I found myself, I found God, and I found a future.’”

Help a Child Today and Your Gift Will Have TWICE the impact!

Thousands of children and youth today, all over Los Angeles, are devastated by homelessness, living on the streets, motels, tents, or sleeping on friends’ and relatives’ couches. They need your help today!

Your gift will enable us to keep our promise—that Union Rescue Mission will never turn away a woman or child when they need us—and there’s no better time than right now. Thanks to a generous grant, you have the opportunity to double the impact of your gift through a $1,000,000 Challenge Grant! That means any gift you send will automatically provide twice as much help for hurting men, women, children, and families at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens.

We’re in the final days of this extraordinary opportunity. The June 30 deadline is only days away. So please say YES! by sending a generous gift today and provide TWICE as much help—and in return, receive twice the blessing!