Zach Bonner – Party For the Youth

Last night, November 17, 2011, was a fun-filled night with everything from popcorn and cake to a bounce house and back-flips.  Zach Bonner of The Little Red Wagon foundation chose to celebrate his 14th birthday with the youth of URM, making for an unforgettable night on the URM rooftop.

A huge thank you goes out to all those who made this event possible.  Fund a Field, Kohl’s Cares, and America’s Got Talent’s Sideswipe were all part of making this night so special for the attending youth. Children were given the opportunity to customize a teddy bear, play soccer, enjoy arts and crafts, and be amazed Sideswipe’s act – a mix of martial arts and acrobatics.

This event was a huge success thanks to all those who gave of their time and energy to bless the youth of Union Rescue Mission.  Happy Birthday Zach, thanks for celebrating with us!

For all the great pictures please visit The Album Here

For live up-dates of future events please follow URM at:

Twitter.com/URM or facebook.com/unionrescuemissionla

Thanksgiving

At this time last year I did not believe I would be blogging about Thanksgiving in 2011.  On November 20th after a busy night of deep-frying 200 turkeys from 11p.m. until dawn at Union Rescue Mission in preparation for our big Thanksgiving event, my kidneys failed and for a few weeks I wasn’t sure I would make it.  I certainly believed I would have to retire and go on disability, as I signed up and began the necessary testing process to determine if kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant were options I could consider.  My world was turned upside down.

However, with some encouraging words by Dr. Nirmal Kumar that I needed to “work until I dropped”, strong support from my wife and the Board of Directors & team at URM, tripling of my medication, drinking two glasses of water with a tea spoon of baking soda each day, and going on a strict low phosphorous and low potassium diet, mostly made up of vegetables, fruits and water, along with several rounds of shots of Procrit to boost my red blood cells and rid me of dizziness I was experiencing, my kidney function has improved from 15% to 24%, moving me far away from dialysis for the time being.

I’ve not only improved remarkably in kidney function, but I’ve lost 34 lbs, my red blood cell count has improved  and my cholesterol is so good that hopefully the  blockage in my heart and arteries is being reduced!  I’ve tightened the control of my type 1 diabetes to the point that my tests almost ring true of a normal healthy person!

This strict regimen is the only way for me, as I’ve been dropped off the transplant list.  It seems that I cannot get a transplant until I have an angioplasty to remove a blockage in my heart, and the dye put into my body for the angioplasty would destroy the rest of my kidney function. So I am stuck in a bit of a quandary, but I’ve decided to stay on the strict diet and regimen, and keep doing this work that I love so much.

I haven’t had a diet soda, chocolate, cheese, dairy of any kind, chips, potatoes, and my favorite sweet potatoes or baked beans in nearly 1 year, but it is easy to follow a diet when it keeps you alive and doing the work that you love!

I lost a dear friend this week, a hero of mine, who fell ill at the same time that I did last year.  I don’t fully understand God’s grace to me through this difficult time, but I am so thankful.  My wife shared with me last week, “that we have so much to be thankful for!”

So, again this year I will be up with the URM team, strong, and deep-frying 200 turkeys overnight on Friday and early Saturday morning, preparing to feed 4500 precious friends at our big Thanksgiving event at URM.  And to top it off, I’m feeling well enough to spend the night on the streets with my precious friends tonight to raise awareness of the plight of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. The honor of serving in this ministry and spending time with my family and friends has driven me to do what it takes to survive, and I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Thanks, again, for your faithful prayers!

URM Lunch Honors Veterans

Honoring the veterans of America’s Armed Forces today, Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission, greeted many former veterans prior to a special lunch prepared and served by the Daily Grill Restaurant in the URM cafeteria in their honor.

With an enormous American flag draped across the wall, Andy extolled the virtue of honor and sacrifice, saying “…today more than ever we need to recognize those brothers and sisters who risk their lives in the service of our country, so today we honor them”. Volunteer Manager, Alex Cornejo, then asked each veteran to identify themselves and where they had served.  It was a touching time for those listening as well as those sharing how they had served their country.

A delicious meal of Daily Grill’s famous meatloaf, red-skinned mashed potatoes, green salad, and mixed vegetables and, for dessert, peach cobbler was then served the vets in appreciation of their sacrifice and service to this country.

For more pictures of this event please Visit the Album Here.

Andy’s End of Month Update: November 2010

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we wanted to fill you in on what’s been happening at Union Rescue Mission so far this holiday season. Not only have we been busy feeding more people than ever and hosting our annual Thanksgiving Celebration, but we’ve also been celebrating many other achievements and honors this month!

Please take a moment to watch this video and catch up on the latest. As always, thank you so much for your support. We couldn’t do what we do without you!

Project Restart Kicks Off With Open House

Union Rescue Mission and its affiliate Eimago, Inc. unite in a

historic partnership between the City and the County of Los Angeles

 

Through a new grant program administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Eimago has transformed a triplex and duplex generously donated by the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.  The project is designed to provide emergency housing for nine families that are experiencing homelessness.  Operations are being funded by the County of Los Angeles for the sole purpose of getting vulnerable families off of the dangerous streets of Skid Row and into a safe family environment.

 

Come celebrate the launch of Project Restart with an Open House and tour. The Project Restart Emergency Housing Program provides an environment that promotes healing for families experiencing homelessness.

 

Project Restart Open House and Barbeque

Thursday, May 13th 2010

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

2528 Orange Drive, Los Angeles 90016

Families in this unique program are placed in safe housing away from the precarious streets of Skid Row where support staff will assist them in getting back on their feet. The mission is to provide a wide range of supportive case management, housing advocacy, employment assistance, children’s tutoring and after-school programs, along with other needed services, to remove the obstacles for these vulnerable families so they can rapidly return to permanent independent housing. Partnerships with a variety of other service providers both on-site and in the community make a way for educational support, financial management, medical, dental, legal, life skills training and mental health support.

 

From Andy Bales, CEO of Eimago and the Union Rescue Mission, “This program is a historic partnership between the City and the County.  We need more often to see these two bodies come together in one accord to tackle a problem like homelessness.  This is a complex issue and it takes a village.  We need more opportunities where community based organizations, faith-based organizations and all facets of local government come together with a common purpose to say ‘together we are stronger and we can solve homelessness, one family at a time’.”

 

Union Rescue Mission

Since 1891 The Union Rescue Mission (URM) has been providing a variety of services to those who find themselves homeless and impoverished in Los Angeles.  URM’s subsistence services are delivered free of charge to those in need and without any requirements – providing emergency programs that offer food, showers, hygiene items, mail services and shelter.  For those seeking a program of reintegration, URM provides recovery programs for men, women and children using education, job training, counseling, legal assistance, twelve-step programs, transitional housing, medical care, dental services, healthy meals, safe shelter and clean clothing. In June 2007, Hope Gardens Family Center opened in Sylmar – an innovative solution for families transitioning from homelessness. 

Eimago, Inc.

Eimago is a public benefit corporation and a strategic partner with the Union Rescue Mission building on its 118 years of service to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. Eimago works with public sector agencies and funding to extend the continuum of care for the clients at URM and similar agencies serving those who find themselves homeless.

 

Leveraging provides additional programs that offer sustainability and longer-term care beyond emergency shelter for targeted populations, such as those who find themselves homeless, the addicted, those released from incarceration, veterans, the elderly and low income families.

Daily Grill Honors Mothers with Luncheon

Yesterday, the mothers from Hope Gardens and URM came together to enjoy a beautiful luncheon courtesy of the Daily Grill! Nearly 80 moms were able to enjoy a delicious meal, relax kids-free, and listen to a special performance by renowned gospel singer Janie Jackson.

IMG_1060 

After the luncheon, all the women were treated to gift bags containing awesome bath and body products thanks to Maly’s Beauty Supply!

Mother's Day Luncheon 2 

Thanks to Daily Grill, Maly’s, and all of our volunteers for making this special event possible!

You can check out more pictures from event on our Flickr Slideshow:

 

HerbaLife Shaking It Up At Union Rescue Mission

Join Union Recue Mission CEO Andy Bales and Herbalife Chairman and CEO Michael O. Johnson today Monday, May 3, 2010 as they announce a partnership to serve healthy protein shakes at breakfast weekday mornings all year to Union Rescue Mission guests in the Skid Row community that depend on the Mission for good nutritious meals.  

On average (URM) serves 3,500 meals a day.  Herbalife will donate its Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix to the Mission so residents can start their day with a nutritious drink along with their breakfast.

Union Rescue Mission’s CEO Andy Bales said “A big thanks to Herbalife for empowering our precious guests with a delicious and nutritious shake!”

Who: Union Rescue Mission & Herbalife will launch & serve Herbalife Shakes with celebrity Chef G. Garvin, Actress Vanessa Bell Calloway & Actress Kiki Sheppard.

When: Monday May 3, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Sharp

Where: Union Rescue Mission 545 South San Pedro Street (btw 5th & 6th on San Pedro)

Why: Union Rescue Mission and Herbalife coming together to provide healthier eating to people experiencing homelessness.

About Union Rescue Mission

Union Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving people experiencing homeless. Established in 1891, URM is one of the largest rescue missions of its kind in the United States and is the oldest in Los Angeles.  It provides a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services, including food, shelter, clothing; medical and dental care; Christian recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling and job training to needy men, women, children and families. For more information, please visit our website urm.org

About Herbalife Ltd.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is a global network marketing company that sells weight-management, nutrition, and personal care products intended to support a healthy lifestyle.  Herbalife products are sold in 72 countries through a network of approximately two million independent distributors.  The company supports the Herbalife Family Foundation and its Casa Herbalife program to help bring good nutrition to children.  Herbalife’s website contains a significant amount of information about Herbalife, including financial and other information for investors at http://ir.herbalife.com  The Company encourages investors to visit it Web site from time to time, as information is updated and new information is posted.

Standout Volunteers Honored for National Volunteer Week

It takes a lot of work to do what we do here at URM, and we couldn’t do it all without the help of our many volunteers!  In celebration of National Volunteer Week, we honored some of our standout volunteers!  A total of 10 volunteers made it down to our Tuesday morning chapel for a special recognition in front of our staff and guests.

Volunteer Recognition 10 

Without the help of these and other faithful individuals and organizations, we would not be where we are today!

Volunteer Recognition 7 

Thanks to everyone who gives of their time to make an impact here on Skid Row – you are appreciated!

2010 Volunteer Appreciation Attendees:

Ahman Banes & Shawn Gendall representing Calvary Church – Pacific Palisades

Keiko Ichikawa, representing The Bridge

Kathy Morrison

Pamela Bernard

Dale Gibson

Cruz Martinez

Sean Brazil, VP of the URM Club at San Marino High School

Bel Air Presbyterian

Merrill Lynch/Bank of America