I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Neumann, a member of the Capital Campaign Committee for Hope Gardens, a charitable ministry of Union Rescue Mission. Amy is also a National Account Executive at Yahoo!
Q: Tell me about the original vision and values of Union Rescue Mission’s founder Lyman Stewart.
A: Lyman Stewart was the original founder of Union Rescue Mission, located in Los Angeles’ Skid Row. He also started Union Oil and Biola University. He was an oil wildcatter, and a committed Christian. In 1891, Lyman wanted to rescue people who were at a crossroads in life, spiritually, and help direct them to a new life. Union Rescue Mission has become one of this country’s most recognized and successful charities.
Q: And what is Hope Gardens Family Center?
A: Union Rescue Mission launched Hope Gardens Family Center in 2007 on over 70-acres of land in Sylmar, California. Hope Gardens is a transitional living facility designed for approximately 170 women and children to get away from the perils of Skid Row. Through a comprehensive program, women and families can progress from homelessness toward independent living in 12-36 months. At the end of the program, the goal is for heads of families to have a stable income and be moved into a home of their own, where they will have the opportunity to successfully manage a household.
Q: What community needs are you trying to fulfill?
A: Union Rescue Mission’s goal is to embrace the urban poor with compassion. We are committed to rescuing people from having to live and fend for themselves on the city streets. Hope Gardens Family Center was specifically designed to help women and children. Our overall dream is to play a part as a provider and collaborator to make sure that no human beings are left living on the streets.
Q: What challenges do you face today?
A: With the financial market shake-up, the high price of gasoline, food costs rising—all pose unique fundraising challenges. Union Rescue Mission is trying to grow its operations by 30% in order to meet the high costs of operating everything we oversee—so it’s a struggle.
Our resources are limited, but the need for our services is growing day by day. Sadly, the fastest-growing segment of homelessness in the country is women, children and families.
Many people don’t know the scope and gravity of homelessness in Los Angeles. Various census reports and organizations quote the overall number of homeless people, including women, children, and families, at between 80,000 to 90,000—by far the largest number in the United States. Having moved to Los Angeles from a small city in Ohio with a population of only 28,000 people, I found that it staggering and incomprehensible that their were so many displaced people living in the city of angels. And unfortunately, the current economy is probably going to push these numbers higher.
Q: How is your organization utilizing the Internet to assist your charity?
A: The Internet holds a lot of promise in creating more awareness and generating more donations. It’s the sheer power of numbers– even $1 donated per person adds up quickly and with such a vast reach as the internet has—many charities are seeing effective gains in their fundraising by utilizing the Internet.
We have a solid website that focuses on telling our story, raising funds, and informing the public of our cause. Our 2008 goal for URM.org is to raise $1 million. We have produced a few emotional videos and are using them to tell our story on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and Myspace, among other places. We are working on a new book and a documentary on the launch of Hope Gardens Family Center.
One of the best ways to help raise awareness is to stay in the news by taking on bold new initiatives, which Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission, is wonderful at doing. And anytime writers, marketing professionals or public relations professionals can add a story to their site, blog, newsletter, or email distribution list, it helps. And we love short films posted on YouTube…the more the better!
As a simple thing anyone can do for free to help their favorite charity is to add a signature line at the bottom of their personal email. Something like, Find out how you can help homeless women and kids change their lives! Go to: www.hopegardens.org.
Q: Tell me about your volunteers.
A: Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens have about 18,000 volunteers who put in about 45,000 hours per year, or about 3 hours a visit. I recently spoke to Union Rescue Mission’s Andy Bales, and he suggested some simple ways to help:
“Volunteers can help with special events, tutor in our learning centers, mentor individuals and families, provide special activities to our guests, assist with our Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops, help in our kitchen and serve food to our guests, deliver cold water on the streets during extremely hot days, put together special events in their homes to raise needed resources, and use their talents to help the Mission in a variety of ways.”
Q: What does volunteering mean to you?
A: When I moved here almost 12 years ago, I could not believe how many homeless people there were. Skid Row was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was hard to fathom how there could be so many people in such dire situations, especially since Los Angeles is bless with so many wealthy businesspeople and celebrities. Only in LA will you see a homeless man on the corner and a Ferrari at the stoplight. How tragic.
Then I became involved with Union Rescue Mission—and some of the things I’ve had the honor to be part of have been life-changing. Working with Hope Gardens and getting to know the mothers enrolled in the program gave charity involvement a human face. Most mothers feared for their children. Many were or had been employed with two or more jobs already, when one “final straw” financial burden came up—such as their rent increasing by $100. A large number of these women were victims of domestic violence. They were so happy and excited when we helped them land a new job that paid them enough to make ends meet. Knowing we actually change people’s lives brings tears to my eyes.
Now, when I go up to Hope Gardens, which is located on a large, wooded campus well away from Skid Row, it makes me smile to see how happy and peaceful the kids are, and how relieved their mothers seem to be. Many families have already graduated from the transitional programs and are again living autonomously.
Q: Does Andy Bales have any personal stories of hope he’d like to share?
A: He does! I posed the question to Andy and his response is below:
“We met Irvin on the street during a recent water walk. We handed him a cold bottle of water. He had been on the streets, using crack cocaine for seven years. Irvin was one of those poor souls who had given up on life. He could not even stand up on his own two feet. We called for emergency help for Irvin, as we thought he might be close to dying.
A couple of days later Irvin came into our guest services unit, received help, and made a decision to join our intensive training program for a year. Today Irvin is strong, sober, and has completed our training program. He’s now fully employed as our electrician. He believes like we do, that as long as someone is breathing, there is hope.”
Q: Any parting thoughts?
A: In the past year or so I’ve focused more on working with individuals and companies on ways to help them get more involved with Hope Gardens and Union Rescue Mission. There’s an amazing amount of interest in helping, which is fantastic. And there are so many opportunities to help, from sponsorships, volunteering time, donating goods, teaching classes, and even planning or attending holiday events and playing with the kids.
One of the easiest things anyone can do, though, is just smile and say “Have a good day” next time you see a homeless person. One of the things I’ve heard a lot over the years is that the worst part of being on the street is people ignoring you– acting like you’re not even there. Many people have said a smile was worth more than giving them a handful of change because it makes them feel human again. And everyone can afford to give that.
If you are open to making a tax deductible donation, we’d welcome your kindness. Click on the DONATE NOW button below to get started. Thank you!
Social media, SEO, marketing and writing
What type of website experience causes visitors to come back repeatedly? Great ones! Oh, if creating awesome website were only that easy, we’d all have one. Right?
From what I can gather, building a successful online shopping site for an apparel company may not come easy– as the industry has leapfrogged light years ahead of other category verticals in recent years. Gone are the days when the mere popularity of your brand, the sleekness of your e-commerce platform, the creative animation of your flash graphic design or the quality of your product catalog equates to success. In today’s web world, it’s all about how well you’ve integrated social media and search into the fabric of your online offering.
