Union Rescue Mission Announces the Hearts for Hope Gala's Special Guest and Official Sponsors

Union Rescue Mission (URM) and the Hearts for Hope Committee announce this year's special guests and official sponsors for the 6th annual Hearts for Hope Gala "A Future of Hope".

Union Rescue Mission (URM) and the Hearts for Hope Committee are honored to announce this year’s special guests and official sponsors for the 6th annual Hearts for Hope Gala “A Future of Hope”. Bringing in over $400,000 last year, URM expects this to be the most successful gala ever! The official sponsors for 2015 are Guggenheim Partners, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Jenner & Block, Bradley & Colleen Bell, The Scott & Obaida Watt Family, Kevin & Silvia Dretzka, Steve & Lisa Hilton & The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies LLC, Sitrick and Company, McGuire Woods, LLP, and Citigroup just to name a few.

"We've been in awe this year as dear friends of URM's Hope Gardens Family Center have networked & joined together in a big way to sponsor & make a huge impact on this exciting event! We can't thank you enough!!!"  -Rev. Andy Bales, CEO.

"We've been in awe this year as dear friends of URM's Hope Gardens Family Center have networked & joined together in a big way to sponsor & make a huge impact on this exciting event! We can't thank you enough!!!"

Rev. Andy Bales, CEO

On any given night in Los Angeles County, over 25,000 women and children are sleeping on the street or in places unsuitable for humans to live in. Women and children now make up 40% of all people experiencing homelessness. URM sought to remedy this by establishing Hope Gardens Family Center (HGFC) in 2006. All funds raised by the Hearts for Hope Gala will go towards providing a future of hope for the women and children living year round in this sanctuary in the foothills of Los Angeles.

This year’s gala will be filled with loyal donors, corporate sponsors, industry influencers, and celebrity appearances, all joined together in fellowship under one roof, in support of one mission. The 2015 Hearts for Hope Gala will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village on Feb. 28th from 5:30 to 10 PM. Hosted by Ryan O’Quinn (actor, comedian, and author of “Parenting Rules! The Hilarious Handbook For Surviving Parenthood”) and Special Guest host Scott Minerd (Guggenheim Partners’ Chairman of Investments and Global Chief Investment Officer and friend of URM), along with a live musical performance by Ray Sidney and Firm Soundation, plus Joy Enriquez debuting her new single “Shelter”.

Every year, URM and the Hearts for Hope Committee select influential honorees for giving of their time, talent, and treasure to URM and HGFC. Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Dretzka (Private Equity Investor and Union Rescue Mission’s Board Member), Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Sloan (Senior Executive Vice President-Wells Fargo), and Charles W. Smith, Melinda Hoag Smith and the Hoag Family Foundation (Hoag Family Foundation) are this year’s honorees who helped make the opening of Concord Lodge possible. This was a monumental addition to the center because it allowed 16 more families to have a place to call home and a central place for families to congregate outside of their personal rooms. Alan Melina, the CEO/Founder-New Heights Entertainment, will also be honored for his dedicated support over the last two decades.

About URM:

URM is one of the largest missions of its kind in America — bringing help and hope to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in downtown Los Angeles. URM provides comprehensive emergency and long-term services to our guests to help them escape the dangerous streets of Skid Row and transition from homelessness to independent living. 

About URM's Hope Gardens Family Center:

Nestled in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, HGFC offers a peaceful setting and transitional living to mothers, children, a number of single women and permanent supportive housing to senior women.  In addition to food and shelter, HGFC offers long-term rehabilitation programs, counseling, job and life skills training; the real help women need to escape homelessness forever. 

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