September 2007

Dear Friend,

In taking a look back at the Downtown Women's Center's rich history, we realize years of loving care from our community of supporters has helped us grow to serve 2,000 homeless and formerly homeless women. From volunteers to donors to public advocates, DWC is fortunate to be joined in support of our programs by such loyal individuals and groups. Just as DWC has established a legacy on Skid Row, remaining the only local organization singularly dedicated to serving the unique housing and health care needs of homeless women, you have made your mark on our community with your generosity. Thank you and congratulations!

Spotlight on Participant
Rosa

Rosa and Jill

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(l to r) Rosa with DWC Founding Director Jill Halverson

One year after celebrating her twenty-year anniversary in the DWC Residence, long-time participant Rosa will turn 80 years old on October 5. With a home consisting of two shopping carts filled with necessities in a downtown parking lot, Rosa's ability to overcome day-to-day obstacles she faced while living on the streets demonstrated her remarkable courage and resourcefulness. Her story encouraged DWC Founding Director Jill Halverson to devote her expertise and resources to bettering the lives of homeless women on Skid Row. (It was Rosa's special friendship with Jill that inspired the inception of the Day Center in 1978 and the Residence in 1986.)

Members of the DWC family - including Founding and current Board members, supporters, staff, and Rosa's friends from the Residence - will join Jill for a party thrown in Rosa's honor. If you would like to extend birthday wishes to Rosa, please e-mail your comments to Nui Bezaire, Executive Assistant, at nuib@dwcweb.org to be compiled into a greeting card for her special day.

You're Invited!
Happenings at DWC

Building Supportive Housing - DWC's 10th Annual Gala - is on track to be our most successful event to date! We well on our way to reaching our fundraising goal, and look forward to the opportunity to honor four of our wonderful community partners. Our silent and live auction baskets - featuring tickets to Lakers, Kings, Clippers, Sparks, Avengers, and Dodgers games; a diamond necklace; and a Playstation 3 system - also promise to be very exciting. The dinner and auction will be held Monday, October 1 at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles. Individual tickets are available for purchase at $250 each, and sponsorships start at $3,000. For more information, please scroll down or click here .
Are you interested in receiving updates about volunteer opportunities at DWC during the 2007 Holiday Season? If so, please contact Yetta Young, Volunteer Coordinator, at yettay@dwcweb.org to be added to DWC's volunteer email list to receive celebration details, wish list announcements, and more!

DWC in the News

On August 24, 2007, news of a generous bequest made to DWC was featured in the pages of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The late Shirley Jean Taborsky, a long-time friend of the Center, generously - and rather unexpectedly - left an estate gift totaling nearly $300,000 to the Center, requesting that it be used to support our day-to-day operations assisting homeless women. Mrs. Taborsky, a devoted philanthropist who was actively involved in her community, is survived by her five grown children. DWC is grateful to her and her family for their generous support, and feel honored to have been selected to receive this gift.

To view the article, click here.

How You Can Help
Planned Giving

Help ensure the long-term sustainability of your favorite charitable organization - and leave your legacy - by considering offering support through your estate. When Shirley Jean Taborsky left a charitable bequest to DWC, she helped empower us to continue to offer vital resources to homeless women now and into the future. Thanks, in part, to her generous gift, we can guarantee that 40,000+ meals are served to women in need each year, and that more than 2,000 women continue to receive housing, health care, and education assistance needed to help break the cycle of homelessness. The estate of the late Betty Dietrich - another loyal DWC supporter - and husband Robert Dietrich also recently honored DWC with a $250,000 gift to support our expansion project. This wonderful family has helped enable DWC to extend its services to even more women without a home in Los Angeles for years to come.

For more information on planned giving and other ways to help, click here .

Spotlight on Supporter
Judith

Many of us find that we have limited time and resources, often creating a challenge for us support important causes in our spare time. DWC volunteer Judith, who has a passion for both preserving the environment and ending homelessness, has found a way to contribute to both - simultaneously! Fed up with the overwhelming amount of litter scattered throughout her community, Judith decided to collect recyclables as she came across them and pledged to donate her recycling refund dollars to DWC. She has raised over $500 throughout the past 12 months, and has just entered into a new cycle with an even larger fundraising goal. Thank you, Judith, for inspiring us with your noble efforts and creative approach to philanthropy!

Community Update
Staff Hellos and Goodbyes

Anisa Mendizabal, Planning Director, and Katie Legomsky, Development Associate, have both left DWC to pursue further education at Cornell and Harvard University, respectively. We wish them the best!

Please join us in welcoming new staff: Latasha Chaney, Day Center Manager, Tanja Dinwiddie, Residence Manager, Jenine Guerriere, Educational Services Coordinator, Amber Sheikh, Development Associate, Linda Valverde, Residence Manager, and Yetta Young, Volunteer Coordinator! We are eager to move into the fall season with these talented and enthusiastic new members of the DWC family.

DWC's 10th Annual Gala