You're
Invited! Happenings at DWC
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Hang the DJs - This Saturday, May 19, 8pm to 2am at the
Echo in Echo Park. Enjoy a night of music and dancing at this
annual event, and be sure to visit the Downtown Women's Center's
information table! For details, please contact Director of
Development & Finance, Molly Moen, at
mollym@dwcweb.org.
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The New Arrivals Tour 2007 - May 21, 7-11pm at the Hard
Rock Café in Universal City. This performance, presented by
Mpress Records and Artists Against Hunger & Poverty and
featuring several up-and-coming indie rock artists, will donate
proceeds and canned goods from its Los Angeles tour stop to DWC!
Tickets are $10 per person, and if you bring non-perishable food
items, you will receive VIP treatment! For more information,
please visit their website at
newarrivalscd.com.
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Volunteer Orientation - June 2, 10am-4pm. Learn about
the issues facing homeless women today and how you can contribute
to the greater good! For more information and to RSVP, please
contact Volunteer Department Assistant, Vanessa Luo, at
vanessal@dwcweb.org.
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Thank-A-Thon - July, date TBD. Join us in thanking our
supporters in the first ever DWC phone-a-thon! If you are
interested in participating, please contact Director of
Development & Finance, Molly Moen, at
mollym@dwcweb.org.
For more information on DWC happenings, please visit our
frequently updated online
calendar of events. |
Spotlight on
Participant: Victoria
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Last month, the Los Angeles Times published "She could rock
the house - if she had one," a column by journalist Steve Lopez
inspired by a recent visit to the Downtown Women's Center. Featured
in the piece is long-time program participant Victoria, who
gave Mr. Lopez a tour of our Day Center and entertained him with her
piano rendition of a popular Whitney Houston song.
An active member of many of our programs, Victoria frequently
visits our Learning Center and is always willing to lend a
helping hand where she can - she recently volunteered her time
to assist staff at our Spring Blessings Mailing Party and helped
decorate fantastic cupcakes for volunteers at our annual Open
House in April. Since the time of Mr. Lopez's visit, Victoria
has been working closely with a DWC Case Manager to
secure housing. In honor of her accomplishments and in spite of
the struggles she has yet to overcome, she still nurtures her
musical and other creative talents at the Center, and the DWC
Community continues to be her inspired and enthusiastic
audience.
To view the Steve Lopez article, click
here.
Victoria, middle, with Senior Day Center Manager Faye,
left, and participant Elona, right, reading the L.A.
Times issue in which she is featured.
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10th
Annual Gala Hosted by Actress and Philanthropist Jane Kaczmarek!
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Building
Supportive Housing,
DWC's 10th Annual Gala, will be held on Monday, October 1st from
6-9:30 pm in the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. This
exciting annual event will honor community and business leaders
supporting DWC's programs and permanent supportive housing - Blue
Cross of California, Deloitte, Paul Hastings, and Councilmember Jan
Perry.
Your
participation can help make this event - DWC's largest source of
unrestricted income - a success! Individual tickets are $250, and
table sponsorships range from $3,000 to $50,000. We also need
donations such as event passes, restaurant gift certificates, spa
baskets, and more for the live and silent auctions and raffle. We hope
to see you there! For more information, please visit our
Gala webpage or contact Director of Development & Finance, Molly
Moen, at
mollym@dwcweb.org.
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How You Can Help:
Use Our Tagline
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Have you ever
considered using the hundreds - or for some of us, thousands - of
emails you send weekly to promote a good cause? By copying and
pasting one or more of our taglines below into your email
signature, you can help inform others in the community about the
many simple ways to help homeless women by supporting DWC!
I support
the Downtown Women's Center! Visit
www.dwcweb.org for information on women's homelessness and for
ways you can help make a difference.
Use
www.goodsearch.com to search the Internet and help make a
difference in the lives of homeless women by selecting the
Downtown Women's Center as your charity of choice!
Shop for a
good cause! Register your Ralphs Club Card online at
www.ralphs.com, enter NPO number 83933, and swipe your
card each time you visit the store - a portion of every purchase
will go to the
Downtown Women's Center, which provides supportive services to
2000+ women on Skid Row yearly.
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The DWC Community
in Numbers: Spring Blessings
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In honor of
spring, we asked DWC's huge network of supporters to take stock of
your blessings - things you often appreciate as well as simple
things you might take for granted - in our annual mailing. So far,
we have learned that:
-
100% of those
who responded have a home;
-
92% have a
family they love;
-
81% own one or
more computers;
-
74% have a
special talent; and,
-
62% have taken
a vacation this year!
If you didn't
receive our Spring Blessings mailer, contact Executive
Assistant, Nui Bezaire, at
nuib@dwcweb.org
with your name and street address to be added to our mailing list!
Nearly 30% of our annual funding comes from individuals like you; we
thank you for your commitment to our cause, and welcome your
continued support to help us provide essential meals, housing, and
other programs and services to 2,000+ women affected by homelessness
in downtown Los Angeles.
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"Thoughts on DWC's Mission" One-Question Survey
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DWC, with the help of the Women's Initiative Network
of Deloitte Consulting, has redesigned our Mission
Statement to more accurately represent who we are:
The mission of the Downtown Women's Center is to provide permanent
supportive housing and a safe and healthy community fostering dignity,
respect, and personal stability, and to advocate ending homelessness
for women.
What do these
words mean to you?
Please reply to
Executive Assistant, Nui Bezaire, at
nuib@dwcweb.org
with your response to the above question by June 30. We would be
delighted to receive your reaction to our One-Question Survey; as a
member of our family, we value your opinion and would love to share
your voice with the rest of the community in the next edition of our
eNewsletter!
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Enjoy these
photos from two
of DWC's major events in April: "I AM, WE ARE", a dramatic
performance from the participants of Michael Kearns' Express
Yourself workshop in Eagle Rock, CA, and our annual Open House
and Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony.
DWC participants (l to r) Mary, Regina, Julie, Fannie, and Elona
receive a roar of applause and congratulatory bouquets after their
April 22 performance at the Eagle Rock Performing Arts Center
Participant Mattie (right) presents the award to the Volunteer
Birthday Guild at the April 28 Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony
with Residence Manager Janel
To view more images and to order prints, please visit DWC's online
album:
I AM, WE ARE - April 22, 2007
Stay tuned for more pictures from the April 28 Open House and
other exciting events!
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