Art Exhibit Comes to Pasadena Homeless Shelter
“My Dog is My Home” at Union Station Homeless Services focuses on the human-animal bond.
Posted by Michelle Mowad (Editor), May 24, 2014
On Tuesday May 27, Union Station Homeless Services will host an opening reception for the National Museum of Animals & Society’s exhibit “My Dog is My Home,” which consists of photography, sculpture and art.
The pop-up tour kicks off at Union Station Homeless Service’s Adult Day Center in Pasadena on Tuesday, May 27th with a “meet the curator” coffee reception at 1 pm. The exhibit will run for four weeks at Union Station Homeless Services’ Adult Center.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 1pm
WHERE: Union Station Homeless Services’ Adult Center, 412 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105
WHY: The National Museum of Animals & Society (NMAS) presents an exhibition that draws upon the personal stories of homeless human-animal families and the providers who assist them with accessing services. My Dog is My Home was featured at NMAS is East Hollywood from October 2013 – January 2014. The exhibit is now traveling to various locations in pop-up format.
On Saturday May 10, Union Station Homeless Services will honor Russell Ferrante & Gerry Puhara, along with the late Sid & Betsey Tyler at the 6th annual A Place to Call Home Soirée for their extraordinary commitment to supporting the organization’s work.
The event, a benefit fundraiser that takes place at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena, begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner. Actor/Musician John C. Reilly will emcee the event.
“We are thrilled to honor four wonderful Union Station advocates and activists at our gala this year,” says Union Station CEO Marvin Gross. “Russ and Gerry pioneered our long-running and very successful benefit concert series. A veteran Union Station volunteer, Betsey effectively served on our Board of Directors and chaired our Program Committee. Sid is a long-time supporter who championed our work as a member of the City Council. We would not be where we are today as an agency without the support, talents, and ongoing efforts of these outstanding couples.”
Since moving from Philadelphia in 1969, Sid and Betsey Tyler have shown extraordinary leadership as vibrant members of the Pasadena Community. After a career in marketing and management, Sid joined the Pasadena City Council in 1997 and became Vice Mayor in 2005. He has served his community as a trustee/board member of CHAP Clinics, Eastern Sierra Land Trust, Pacific Asia Museum, and Pasadena Community Foundation. Betsey served as a Union Station Board Member, as well chair of our Program Committee. In addition, she has provided volunteer leadership at Huntington Hospital, Huntington Library, Ombudsman, Southwest Chamber Music, and Pasadena Beautiful. They have supported Union Station since 1986. They have a shared passion for the outdoors, travel and watching their eight grandchildren grow up.
Russ Ferrante and Gerry Puhara are a creative force to be reckoned with. Russ Ferrante is a founding member and keyboardist of the Grammy Award Winning band, Yellowjackets. He has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Joni Mitchell, Diane Reeves and many more. He also works as an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at USC, Azusa Pacific, and Musicians Institute. Gerry enjoyed a lucrative career as a costumer/stylist on Annie, La Verne and Shirley, and Fantasy Island, and more. She is now the owner of Tender Treasures, a successful clothing store for women. In addition to serving as a Union Station Board member and chair of our Personnel Committee, Gerry has provided volunteer leadership for the La Canada PTA, Children’s Music Workshop, La Canada Childcare Roundtable, Assistance League of Flintridge, Episcopal Communities and Services, and All Saints Church. Gerry and Russ founded An Evening for the Station, an annual jazz fundraiser benefitting Union Station.
Event sponsors include Bank of the West, Capital Group Charitable Foundation, and many other generous community businesses and individuals. To sponsor the event, purchase tickets or an ad in our tribute book, or to see a full list of sponsors, visit https://unionstationhs.org/event/a-place-to-call-home-gala/
Union Station Homeless Services’ group, the Young Leaders Society (YLS), held its second mixer on Thursday, March 27th at Bodega Wine Bar in Pasadena. Nearly fifty people attended the successful social event, which drew several new members to the Society while spreading awareness about Union Station Homeless Services and its burgeoning young professionals group.
The Young Leaders Society (YLS) is a compassionate group of young professionals between the ages of 21-39 who are dedicated to promoting the mission of Union Station Homeless Services to help men, women and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness.
Future YLS events and volunteer activities include Union Station’s annual A Place To Call Home Gala at The Langham Huntington, an Adopt-A-Meal night at the Adult Center shelter, and a private tour of The Huntington Library.
YLS has an annual membership fee of $25 which gives individuals the opportunity to socialize and network with one another, develop leadership skills, and participate in unique member events, all while supporting a worthy cause.
To join Young Leaders Society, or for more information, please contact YLS at yls@unionstationhs.org or call (626) 240-4594.
Non-Profit Agency to Install Panels at Shelter Sites
From STAFF REPORTS
Union Station Homeless Services’ CEO Marvin M. Gross announced today that the non-profit agency will be installing solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of four of its buildings, including at the site of two homeless shelters it operates in Pasadena.
This year, Union Station will help more than 2,000 individuals turn their lives around–and feed thousands more through its free meals program and holiday dinners-in-the park. The solar panel installation will help offset the agency’s electrical needs with clean energy.
“I am very proud to be a part of this project,” says Mike Berry, Facilities Manager at Union Station Homeless Services. “We’re expecting to generate about 205,857 kilowatt hours per year. This will not only benefit Union Station Homeless Services by reducing our electrical expenses by about 50 percent per year, but also contribute to the Pasadena community by reducing our carbon footprint as we accomplish our mission to help men, women, and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness.”
The solar panels will be installed at Union Station Homeless Services’ Adult Center shelter building at 412 S. Raymond Avenue; two buildings that make up the Family Center shelter at 825 E. Orange Grove Boulevard and 837 E. Orange Grove Boulevard; and the agency’s administrative office building at 815 Elmira Street in Pasadena.
The systems are expected to generate enough electricity to save the non-profit approximately $40,000 a year, with a combined 25-year avoided utility cost of over one million dollars.
The project is moving forward thanks to the City of Pasadena, which approved rebates for the arrays in the amount of $527,885.
“We are so grateful that the city’s solar energy rebate program will allow us to install solar panels on some of our largest facilities,” says Gross. “Not only will our solar project provide a tremendously significant savings of our energy costs over the long-term, it is also the right thing to do given the global warming and climate change challenges confronting our planet.”
The clean, renewable energy generated by the systems is equivalent to preventing 152,496 pounds of coal from being burned, or 15,973 gallons of gasoline from being consumed.
The 40-year-old agency has already shown a commitment to environmental responsibility. In 2012, Union Station Homeless Services made improvements to its Euclid Villa Transitional Housing Facility at 154-160 S. Euclid Avenue that included solar energy panels, new cooling and heating units, insulated, double-paned windows and other renovations to make the facility environmentally friendly.
The new solar panel arrays are being installed by Altadena Energy & Solar, Inc.
About Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. Our mission is help men, women and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness. Union Station provides comprehensive services to help homeless individuals achieve self-sufficiency, including emergency shelter, case management, career counseling, transitional housing, referrals to medical and mental health services, women’s and family services, and other housing resources.
Marvin M. Gross, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, announced the appointment of three new members to the non-profit agency’s board of directors. The new members are community and business leaders with a vested interest in Union Station’s mission to help men, women and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness. They will serve an initial term of three years.
Rob Levy is a Vice President, Branch Manager and Sr. Loan Officer at HomeStreet Bank. Prior to joining HomeStreet, Rob was Sales Manager and Senior Loan Officer at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, and Sr. Loan Officer at Washington Mutual. He holds a BA from San Diego State University. Rob has served on the board of trustees at Crestview Preparatory School. In addition to his work in the banking industry, Rob is owner of The Raymond 1886, a Pasadena restaurant and mixology bar which the LA Times called “a small cocktail oasis [that] offers labor-intensive libations and a crowd more resembling the low-lighted haunts of downtown than the sleepy, suburban sidewalks of Pasadena.”
“Homelessness is an undeniable issue that must be dealt with thoughtfully and compassionately,” says Levy. “I have always admired the work of USHS and had great respect for those who selflessly give of their time and expertise for such a worthy cause. I am honored to be a part of it.”
Jim McCarthy is CEO of Goldstar, a Pasadena-based company that is a leader in online ticket sales and audience generation. He focuses on business development through strategic marketing for Goldstar. Before launching Goldstar in February 2002, Jim was Vice President of Marketing for venture-backed Kiko, Inc., and previous to that developed highly successful sales products for GeoCities until its acquisition by Yahoo. Jim has penned articles on e-commerce and niche marketing for such publications as Fast Company, Business Insider, E-Commerce Times, and has been a featured lecturer at such conferences as InTix, Dansk Live, Drilling Down on Local. He has been an active participant at the annual TED conference since 2008. He is an organizer and the curator of TEDxBroadway, the annual event which brings together experts from a wide range of fields to create, share, and stimulate dialogue about making Broadway the best it can be. Jim also serves as Chief Editor for SellingOut.com. He is a graduate of the Anderson School of Business at UCLA and Harvard University.
“Union Station does great work and important work here in Pasadena, and as a longtime supporter of the organization, I’m honored to be asked to join the board,” says McCarthy. “My hope is to make a contribution in some way to helping them in their important mission.”
Catherine Simms is a Vice President for the Pasadena region of Wells Fargo Private Bank. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Catherine was a Vice President and Private Banker at U.S. Trust Company, where she specialized in advising clients on asset and liability management. She has been in the banking industry for nearly 30 years and has extensive experience in residential and commercial real estate, healthcare finance, mortgage banking, and corporate and small business lending. Catherine holds an MBA in Finance from USC. She is currently on the board of Five Acres, Boys and Girls Aid Society, and Pasadena Rotary Foundation. She previously served on the board of Pasadena Rotary Club, and Ketchum Downtown YMCA. She also volunteers at Huntington Memorial Hospital.
Catherine has volunteered at Union Station for over 10 years with her family. “The experience has been rewarding for [my family members and I] and we have formed real friendships with the other people who have served with us over those years,” says Simms. “Our children are now grown and involved in their own lives but we continue to look forward to [volunteering together.] I am grateful that USHS can take our small donations of time and money and transform lives.”
“We are tremendously excited about the new board members joining us, and appreciate their time and commitment to Union Station and the community over the next three years,” says Marv Gross, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services. “Each member brings a reputation of excellence in his or her respective field. We are truly fortunate to have this caliber of leadership at our organization, and look forward to their contributions to our growth and development.”
Homelessness is on the rise in Los Angeles County. And advocates for those people living without a home are taking part in events to help this community.
The Pasadena Union Station Homeless Services teamed up with a local middle school today to raise funds for homeless awareness.
In South El Monte, The Vet Hunters Project and the SGV Veterans Employment Committee is hosting “Heroes in the Shadows,” a three-day event that offers homeless vets free dental, medical, hygiene and counseling services at Whittier Narrows Recreation Park.
According to HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Homelessness in America has declined by 6%. However, homelessness in LA County increased by 15% from 2011 to 2013.
In Pasadena, the Union Station Homeless Services is hosting middle school students for a “Camp Out to Stamp Out Homelessness.” The fundraiser will be held at Polytechnic Middle School, where students will engage in a late night stay to feel what homelessness is like.
Organizer Dana Bean, program developer of Union Station Homeless Services, explains the camp out.
The students will take part in a game simulating surviving on a homeless budget, a screening of the documentary Here At Home, as well as a visit from a former teenage transient, who will share his story of living on the streets at their age.
The sponsored students raised nearly $4,000 in contributions, which will go toward homeless shelter and housing programs.
Meanwhile in South El Monte, The Vet Hunters Project and the San Gabriel Valley Veterans Employment Committee began a three day assistance project in Whittier Narrows Recreation Park. The annual event offers assistance to some 600 to 800 homeless residents.
The event is sponsored mostly by private donations. Homeless veterans and those in need will receive food, clothes, haircuts, showers, dental work, vision and medical assistance, legal and psychological counseling free of charge.
Joe Leal, founder and CEO of the Vet Hunters Project, is a former veteran himself.
According to the Los Angeles Almanac, an estimated 20% of all current homeless people within Los Angeles County are veterans.
Leal explains the reasons for this troubling statistic.
The Vet Hunters Project utilizes a search and rescue method to search for homeless veterans by going into the shadows. Teams walk into alleys and freeway underpasses as well as canyons and brush areas off busy highways.
On Saturday May 10, Union Station Homeless Services will hold its 6th annual A Place to Call Home Soiree, a benefit fundraiser hosted by actor/musician John C. Reilly, at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena.
The event begins at 5:30 pm with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner. Reilly will emcee the event, and a former client of Union Station Homeless Services will speak about his experience with homelessness.
“This is a soirée with a purpose,” says Union Station CEO Marvin Gross. “With increases in the number of people losing their homes due to joblessness, the need to support Union Station Homeless Services has never been greater. Everyone can and should be part of the solution.”
This year, Union Station honors Russell Ferrante & Gerry Puhara, along with Sid & Betsey Tyler for their extraordinary commitment to supporting Union Station Homeless Services’ work.
“We are thrilled to honor four wonderful Union Station advocates and activists at our gala this year,” says Union Station CEO Marvin Gross. “Russ and Gerry pioneered our long-running and very successful benefit concert series. A veteran Union Station volunteer, Betsey effectively served on our Board of Directors and chaired our Program Committee. Sid is a long-time supporter who championed our work as a member of the City Council. We would not be where we are today as an agency without the support, talents, and ongoing efforts of these outstanding couples.”
Event sponsors include Bank of the West, Capital Group Charitable Foundation, and many other generous community businesses and individuals. To sponsor the event, purchase tickets or an ad in our tribute book, or to see a full list of sponsors, visit https://unionstationhs.org/event/a-place-to-call-home-gala/
On Saturday May 10, Union Station Homeless Services will hold its 6th annual A Place to Call Home Soiree, a benefit fundraiser hosted by actor/musician John C. Reilly, at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena.
The event begins at 5:30 pm with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner. Reilly will emcee the event, and a former client of Union Station Homeless Services will speak about his experience with homelessness.
“This is a soiree with a purpose,” says Union Station CEO Marvin Gross. “With increases in the number of people losing their homes due to joblessness, the need to support Union Station Homeless Services has never been greater. Everyone can and should be part of the solution.”
This year, Union Station honors Russell Ferrante & Gerry Puhara, along with Sid & Betsey Tyler for their extraordinary commitment to supporting Union Station Homeless Services’ work.
“We are thrilled to honor four wonderful Union Station advocates and activists at our gala this year,” says Union Station CEO Marvin Gross. “Russ and Gerry pioneered our long-running and very successful benefit concert series. A veteran Union Station volunteer, Betsey effectively served on our Board of Directors and chaired our Program Committee. Sid is a long-time supporter who championed our work as a member of the City Council. We would not be where we are today as an agency without the support, talents, and ongoing efforts of these outstanding couples.”
Event sponsors include Bank of the West, Capital Group Charitable Foundation, and many other generous community businesses and individuals. To sponsor the event, purchase tickets or an ad in our tribute book, or to see a full list of sponsors, visit https://unionstationhs.org/event/a-place-to-call-home-gala/
ABC News anchor Phillip Palmer will kick off “Teens Camp Out to Stamp Out Homelessness” on Friday, April 4th. Polytechnic Middle School students and their families plan to camp out on the school campus, taking part in “activities that will offer new insights on homelessness and poverty, and inspire the next generation to make a difference in their community.”
People are encouraged to sponsor students for this “camp-a-thon” as all proceeds will be donated to Union Station Homeless Services.
Camp Out to Stamp Out Homelessness
Date: 6 p.m. on April 4th to 10 a.m. on April 5th
Polytechnic School, 1030 E. California Blvd., Pasadena 91106
To sponsor a camper, click here
For more info, visit UnionStationHS.org or call 626.240.4557
Art Exhibit Comes to Pasadena Homeless Shelter
