Each Sunday, one of Union Station Homeless Services’ most dedicated volunteers makes his way over to the organization’s Adult Center to serve food to the homeless. From his wheelchair, a grinning Keith Du Bois spends hours passing out food to the hungry and encouragement to the most desperate.
When the work is done, Du Bois, 51, heads to the place he’s called home for two decades: Centennial Place, a Union Station low-income housing facility for formerly chronically homeless adults, where he hosts a weekly breakfast mixer for his neighbors. Du Bois is a Union Station volunteer, event organizer and client.
Union Station volunteer and client Keith Du Bois will participate in the organization’s 5K race on March 21.
Du Bois aims to transition into another role on Saturday, March 21: race finisher at Union Station’s inaugural “Rockin’ for the Homeless” charity 5K Run/Walk at Arcadia County Park. Registration is open online for the public event, which includes a 1K walk for children and families, plus food and music. Proceeds from the event will support Union Station, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency that helps the homeless rebuild their lives.
Du Bois, who has cerebral palsy, laughed as he said he plans to max out the speedometer on his motorized wheelchair on the course.
“Keith is an outstanding example of so many folks we know and work with whose fortitude, courage and positive attitude lead them to become productive and successful members for the community,” said Union Station CEO Marv Gross, who will attend the 5K dressed as a rock star.
In the old YMCA building — which is now the 142-room Centennial Place — Du Bois’ positive attitude is on display every Friday at 10 a.m. That’s when Centennial Cafe, Du Bois’ brainchild of a coffee-and-doughnuts mixer for his neighbors, opens up. As residents gather in the old YMCA gymnasium to sit and chat, Du Bois’ creation is proof of the potential of homeless people if they’re given support.
“This provides us with a sense of community,” said Du Bois, who said he’s never considered himself to be homeless, in part because of Centennial Place’s support. “It feels inspiring to be part of something that’s bigger than yourself. All of us are a part of each other.”
Du Bois knows inspiration; he’s a living, breathing example of it. Subsisting on meals bought with food stamps while being raised by his grandmother in South Central Los Angeles, he was stricken with meningitis at age 3. The illness caused inflammation to his brain and spinal cord membranes, cutting off oxygen to his brain. The trauma resulted in cerebral palsy, a disorder that limits movement permanently and, in some cases, can negatively affect cognitive and speech functions.
But the brain disorder was only the beginning of a series of battles for Du Bois, who is African American. He said he faced discrimination — not only for being black, but also for not being “black enough,” depending on his surroundings. While studying at Asuza Pacific University, he said his roommates kicked him out of their apartment after discovering he was gay. According to Du Bois, he was also once fired him from a part-time job because of his sexual orientation.
Over time, Du Bois said, depression began to set in. After couch-surfing for a short while in 1995, a despondent Du Bois — with nowhere else to turn — found himself at Centennial Place. Because he felt shunned by society, he said, anger welled up in him, and he didn’t speak to his neighbors for five years.
But time began to heal some of the emotional wounds caused by his physical condition and discrimination. One night, Du Bois said he dreamed about having coffee with his neighbors. He pitched the idea to the then-director of Centennial Place three years ago, and Centennial Cafe has been a weekly happening ever since.
“For me, I’m not where I want to be in life. But I am where I am, so I have to make the best of it,” said Du Bois. “If I can’t be happy here, I’ll never be happy anywhere, whether it’s [at Centennial Place] or Beverly Hills. I have learned to be happy.”
Du Bois said part of that learning process can be credited to Union Station’s guidance ever since the organization took over Centennial Place five years ago. Case managers and staff have repeatedly tested his limits with a simple, motivating question: “Can you do that for yourself?”
The encouragement has led him to push his perceived limitations. The upcoming 5K charity fundraiser is one example. Du Bois has never completed a 5K but anticipates being inspired by the outpouring of community support at the event.
Union Station’s “Rockin’ for the Homeless” 5K course will wind through Arcadia County Park, which is adjacent to Santa Anita Park.
The 5K is being coordinated by Union Station’s Young Leaders Society, a volunteer group of Pasadena-area professionals committed to carrying out the nonprofit organization’s mission.
“Union Station was founded by volunteers, [and] for the past 42 years volunteers have been the mainstays of our efforts,” said Gross. “We simply could not serve the homeless as we do today without our dedicated volunteers. Their heartfelt generosity and contributions of time, energy and talent are absolutely invaluable.”
Union Station’s volunteers and staff have done more than provide Du Bois with a safe place to stay; he said that over the
long term, living at Centennial Place has made him reconsider what the idea of “home” truly means.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “Do I want a two-bedroom house with my own kitchen and my own backyard? Yes, I do. But am I content with what I have here? Absolutely.
“I think I can’t ever be happy with a house if I can’t be content with where I am now.”
What: 5K Run/Walk, 1K Kiddie Dash
When: Saturday, March 21, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Check-in begins at 7 a.m., opening ceremonies are at 8:15 and the runners take off at 8:30 a.m
Where: Arcadia County Park
(405 S. Santa Anita Ave.)
Cost: $40 for the 5K, $15 for the 1K Kiddie Dash
Additional details: Dress as your favorite rock star. During the closing ceremony, the “most rockin’” participant will be awarded with a prize. All participants will receive a T-shirt and medal. Local band Head Lite View will play, and a food truck will also be present. Event sponsorships are still available.
Proceeds will benefit Union Station Homeless Services.
“Rock Out” for a Good Cause at Union Station Homeless Services’ 5k Run/Walk
For Release: March 6, 2015
PASADENA, CA – Runners clad in rock star gear will be racing to end homelessness on Saturday, March 21. The 1st annual Rockin’ for the Homeless 5K Run/Walk, created in collaboration with Union Station’s Young Leaders Society, is the first of its kind for Union Station Homeless Services. The race begins at 8:15am.
Combining exercise with a rockin’ good time, this family friendly event encourages participants to dress in their favorite rock star costumes as they race the 5k course around Arcadia County Park. The 1k Kiddie Dash offers young children a safe and fun course of their own. There will be race t-shirts for 5k participants and medals for all, as well as a costume contest for best “rock star.”
Food trucks, including Kona Ice, Pie and Burger, and Wafl Truck, await runners at the finish line. The closing event will feature live music from Head Lite View.
The event was created by Union Station’s Young Leaders Society, a group of more than 75 young professionals between the ages of 21 and 39 years old who are dedicated to ending homelessness in our community. The group organizes various fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, and young professional networking events throughout the year. This event is their largest effort to date! The 5k run/walk event is anticipated to host more than 150 runners and walkers, and raise more than $15,000 for the agency.
“We thought it would be nice to have an event that’s really family-friendly and promotes health and wellness,” remarks Grace Kim, President of the Young Leaders Society and a member of Union Station’s Board of Directors. “It’s our first 5k run/walk and we’re really excited about it!”
Rockin’ for the Homeless 5k is sure to bring together people of all ages to run, walk, and “rock and roll” for a great cause. All donations will support the ongoing efforts of Union Station Homeless Services, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest and most comprehensive nonprofit helping men, women, and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness.
Register today at https://unionstationhs.org/event/rockin5k. Please note that the deadline to receive a 5k t-shirt is Sunday, March 8. For sponsorship opportunities, call (626) 240-4550 ext. 116.
###
Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. We are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. We believe every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. With 41 years of experience, we proudly offer a full continuum of eight programs in seven locations; services include street outreach, intake/assessment, care coordination and navigation, meals, shelter, housing, employment development, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services.
Commission, University Present Mixed Bag of Conclusions in “Status of Pasadena Women” Report
Posted By : JAMES MACPHERSON
Posted On : 7:19 am | March 5, 2015
A city commission Wednesday released a Mount St. Mary’s University report on the status of women in Pasadena showing, among other facts, that women’s earnings in Pasadena when compared to men’s are significantly higher than the national average.
Highlights from the report, which was produced by Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women in partnership with the University, were presented by report collaborator Dr. Eleanor Dantzler Siebert at a morning reception at the Pasadena Public Library’s main branch auditorium.
After the highlights panelists from Peace Over Violence, the Pasadena Police Department, Union Station Homeless Services, the California Department of Veteran Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor were led in a discussion of the report’s findings by Lena Kennedy.
That reception filled the room almost to capacity with a crowd of about 125. Many government and civic leaders, activists and two mayoral candidates were in the audience.
“Our hope is that this report will spark conversations like you’re having today and inspire action in your community,” Dr. Siebert said.
Dr. Siebert said that University researchers were directed to five areas of exploration by the Commission: “The first was employment and learnings, the second was housing and homelessness, the third [was] women veterans, fourth, domestic violence, and human trafficking was the final section.”
Key findings:
• Pasadena has a total population of 140,000, half of them are women.
• In Pasadena, women earn 91 cents for every dollar that men earn, for a ratio of 0.91. In the rest of California, that ratio is 0.84 and in the United States overall women earn 79 cents on average for every dollar earned by men.
• In Pasadena, researchers identified four occupational clusters where women earn as much as and even slightly more than men.
• In terms of housing, 30 percent of Pasadena housing units are headed by women, 11 percent by single mothers and 19 percent are women living alone. It’s worth noting that of the single mothers, 42 percent have children under the age of 18 years. And of the women who live alone, 38 percent are over the age of 65.
• The most recent homeless count used at the time the report was prepared showed 650 homeless people in Pasadena, roughly one half of one percent of the city’s population. There were approximately 200 homeless women. The reports shows that two-thirds of the homeless women are in in shelters.
• Pasadena has about 5,000 veterans and these include more than 400 women, the report concludes. Pasadena’s women veterans are predominantly African-American. 30 percent of women veterans are African-American compared to 10 percent of the non-veteran women in Pasadena. Six women veterans were listed among the city’s homeless, the report says.
• The reports says that the Pasadena Police Department receives over 700 calls for assistance in domestic violence situations each year. This number has been trending downwards since 2010. 84 percent of the reported victims are female and the median age of the victims is 32 years. Latinas and African-Americans are disproportionately represented among the domestic violence victims.
• The reports says that because California has major international value, a high immigrant population and a large economy, it is one of the nation’s top destinations for trafficked persons. In California, 47 percent of documented victims are exploited for sex and 49 percent for labor.
Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women includes nine women appointed by the Pasadena City Council. During the past 30 years, the Commission has provided pertinent information regarding issues affecting women and has made recommendations on local programs and legislation to promote and ensure equal rights and opportunities for Pasadena girls and women.
Twenty-three local charities were the beneficiaries this year when the Pasadena-Foothills Assn. of Realtors Charitable Foundation distributed $94,000 in donations. Representatives from each nonprofit gathered with foundation committee members last month at the home of 2014 Chair Kirk Dilbeck to receive their checks.
“There are simply no words to say how much this means to us,” stated Grandview Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Lindy Carll. “Thanks to the generosity of PFAR Charitable Foundation, we can continue helping individuals affected by drug and alcohol addiction return as productive members of society.”
Dilbeck praised the recipient organizations, saying, “The true heroes are the charities we support. The people who work there, their lives aren’t about special events. They live, work and breathe helping others all year long. The kudos should go to them, not us.”
In addition to Grandview Foundation, other groups receiving the PFAR gifts included the AIDS Service Center, CAPS for Seniors, Casa de las Amigas, Convalescent Aid Society, Door of Hope, Elizabeth House, Five Acres, Foothill Unity Center, Harambee Family Center, Hillsides, Institute for the Redesign of Learning/Almansor Center, Journey House, Move a Child Higher (MACH 1), Neighborhood Urban Family Center, Pasadena Senior Center, Professional Child Development Associates, Project Cuddle, Sunland Food Pantry, Tierra del Sol, Union Station Homeless Services, Villa Esperanza Services, and Young and Healthy.
