I got my daughter back! That’s the biggest change in my life. She was taken from me in the hospital as soon as she was born. I needed to find a safe place before I could get her back. The Village of Hope is it.

It’s good for us both to be around so many caring, Christian people. Last year, I had thyroid problems. Now I’m on medication and eating well and doing a lot better. My daughter loves it here. Everything I’ve needed for her, the Mission has provided. I’ve been working in the Mission’s children’s dream center, which lets me spend a lot of time with her. I’ll be starting a job search soon.

I finally tracked down her father. He is thrilled. He was on a wrong path, too, but now he is in college and studying to be a counselor. Having a daughter has changed both of our lives. Getting custody of my daughter is the greatest accomplishment of my life. The second greatest will be graduating from the Mission program. Everything is finally going right for us.

I came from the streets,” Angelina says. “Drugs, gangs, sex, abuse — I trusted too many people and grew up too fast.”

Angelina’s parents were still teens when she was born, and neither wanted the responsibility of a child. Instead, she was pushed off on her grandparents. She says she can still remember watching her parents play with her younger sister. “When they saw me,” she says, “they got up and closed the door on me.”

Desperate for love and acceptance, Angelina left herself open to abusive and controlling relationships. “I’ve always been shut out or pushed away,” she says sadly. “I became a blank person: no laugh, no smile, no expression at all.” Things began to change when Angelina’s mother found Christ and began to clean up her own life.

“My mom and stepdad took me off the streets and brought me to the Mission,” she says. “When I saw this place, I prayed and prayed I’d be able to come.” Today, Angelina’s prayers have been answered, and she and her daughter Kaylee are thrilled to be at the Mission’s House of Hope in Orange. “I love it here,” she says. “I’m in a positive environment now. Everyone here is my sister.”

Every day, Angelina and Kaylee grow closer together, and she is finally secure enough to think about her future. “I want to accomplish this and make a better life for us,” she continues. “Life is too short not to ask for help. What’s better: to keep living with problems, or to take a chance and do something positive? Even when I graduate, I’m going to keep coming back to say ‘thank you.’”

The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) sponsors its statewide Trophy Awards Program to encourage interest in landscaping, recognize crafts people who produce outstanding landscapes, create pride in superior workmanship and to bestow public recognition on companies, institutions, municipalities and residents for their interest in a beautiful California.

Awards were presented at the CLCA Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 13, 2009. There, the Village of Hope's water feature, installed by Cohen Landscape and Construction, Inc., was recognized for a Special Effects Award. The 18-foot-high ceramic vase, featuring images of the 12 apostles, was designed and fashioned by well-known Danish artist, Peter Brandes, upon the commission of Roberta and Howard Ahmanson.

The Ahmanson's are long-time friends and supporters of the Orange County Rescue Mission, and share our belief that an atmosphere of beauty can be one of the components that create a spawning ground for the inspiration, encouragement and hope we endeavor to instill in those whom we serve. Special thanks to Roberta and Howard for their unwavering commitment to the least, the last and the lost.

Twenty years ago, Robert was on top of the world: He knew because he had pedaled there himself. A successful professional bicycle motocross (BMX) racer, Robert says, “I was famous. I was beautiful. But as I got more money, things began to fall apart.

“I grew up here in Orange County,” Robert continues. “People who knew me then would never guess I’d become an alcoholic, or a drug addict, or spent time in prison. Coke and heroin were all around me,” he says. “My career ended after I got hurt, then I lost my license for a DUI conviction. After that, I was in and out of prison for years.”

Robert brought himself to the Mission and asked for help getting his life back together. “I never believed a life could change in just a couple of months, but mine is changing,” he says. “It has taken me 20 years to do this, but now I am dedicating the next two years of my life to getting sober and staying with Jesus. I couldn’t do this alone, but here I know I can do it.”

Tustin Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Hummer and Tustin Nissan gave the gift of transportation to a needy family this Holiday Season. The local dealership, under the charitable leadership of President Mark Parkinson, presented the formerly homeless Luengas family with a mid-size sedan this Friday, December 18th at 9:00 a.m. at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope, where the family is currently living.

“We have supported the extraordinary work of the Orange County Rescue Mission for many years,” said Mark Parkinson, President of Tustin Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Hummer and Tustin Nissan. “We receive about a dozen vehicles in perfect working condition through our trade-in programs every year. We saw a true opportunity to make a difference by donating these vehicles to families working hard to rebuild their lives.”

Brian and Isis Luengas have three children, Brian Jr., 5, Samuel, 4, and Sophia, 3. After many personal struggles, the family was homeless and separated until finding their way to the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope through their church in May 2009. With the help of the Village of Hope’s comprehensive programs, including parenting classes, recovery counseling and job training, Brian and Isis are currently in phase two of the program, which has both parents enrolled in school and looking for employment. Isis Luengas is enrolled in a local computer trade school and currently maintains a 4.0 grade point average.

“The Luengas family is a remarkable example of what the Village of Hope is all about,” said Jim Palmer, President of the Orange County Rescue Mission. “They have grown so much since their arrival here and are working hard to heal as a family and achieve self sufficiency.”

“At this phase in the program, transportation is a major obstacle for families working to find employment and work toward graduation,” added Palmer. “This tremendous donation from Mark Parkinson and his team will allow this family to travel to and from school, take the children to daycare and provide them with more employment opportunities by having their own means of reliable transportation. We hope to continue this program and provide vehicles to other deserving families in the future.”

Tustin Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Hummer and Tustin Nissan provided the vehicle to the family paid in full, making the Luengas family the sole owners of the vehicle. The donated sedan has also undergone a complete inspection through the dealership to ensure it is in prime condition. In addition to the inspection, the dealership is providing free maintenance on the vehicle, made possible by a donation of time and skill from Tustin GMC’s mechanics.

Parkinson and his team were inspired to begin donating vehicles to homeless and impoverished families during the “Cash for Clunkers” program. Through the program, the dealership was forced to destroy hundreds of vehicles that were in excellent working condition and had years of driving life left.

“We believe in using our resources to help those in need get back on their feet and succeed,” added Parkinson. “We hope to grow this program in the coming years and look forward to seeing the Luengas family thrive with the help of the Orange County Rescue Mission and the opportunities created through having their own transportation.”

The dealership plans to donate more cars in the future to formerly homeless families working hard towards self sufficiency.

The number of homeless older adults is increasing across Southern California and is likely to continue to grow in the next decade or so. Many homeless who are now in their 50s will grow old while living in shelters, parks or behind trash bins. Older homeless people are more vulnerable to crime and victimization. They are often frail due to chronic health conditions that are not treated. They do not have supportive families to assist them as their health declines. There are few social services that have the resources or knowledge to help. There is little affordable housing.

Nine percent (9%) of OCRM's residents at the Village of Hope are 55 years or older. Susan, age 56, worked two jobs, lost both of them, and finally was unable to keep her apartment. She came to the Mission with little hope for the future. Like Susan, our resident seniors find not only safety from the streets, but also a caring community.

But the Village of Hope is not a long-term residential program. More help and answers to this urgent problem are needed! Do you have property or a house that you could donate to the Mission so that we could help our older homeless neighbors? The Mission wants to do something about this problem, but we need your help! Together, we can help homeless seniors get stable housing and supportive services so that they can age with dignity and care. To help or donate, call (800) 663-3074.

Disney is sponsoring a program to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service to a participating organization in their communities. It's called Give a Day, Get a Disney Day. By pre-registering and signing up through this site, you can volunteer a day of service to the Orange County Rescue Mission and receive one Disneyland ticket, free!

There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available at OCRM. When you reach the site, just enter zip code 92782 to get started. Thank you!

When the Microsemi Human Resources Department was asked to mobilize staff in the corporate office to give back to the local community where they work, they chose to put together a food and toy drive to be given to the Orange County Rescue Mission.

What happened next is nothing short of a miracle.

Not only were 4 bins of food and toys collected by the Rescue Mission on Wednesday, December 23, but over $10,000 in cash was collected the following Wednesday, December 30. The cash gift included both money from Microsemi employees and a company matching gift.

To put the Microsemi cash gift in perspective, the Orange County Rescue Mission can provide more than 7,000 meals valued at $1.48 each to feed the hungry and hurting men, women, and families with children in our community.

Thank you Microsemi!

Founded by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart, Help-Portrait is a community of photographers, coming together across the world, to use their photography skills to give back to their local community. December 12 was Help-Portrait's national day of service in which hair stylists, make-up artists and photographers came together to allow the residents of the Village of Hope to have portraits to share. There were 45 stylists, artists and photographers on site to participate. They served 150 people with photographs, all of whom will receive three portraits to share or frame.

This event served the residents of the Village of Hope and Hope Family Housing (Buena Park and El Modena).

I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life. But because so many people move to this area in part because of our warm, sunny weather, it can be hard to convince them sometimes that winter in Orange County is a tough time for the homeless. It’s true, we don’t have the extreme temperatures or conditions other parts of the country do. But that’s small comfort when you’re the one huddling for warmth in a broken-down car or under a threadbare blanket. Or, even worse, when it’s your young child you’re trying to protect from the chilly January night.

That’s why I so appreciate your faithful support of the Orange County Rescue Mission. We are seeing more people in need than ever before, and are stretching ourselves and our resources as far as we can to serve them all. Fragile seniors, expectant moms, families who have lost their homes — all of them are looking to us for help. And we, in turn, are looking to you. You are a tool of God’s grace in reaching out to people in need, and giving them a chance for a better future.

All of us want to make our community and our world a better place. In this new year, may God bless you for supporting the Orange County Rescue Mission, and for making us your partner in how you’re trying to change the world.

In His service,

What an amazing week leading up to Christmas!

On Wednesday afternoon we helped serve 72 families with food boxes, clothing, hygiene kits and bread. There were 27 new families. That was the first week that we instituted the practice of providing food boxes to returning families every other week. We had almost as many volunteers on hand as families, so it really gave us the opportunity to get to know them a lot better. We also distributed Christmas trees to families who pre-ordered the prior week — 48 trees!

The medical Clinic slowed down over the past few weeks as the thermometer plummeted at night. We served six patients that week. We have added a few new caregivers to hopefully ease the burden on Bonnie and her husband, Dr. Jorge Martinez, who have been helping nearly every week.

The biggest news was the first annual Girl Scout Christmas food drive at Copies and More on Tuesday nite. We received aproximately 3,600 lbs. of nonperishable food items. At one time, there were around 600 in attendance enjoying a DJ, Santa Clause, and of course, cookies!

In addition, we received nearly 1,500 lbs of food items from Paloma Elementary, and the supplies just keep coming in from our awesome holiday food drive at Henry's markets. We also switched into high gear playing Santa. We gathered toys, games, dolls, balls, etc. for the Christmas Angel gift giveaway.

We were blessed with 85 new $20 items from the CHP Banning office on Thursday, as well as a lot more items coming in every day from the Community. I received a call from our friends at the CHP asking if we could use some food donations. Soboba Indians donated nonperishable canned food to the Rescue Mission from a food drive they conducted recently and we picked up approximately 6,800 lbs!

We had holiday food drives at Henry's market as well as donations received from efforts by the college ministry. Thank You Sabo! The Rescue Mission was the recipient of donations from a live nativity performance by the Sunrise Christian Fellowship Church at the Calvary Chapel Conference Center in Murrieta.

God truly provides!

This last November, the Village of Hope was able to send 74 family members from the Village to attend a Holiday Family Camp at Forest Home Christian Conference Center thanks to the generosity of a local foundation who wishes to remain nameless.

2008 was the inaugural year for families to attend camp at Forest Home thanks to the generosity of a local foundation, but who was unable to assist with funding in 2009. Fortunately, another donor, who had been talking with Rescue Mission grant-writing staff for the last year, graciously assumed the financial responsibility for sending our students to the camp. Miraculously, due to increased funding from this new donor and generous discounts by Forest Home, the Mission was able to send twice as many students to this wonderful weekend retreat as the previous year.

Needless to say, we were very excited about this opportunity for our families. Many families have expressed how important this experience was; seeing the wilderness (many for the first time), experiencing a “vacation” from homelessness, building relationships with other families, and gaining insight and tools into how to be a better spouse, parent and friend. For many, the Forest Home retreat was where real change began and it was visible in the choices and decisions of the students after their return to the Village of Hope. This year, the campers had the added surprise of a fresh snowfall on the first morning after they arrived. For many of the children, this was their first chance to experience a snowfall – and they didn’t waste a moment of it!

While we teach and model the love of God here at the Village, it is sometimes in the stillness and grandeur of nature that one can hear His voice more clearly. We wish this experience for our students: that, away from the busyness of life, and alone in the stillness, they will hear Him and that their lives will be forever changed. Thanks to our generous donor and to Forest Home, we were able to see that accomplished this year!

Children Giving Gifts is a non-profit group whose main goal is for children to be able to give a gift to their parents for Christmas. They collect items such as scarves, necklaces, tool kits, mugs, watches and jewelry and allow the children to “shop” for gifts for their parents.

Children Giving Gifts came to the Village of Hope on Friday, Decemer 11, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and allowed over 70 children to shop for gifts for their parents. This event was open for the House of Hope as well as Hope Family Housing Buena Park and El Modena to come to “shop”. The kids had a great time and their parents were blessed!

Have your gift do even more for people in need.

The new year is a great time to sign up to support the Mission through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Your monthly gift will be deducted from your checking or savings account. You choose the day, you choose the amount — it’s quick, easy, safe — and you can change your arrangements whenever you want. And because there are no postage or processing costs, your gift will go even further to help people in need.

For more information, click here.

The Orange County Rescue Mission is committed to helping you assist the poor in the most cost-effective way possible. That’s why we take extra care to use every penny efficiently. As part of that effort, we are governed by an independent Board of Directors. We are also a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Upon your request, we will send you an audited financial statement prepared by an independent certified public accountant.

At the Orange County Rescue Mission, averaged over the last 10 years, a full 79 cents of every dollar given has gone directly to help the homeless. If gifts received are above a specific need, they will be used for Mission programs where the need is greatest. Your support is greatly appreciated. With your help, the Orange County Rescue Mission works to make our community a better place for everyone to live.

This past quarter, only 13 Ralphs shoppers signed up in this program, earning $103.97 for the Orange County Rescue Mission just by doing their regular grocery shopping.
SIGN UP TODAY!!!

Re-enrollment Time in Ralphs Community Contributions Program!
Congratulations to Ralphs for donating almost $3 million this past year through its Community Contributions Program. If you are signed up through your Ralphs Rewards card, and have designated the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary, then a portion of these funds have been donated to assist us in bringing hope to the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County.

Albertsons Community Partners Program
Albertsons Community Partners Program will continue to accept registrations as usual. By using your Preferred Savings Card, and designating the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary, you can bring hope to the homeless of Orange County.

TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE!! If just 60 people sign up and use their Ralphs Rewards and/or Albertsons Preferred Savings cards, and the average quarterly shopping percentage brings in a modest $3.15 each, then those 60 people could make $756.00 a year JUST BY DOING OUR OWN GROCERY SHOPPING! Of course, the more you purchase, the more you earn for OCRM. (We'll keep you updated on the quarterly progress!)

Click the following links to sign up:

Starting September 1
Ralphs Community Contribution (Enter Non Profit Organization # 91204)

Now
Albertsons Community Partners (Enter ID # 49000125638)

Thank you!