Actress Natasha Rothwell to Emcee ‘Dinner With a Cause’
LOS ANGELES – On Thursday, October 18, 2018 the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) will host its annual fundraising gala, Dinner With a Cause, at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. This year’s event is presented by Anthem Blue Cross and celebrates the power of community in ending homelessness for women. Guests will enjoy a night of signature cocktails, live music, silent and live auctions, and a gourmet plated meal.
DWC is proud to celebrate its 40th anniversary by honoring Councilmember José Huizar and his wife, Richelle Huizar, who are both fearless advocates and representatives for the community DWC serves. Together they have championed successful efforts to address homelessness and the affordable housing crisis, protect the environment, increase park space, advance innovative transportation policies, and revitalize Downtown Los Angeles. In implementing the City’s first ever Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Combat Homelessness, Councilmember Huizar was one of the architects and leaders in the campaign to adopt the voter-approved Measure HHH, which will provide $1.2 billion over 10 years to build 10,000 units of permanent supportive housing.
In addition, DWC is delighted to honor Anthem Blue Cross as its 2018 community partner. By focusing on strategic initiatives that provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, Anthem exemplifies the core values of DWC and has provided programmatic support to the organization for the past decade, as well as leadership with Alma Graham, Senior Associate General Counsel at Anthem, currently serving on DWC’s Board of Directors.
DWC will also honor Sondra Salas of Universal Studios Hollywood. She is the Senior Event Operations Manager with Universal Studios Hollywood and was selected as the 2010 Universal Studios Hollywood Volunteer of the Year. Sondra runs DWC’s monthly workshop, Whole Woman Saturdays, which connects volunteers and DWC residents and participants in engaging lifestyle and wellness topics. By the end of 2018, Sondra will have hosted over 100 Whole Woman Saturdays workshops and field trips.
Actress and writer Natasha Rothwell will serve as this year’s event emcee. Currently a series regular and co-producer on the award winning HBO series Insecure, Rothwell can also be seen in the groundbreaking film Love, Simon. She is developing an original idea for HBO which she will executive produce, write and star in. DWC is proud to have Rothwell as an outspoken supporter and a frequent volunteer.
“We’re fortunate to have such committed community partners in our efforts to end women’s homelessness in Los Angeles,” said Lisa Watson, Interim CEO with Downtown Women’s Center. “As we celebrate 40 years of service, we are also celebrating partners who align with our mission and without whom this work would be not possible.”
DWC’s Dinner With a Cause is expected to draw a crowd of 500 and will include local business executives, elected officials, and community leaders. For more information or to purchase tickets to the event, visit www.DowntownWomensCenter.org/
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About Downtown Women’s Center
The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) is the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women. DWC envisions a Los Angeles with every woman housed and on a path to personal stability. Its mission is to end homelessness for women in greater Los Angeles through housing, wellness, employment and advocacy. Founded in 1978, DWC was the first permanent supportive housing provider for women in the U.S. Learn more at www.DowntownWomensCenter.org.
