Abode Services Shares Successes, Goals at Breakfast Fundraiser

Abode Services presented its 18th annual Journey Home Breakfast fundraiser on Friday with a virtual program, broadcasting a nearly half-hour video in which supporters made donations and pledges that will help the nonprofit organizaton continue its mission to end homelessness.

The March 3 event, titled the Journey Home Breakfast at Home, can be watched again at journeyhome.abodeservices.org — the event’s special website where the livestreamed program premiered Friday morning. Viewers can also find the breakfast — Abode’s only fundraiser of the year — at abodeservices.org.

This year’s program presented a video featuring four Abode Services clients: Mandy, Fred, Tina, and Albert. Each client shared their personal story about overcoming challenges that led to homelessness before turning their lives around and gaining permanent housing with Abode Services’ help.

Louis Chicoine, Abode Services’ chief executive officer, joined longtime colleague Jean Morgan, Abode’s director of community outreach, in a video in which they reminisced about the organization’s origins and discussed the vision for its evolving future.

“People have seen we’re making a difference, that we’re getting more and more people into their homes and helping them change their lives,” Chicoine said. “We have a moral obligation to grow because we have so much more work to do to solve the problem of homelessness. The Journey Home Breakfast allows us to share our plans and goals for our mission, as well as invite supporters to help us with those efforts.”

Former Fremont Vice Mayor Anu Natarajan served as the event’s emcee. In addition, Abode Services Board President Tarrah Henrie provided viewers with more details on how they can give to help Abode provide housing and services to the community’s most vulnerable residents.

Donations to the annual fundraiser can still be made online at journeyhome.abodeservices.org. Also, thanks to an anonymous donor, all gifts for the program will be matched up to $50,000.

Lastly, we would like to thank the event’s generous sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors were BBI Construction and Kaiser Permanente.

Premier Sponsors included Ann and Alden Danner; Cahill Contractors; Fremont Bank; and Marx/Okubo.

Major Sponsors were Alameda Alliance for Health; BKF Engineers; Branagh Construction; Digital Nirvana, Inc.; Heritage Bank of Commerce; Herman Coliver Locus Architecture; Lowney Architecture; and Washington Hospital Healthcare System.

Supporting Sponsors included Bernard, Balgley & Bonaccorsi LLP; Blach Construction Company; Element Structural Engineers, Inc.; Gonsalves & Kozachenko Attorneys at Law; Gunkel Architecture; Hayward-Tri-City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; HKIT Architects; Indo-Americans for Better Community; PYATOK Architecture & Urban Design; and Santa Clara County Housing Authority.

For more information about the Journey Home Breakfast at Home, contact Carol Arata at carata@abodeservices.org or 510-657-7409 ext. 203.