First published in the Oct. 20 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
Photos by Larissa Althouse
The Outlook
Give-Mentor-Love Foundation (GML) hosted its annual fundraiser on Oct. 1 with more than 200 in attendance.
The event raised $833,000 toward building a sanctuary for 18- to 21-year-old young adults victims rescued from the sex trade. GML Art Director Ellen Lewis and her assistant, Pearl Luc, developed and designed the theme “Imagine — a World of Fear Turned Into a World of Wonder,” a magical evening held at Paul Rusnak’s car collection museum.
The gala featured a Giving Tree, silent and live auctions, and a video produced by Steve Bland with Big Logo Advertising sharing GML’s partners’ stories of how GML’s support and mentoring helps those they serve. One of the most emotional parts of the evening was a video inspired by a song written by Lance Woodruff with Premium Audio Services, which then developed it into a video showing the raw reality of life on the streets for teenage victims of sex trafficking.
GML Foundation thanked its event sponsors, supporters and guests for the overwhelming success in raising funds to build a sanctuary for formerly sexually exploited children who age-out of the foster care system. This sanctuary will provide housing, educational support, and mentoring for 18- to 21-year-old victims not fully healed and capable of thriving as an independent adult.
“There are so many very generous sponsors and supporters to thank for the great success of this fundraiser,” said organization Founder Donna Pierson. “We walked into the gala just shy of a half a million dollars in sponsorships and donations, and our guests at our gala did the rest.
“This support is so important because most of these victims quickly return to the street once they leave foster care because most have not achieved a high school diploma, have only learned survival vs. living and social skills, and have not emotionally healed from the trauma they experienced,” she added. “This sanctuary will help them develop into thriving independent adults. I am deeply grateful to everyone’s support and concern for these invisible victims.”
