Philanthropist Alex von Furstenberg announced last week he would donate $50,000 from the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation to the Los Angeles Mission and the Anne Douglas Center for Women. The donation is an attempt to change lives for the better in the Angeleno community.
“It was immediately apparent what a true and powerful impact the Los Angeles Mission is having on people in need,” said Alex von Furstenberg. “I was particularly inspired by the stories of women who have regained their way through the rehabilitation and career development program at the Anne Douglas Center, and I am honored to support such a significant cause.
“I am in awe of what this organization is achieving,” Alex Von Furstenberg added.
The Los Angeles Mission is a charity that provides much-needed services to the homeless denizens of Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row, a neighborhood in the eastern part of downtown and home to one of the largest stable homeless populations in the developed world. The mission is one of many volunteer organizations that works to better the lives of Skid Row’s less-fortunate residents, providing shelter, food and clothing to those in need. Additionally, the mission offers job training and placement services, opportunities for transitional housing, and substance abuse counseling for homeless Angelenos.
The Anne Douglas Center for Women is a specialized branch of the mission, formed in the 1990s, that offers rehabilitation and professional development services to homeless women who are desperately trying to improve their lives. The center’s year-long intensive rehabilitation program teaches its homeless charges how to live their lives without relying on drugs, alcohol, or the unhealthy relationships that have driven many of them to the brink.
The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, a nonprofit group led by director and secretary Alex Von Furstenberg, is heavily involved in a wide range of community improvement efforts, from extracurricular activity programs for children to subsidies for social workers’ salaries, allowing them to maintain a better standard of living and be better equipped to deal with the problems of their clients.