You are invited to join BOSS (Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency) as they celebrate four and a half decades of working for social, racial and economic justice and equity, an end to homelessness and dignity and opportunity for all. The mission of BOSS is to help homeless, poor, and disabled people achieve health and self-sufficiency and to fight against the root causes of poverty and homelessness.
WHEN: Sat., Oct. 29, 6-9pm
WHERE: The Pavilion at Scott’s Seafood in Jack London Square
WHAT: A very special celebration in the spirit of Marti Gras to commemorate a legacy of service!
- Dinner with a special Creole menu
- Live Zydeco music by Grammy-nominated Andre Thierry
- Oakland Youth Chorus
- Comedian J-Red
- Vocalist Rhonda Benin
- Mistress of Ceremonies -Emily Turner, KPIX5
- Keynote Speaker – Alex Briscoe, Tipping Point Comunity
- Legacy awards to Keith Carson – Alameda County Board of Supervisors, San Francisco Foundation and Lateefah Simon – Akonadi Foundation
- Online Silent Auction – bid now! Bid often.*
Buy your tickets (scroll down page) or become a sponsor and get tickets for FREE!
*SILENT AUCTION What can you bid on? All kinds of great things like A Night at Hotel Shattuck with Breakfast for 2 at FIVE, Tasting and Tour of St. George Spirits in Alameda, Tickets to the Oakland Symphony, Spa package from International Orange, Indoor Rock Climbing or Skydiving, or Family fun at Slide Ranch Farm, and many, many more! All items will be available for final bids at Gala!
Funds will support BOSS’s year-round programs to TURN LIVES AROUND.
BOSS is at the cutting edge of innovation to help solve the most pressing issues of our time – homelessness, poverty and mass incarceration.
About BOSS:
Forty Five years ago a group of volunteers from Berkeley’s Jewish community came together to respond to the growing number of mentally ill homeless on the streets, following the closing of state mental hospitals. They pooled their resources, energy, empathic wisdom, and love into a volunteer-led outreach effort, the Hillel Streetwork Project. Volunteers talked with people on the streets, directing them to safe respite and referring them to health care or housing.
It was, and still is, a labor of love.
Today, that small street outreach project has grown into award-winning comprehensive, evidenced-based Alameda County-wide initiatives that fight poverty at 20 programs in Berkeley, Oakland, and Hayward. BOSS now employees over 150 full-time staff, interns and trainees. They have built dozens of public-private partnerships and have a track record of developing meaningful and impactful services – housing navigation, mental health case management, education, employment and violence intervention services and shelters, transitional and permanent supportive housing programs that have improved the lives of thousands of Alameda County residents. BOSS is at the cutting edge of innovation to help solve the most pressing issues of our time – homelessness, poverty, and mass incarceration. (by Sonja Fitz)
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