Annual Fundraiser with Annabelle Gurwitch

Two Events for One Great Cause!

Annual Gala to End Homelessness

On September 30th at 5pm at the beautiful patio garden at the Santa Barbara Club, New Beginnings held their annual benefit, which featured an interview and discussion with Annabelle Gurwitch, a New York Times best-selling author, activist, and advocate who recently became a landlord to house a young couple living in their vehicle. The evening included a Meet-and-greet, dinner, live interview, book-signing, and more. The interview was conducted with Beth Farnsworth, our community’s award-winning journalist.

Free Virtual Event for Supporters of Homeless Issues

On October 7th at 4pm, we held a lively discussion with New York Times best-selling author and activist, Annabelle Gurwitch and Modern Family star Julie Bowen. This free virtual event enabled us to share highlights of Annabelle’s incredibly powerful (yet humorous) story about her own journey with addressing homelessness. We really enjoyed educating community members about Annabelle and her work as a landlord.

Annabelle’s Biography

Annabelle is the author of five books, a finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing, and was the longtime co-host of Dinner & a Movie on TBS and a regular commentator on NPR. Her writing appears in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, WSJ, The New Yorker and Hadassah Magazine amongst other outlets. Annabelle’s been featured on The Today Show, GMA, Real Time, CBS This Morning, PBS Newshour, Oprah, amongst others. She’s been included in Time Magazine’s annual “10 Ideas that are Changing the World” issue.

Annabelle was the seventh household to participate in a host home program sponsored by Safe Place for Youth in Los Angeles. Her op-ed in The Los Angeles Times about the experience, included in You’re Leaving When?, was recognized with a Los Angeles Press Club Excellence in Journalism Award in 2020. Annabelle is a tireless campaigner for addressing inequities in society. She aims to bring new energy, awareness, and funding to keep our neighbors from falling into homelessness. The two things she looked forward to the most after being vaccinated were standing in the crowded line at her local Jeni’s Ice Cream without worry, and returning to her volunteer work with unhoused youth.

She co-hosts the weekly Tiny Victories podcast which Vulture calls “a bright spot of light and laughter.” The show celebrates small mercies and minor joys, but her greatest joy comes from finding new ways of being useful to her community and the world at large.

You can also check out Annabelle’s latest appearance on Real Time!