Our Evening
On Sunday, October 8th, Home for Refugees USA hosted its 5th Annual Gala and Auction. We are so excited to share the results with you! Our goal for the evening was to increase awareness and generate support for refugees being resettled here in our communities. Our evening program was inspirational, the Mediterranean cuisine was fantastic, and we are so pleased to share that we have raised $40,700 so far towards resettling refugee families. We are so thankful for our evening together and the goals we achieved. We know we could not have done it without the generosity of our donors and our passionate board of directors and volunteers. From the bottom of our hearts, thank YOU!
Our theme for the 2023 Gala was "Love Carries On" from Job 29:14-16. And, love DOES carry on. Together we were uplifted by the many ways this was evident at Sunday’s event, reflecting on the remarkable milestones HFR has reached. This past year, HFR resettled our 157th family unit since we started nearly 7 years ago. Additionally, we coached 37 Home Teams in Indiana, Alaska and California — welcoming 26 from Afghanistan, 5 from Ukraine, 2 from Syria, 2 from Iran, 1 from Mexico, and 1 from Honduras.
Special Thanks to Our 2023 Gala Speakers
Minda Schweizer, MDiv – Executive Director of Home for Refugees USA
Henna Pithia, Esq, Interim Director of International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) and Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor of Law at USC’s Gould School of Law
https://gould.usc.edu/academics/experiential/clinics/ihrc/
Serhii Savrii from Ukraine and Home Team 86 from
St. Peters by the Sea Presbyterian Church in Huntington Beach
Special Thanks to Our 2023 Gala Planning Committee
Abigail Moore, HFR Staff, Gala Director
Minda Schweizer, MDiv, HFR Executive Director
Angie Roundy, MBA, MA, Board Member
Betty Christiansen
Ginger Longwell
John Omiesh, MA HFR Staff
Megan Saia, Esq, Board Chair
Sarah Rasmussen, MPH, Board Member
Susan Serpa, Board Member
Special Thanks to our 2023 Gala Service Donors
Angie and Paul Roundy
Betty and Eric Christiansen
Canvas Church, Irvine — https://canvasoc.org/
Christakis Greek Cuisine, Tustin — https://christakisgreekcuisine.com/
Circle K Club, University of California, Irvine — https://ucicirclek.com/
Ginger and John Longwell
Kevin and Melanie Butler
Megan and Jon Saia
Mark and Susan Serpa
Sarah and Bodie Rasmussen
St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach — https://www.stmarkpresbyterian.org/
Target — https://www.target.com/
The Lost Vine, Tustin — https://thelostbean.com/pages/the-lost-vine
The Habit Burger Grill — https://www.habitburger.com/
The Lost Bean Organic Coffee and Tea — https://thelostbean.com/
Trinity United Presbyterian Church, Santa Ana — https://trinityconnection.com/
Trader Joe’s — Irvine (Culver), Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, and Woodbury — https://www.traderjoes.com/home
Grocery Outlet, Tustin — https://www.groceryoutlet.com/
Special Thanks to our Our 2023 Gala Silent Auction Donors
Apple Athletics — https://kidssportsacademyfountainvalley.com/
Bear Coast Coffee — https://bearcoastcoffee.com/
Bethany Ayala
Christakis Greek Cuisine — https://christakisgreekcuisine.com/
Dream Dinners, Lake Forest — https://dreamdinners.com/location/lake-forest
Dunkin’ Donuts, Pasadena — https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en
Elements Massage, Brea — https://elementsmassage.com/
Free Motion Sports Massage — https://www.massagebook.com/Costa_Mesa~Massage~FM-SportsMassage/
H Mart — https://www.hmart.com/
In-N-Out — https://www.in-n-out.com/
John Omiesh
Megan Saia, Esq,
Nothing Bundt Cakes, Brea — https://www.nothingbundtcakes.com/
Pacific Short-Term Rentals
Pacific Symphony — https://www.pacificsymphony.org/
Pam and Biff Oliver
Philz Coffee — https://philzcoffee.com/
Pure Precision Chiropractic — https://www.pureprecisionchiro.com/
Regal Wine Company
Rockreation Sport Climbing Center, Costa Mesa — https://www.rockreation.com/
Roger Dunn Golf Shops, Mission Viejo — https://www.worldwidegolfshops.com/store/roger-dunn-golf-shops-ca-92692/4?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6tPwtuvzgQMVgAqtBh32PgDFEAAYASAAEgKj_fD_BwE
Sarah and Bodie Rasmussen
South Coast Repertory — https://www.scr.org/
Spotless OC, LLC — https://spotless-oc.com/
Target — https://www.target.com/
The Lost Bean Organic Coffee & Tea — https://thelostbean.com/
Trader Joe’s Brea & La Habra — https://www.traderjoes.com/home
YogaSix Yorba Linda — https://www.yogasix.com/location/yorba-linda
Questions :: For any questions regarding our Gala 2023, please contact Minda Schweizer at info@hfrusa.org.