Fall Graduation Recap 2019
Celebrating Your Provision of Hope in the lives of our graduates!
Last Saturday, family, friends, staff, Rescue Mission alumni, and donors like YOU gathered to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of our students at Fall Graduation. Along with that, we celebrated that THERE ARE SOLUTIONS TO HOMELESSNESS in our community. Your faith, compassion, and support for the Rescue Mission are a crucial part of these solutions.
This Fall, 40 men, women, and children have successfully completed our 12-month program! Because of you, 40 individuals who were once homeless and hurting have experienced recovery and hope. We are truly ecstatic to see a group of hard-working individuals overcome homelessness and start anew!
Thank YOU for continuing to believe in our students through your compassion and giving. Your continued support provides the crucial resources, restoration, and hope that our students experience at the Rescue Mission!
Be sure to join us for our next graduation in the Spring! For now, watch the recap video to see the amazing results of your support at the San Diego Rescue Mission!
Your Impact | Sleepless 2019 Recap
Sleepless 2019: an amazing evening that brought our community together around our city’s #1 issue: homelessness. By attending, volunteering, and donating, families and people of all ages made an impact on our homeless. What was the impact?
Through the support of our sponsors and you, who peer to peer fundraised, we raised $160,000 to address homelessness in San Diego! Every dollar goes directly to the men, women and children experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
A big thanks to major sponsors:
Through your generous support and efforts, $40,700 of our campaign was raised through peer to peer fundraising alone. Together, we really can be the change our city needs!
Shout out to our top fundraising teams:
First place: Procopio
Second place: Hope
Third Place: Christian JH & HS
Hats off to you all for leading the way in our competition!
The impact and success of Sleepless 2019 would not have been possible without the help and support of our 60 volunteers. Our volunteers partnered with Rescue Mission Staff to provide an exceptional experience for all our participants this year! Sleepless was a major success thanks to participants, volunteers, and donors like YOU who decided to BE THE CHANGE that our community needs.
Join us in being the change at our Sleepless Service Day! Say “yes” to making a difference and be a part of reaching our homeless on the streets. Thank you for being a part of Sleepless 2019!
Sleepless Service Day
Saturday, October 26th
9am-noon
Downtown Clean-up & Outreach to the homeless
Meeting location to be announced
We will be cleaning up the streets of downtown San Diego, passing out the “I See You” kits, blankets, and puppy packs you created at Sleepless. It will be a great way to get out and show people their worth & value.
To RSVP: Sign up here: https://www.sdrescue.org/ServiceDay/
Mark your calendars for next year’s Sleepless: September 26th, 2020!
Allegra Vieux
Sleepless Organizer
Marketing & Events Coordinator
San Diego Rescue Mission
avieux@sdrescue.org
Sleepless 2019 Preview | A Night to be Inspired
“When my son Jeriah came to us, he would always complain of these stomach aches. We found out that he had ingested rocks. He was so hungry, neglected and malnourished where he was that he would fill his belly with gravel in order to feel full.” -Michael Ketterer, Influence Music
Michael Ketterer, our headlining artist for Sleepless 2019, made waves in mainstream media last year on America’s Got Talent. He started the season strong winning Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer, but his story captivated hearts across America.
“When we signed up for foster care, our very first call that we got was for 3 little boys being raised in a horrific, meth lab environment. They didn’t have running water or power.”
He and his wife Ivey say it was their daughter, Sofia, who had the idea to adopt from foster care. “It took her 2 years to convince us, and we never dreamed we would be a family of 8.”
The Ketterer family is a perfect example of why Sleepless exists. While they didn’t set out to change the world, they found their purpose and destiny through connecting with kids in their neighborhood…within 14 miles of their home, to be exact. “All our kids have come from pretty desperate situations. Shawn was living homeless on the streets. We got him when he was 4 years old. Rodrigo suffered from shaken infant syndrome.”
Sleepless is a night to inspire all of San Diego to help change the lives of our homeless community. Those local to San Diego see that this is our city’s number one issue. It begs the question: how do we change San Diego?
There’s no silver bullet to solving this issue. We have found that radical transformation happens one life at a time. If our community rallies together to reach those experiencing homelessness, we can see change in San Diego.
“Through the process of adoption, we have learned so much about the Father’s heart. He is not afraid of our brokenness. It doesn’t matter what we are or what we face, He is going to see us through to the end.”
On September 7th, Michael’s story is one of many that will inspire us. Every person taking the stage has a unique and inspiring story. Some experienced and overcame homelessness. Others have decided to get involved in solving our city’s #1 issue. All our performers and speakers share the same core belief: homelessness is not a lost cause to God.
What to expect at Sleepless
Sleepless is San Diego’s biggest family-friendly block party celebrating the transformation happening at the Rescue Mission.
Focused on fun for all ages, this year’s event includes amazing musical talent, including:
• Michael Ketterer, finalist for America’s Got Talent, with Air1 and KLove band Influence Music
• Social Beingz, UK-based urban pop duo flying in from Manchester
• Jon Keith, local San Diego rap sensation
• Ruslan, Sleepless host, hip-hop artist, and spoken word poet
Pastor Juan Valdez, lead pastor of Relentless Church, will be sharing his personal testimony of overcoming homelessness in his life. His message is powerful and will fill you with hope!
Expect to find family-fun activities for all ages:
• A silent disco
• “Shop For a Cause” Boutique featuring local artisans giving a percentage of proceeds to the Rescue Mission
• Service projects right onsite at the event
• In-N-Out Burger
• A 12-Hour Prayer Initiative led by local church partners
And of course, the optional overnight ‘Sleep-Out’ in the park to stand united for our brothers and sisters on the streets experiencing homelessness.
Participants are encouraged to make an impact at Sleepless 2019 through Peer-to-peer fundraising. Energetic supporters have already raised nearly $10,000 toward our goal of $50,000 for this year!
To donate, register, or start your own fundraising page, visit SleeplessSanDiego.org
“If 500 people each raised $100 to benefit the homeless, our goal is knocked out easily. I can’t wait to see how God moves through this fundraiser!” -Allegra Vieux, Marketing & Events Coordinator
YOU are the most important part of Sleepless 2019! See you on September 7th-8th.
