The Power to Change a Life Is in All of Us.
16 Years. Hundreds of Mondays.
Mondays at the Mission began in 2010 with a simple idea: bring the world to young people who might otherwise never have access to it.
We Tell Our Students the Sky is Not the Limit...
...And then we introduce them to people who have proved it.
Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon.
Diana Nyad swam from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.
Adrian Grenier has taken his voice from Hollywood to the United Nations.
These are just a few of the wonderful career professionals from around the world who have walked into our classroom to share their stories, wisdom, and what they’ve learned along the way. From Olympians and Grammy winners to politicians, educators, filmmakers, musicians, and innovators, our students have the opportunity to learn directly from people who have dared to pursue extraordinary lives.
And most importantly, these visits give teenagers the chance to ask questions and imagine what might be possible for themselves.
For a child growing up in financial poverty, their path forward can be far steeper than most of us will ever know.
With systemic barriers and circumstances beyond their control, a future beyond poverty can, at times, be painfully out of reach. At an age when they should be enjoying the precious gifts of childhood, they are instead surrounded by a harsh reality they did not choose and have no power to change. They are innocent children. They cannot escape the hand they have been dealt. It is not fair to them. It is an injustice.
That is why, we're still here next Monday.
And the Monday after that.
And the Monday after that.
Superheroes Don’t Always Wear Capes
The heartbeat of Mondays at the Mission is our brilliant team of volunteer mentors. Boots on the ground and behind the scenes, they are champions behind every Monday, giving their time, opening their hearts, and showing up week after week with an unwavering belief in the students.
Their consistency creates something powerful over time: trust, confidence, curiosity, skills, meaningful relationships, and a growing faith in the goodness of humanity.
Our mentors have helped thousands of students stay in school, discover their unique gifts and talents, remember that they matter, and pursue higher education.
The Union Rescue Mission
The youth we serve live at Union Rescue Mission (URM) on Skid Row.
Established in 1891, URM has spent more than 130 years helping people experiencing homelessness. Its Downtown Ministry provides shelter, emergency services, meals, showers, medical and mental-health, legal services, and recovery programs.
They house an average of 1,322 people every night.
The work URM does is hard, demanding, and deeply crucial. Their dedicated team shows up every day in one of the most difficult environments in the country to help people in crisis.
In 2010, then-President and CEO Andy Bales had the vision and faith to open the doors of Union Rescue Mission to something entirely new, trusting that a simple idea could become something far greater. By welcoming Mondays at the Mission into the shelter, he gave the program a home in which to take root, grow, and ultimately touch the lives of generations of young people.
Classes take place every Monday, year-round, with the exception of national holidays.
The Reality of Skid Row
“It is a FEMA-like, Red Cross-like, National Guard-like disaster.”
— Rev. Andy Bales, former President and CEO of Union Rescue Mission
Skid Row is a roughly 50-block neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles with one of the largest concentrations of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Thousands of people live on its streets, in tents, shelters, and supportive housing.
In LA County, more than 72,000 men, women, and children are experiencing homelessness, and more than 43,000 of them are living without shelter.
The conditions on the streets of Skid Row can be severe. Addiction and drug use are highly visible. Fentanyl and other substances have contributed to devastating loss of life. Mental illness, overdose, violence, crime, sexual assault, prostitution, poverty, and addiction exist in an extraordinarily concentrated area.
Streets and sidewalks can be crowded with tents, trash, discarded belongings, human waste, and debris. Public agencies regularly deploy specialized sanitation teams to address the crisis.
This is no place to grow up.
Every time our students leave the shelter, they have to walk back into this world. They pass through it on their way to school, while waiting for a bus, on their way to the park, and every time they step outside. Then they come home to it.
Growing up on Skid Row can profoundly shape a young person’s sense of self-worth, safety and security, whether they believe they belong in society, and what they believe is possible for their lives. Most painfully, it can begin to erode something every child deserves to have: hope. The belief that there is another world waiting for them.
But when Monday night ends, the challenges don't. Our students return to lives shaped by circumstances far beyond their control. Poverty, disrupted education, family hardship and the daily realities of growing up without a stable foundation. The odds are stacked against them.
SKID ROW IS NO PLACE FOR A CHILD.
