Anne Douglas Center’s 25th Anniversary Celebration

Los Angeles, California — November 9, 2017 — Thursday evening the Los Angeles Mission held its 7th annual Legacy of Vision Gala. This year’s honoree was award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. She has won numerous awards over the course of her acting career (The Academy Award, SAG Award, BAFTA, and a Tony Award among others.)
Ms. Zeta-Jones received the Anne Douglas Award for her charitable work. The award was presented to Ms. Zeta-Jones by her husband, Academy Award winning actor Michael Douglas.

“Over the years, I have had the honor of watching Kirk and Anne Douglas live a life of selfless generosity. They have been an inspiration to all of us,” said Ms. Zeta-Jones. “Giving to worthy causes seems to be in the Douglas DNA. I will always treasure this award as it is named after someone I admire so much, Anne Douglas, she encompasses the true meaning of being charitable.”

“In the late 1980s, Anne Douglas’s heightened sensitivity turned a run of the mill tour of the Los Angeles Mission into a fresh vision of what needed to be done for women who had no voice, no hope and no place to go,” said Herb Smith, president of the Los Angeles Mission. “Anne Douglas has always been a keen observer. But it takes a special kind of vision to see what could be done to meet the unique needs of homeless women. Over the course of 25 years, the Anne Douglas Center has changed many lives. It has become a shining example of the way one woman’s faith and determination can make a huge difference in the lives of others. We owe Anne a debt of gratitude that we can only pay back by pouring our efforts into Anne’s labor of love, the Anne Douglas Center.”

At the gala, Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio received the Legacy of Vision Award. “Chef Voltaggio has been dedicating his considerable talents to planning our Thanksgiving Holiday Event’s gourmet meals since 2011,” said Smith. “Michael’s passion for helping people living on the streets is very real. His enthusiasm is infectious and he is greatly loved and appreciated at the Mission.” Voltaggio is the owner of the popular new restaurant ink.well.

The gala event was hosted by Michaela Pereira, anchor and host of the daily program “Michaela” on HLN. Music was provided by country music star Adam Craig.

The Anne Douglas Award is given each year to the person who has made significant contributions to the community. The award is named for Mrs. Douglas, the benefactor of the Los Angeles Mission’s Anne Douglas Center for Women and the wife of actor Kirk Douglas.

The Mission unveiled a new award statue during the night’s festivities. The “Anne” is an original sculpture by Antje Campbell. The individual figurine was presented to all previous Anne Douglas award honorees, and future winners will receive this award as well. A larger Campbell sculpture of three similar figures called “Caring is Sharing” was presented to Mrs. Douglas by the Mission.

The event took place at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

Sponsors for the event included the Goldwin Foundation, Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mr. George Shapiro, the Argyros Family Foundation, Go Country 105, Resource One, LA Trial Lawyers Charities, American Airlines, The Johnny Carson Foundation, City National Bank and Warner Brothers.

For more than 80 years, the Los Angeles Mission has served homeless and hurting men and women of downtown Los Angeles, providing emergency services such as shelter, food and clothing. In addition, the Los Angeles Mission also offers long-term residential rehabilitation programs, including education, job training, transitional housing and counseling.

 

Go to www.losangelesmission.org for more information about the Los Angeles Mission.