First published in the Dec. 10 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
Ascencia, Glendale’s leading homeless services agency, will host a memorial service to remember its clients who died from homelessness this year on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 4 p.m.
The community is invited to attend the service held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park on National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, an annual observance that takes place on the first day of winter, the longest night of the year, to raise awareness of the alarming number of deaths of people who have experienced or are experiencing homelessness every year. Ascencia will recognize them with dignity and respect by honoring our fellow human beings as their lives mattered. The tragic truth is that every day in Los Angeles County, five people die while living on the streets. In 2021, Los Angeles lost nearly 2,000 men, women and children to homelessness.
Located on the open grounds near Forest Lawn’s Memorial Park Museum Plaza, the event will be presided over by Reverend and Senior Minister Kris Tate of First United Church of Glendale and President of Ascencia’s Board of Directors, Bryan Longpre.
Dr. Laura Duncan, executive director of Ascencia, will also share about this special day, and Ascencia case managers will present a candlelight vigil and eulogize 16 Ascencia clients that died this year. They include Isaac Ayala, Manu Tanuvasa, Denise Lerma, Florence Grady Johnson, Michael Turner, Jesse Garza, Jose Vargas, Jasmine Ford, Melissa Lamsus, Annette Jackson, Marcus Paglialonga, Michael Berry, Harmik Soghomonian, Vincent Rojas, Kenneth Lasch and Michael Arrigo.
Ascencia is respectfully asking the community to consider bringing blankets, hand-warmers, gloves, beanies and scarves to be collected for Ascencia’s street outreach teams to pass out to the homeless while conducting street outreach and engagement.
State and local dignitaries are expected to attend to pay their respects and acknowledge the important work of Ascencia.
Sponsored by Pacific BMW & David L. Ho Jr., First United Methodist Church of Glendale, this annual memorial service is part of an ongoing effort by Ascencia to bring to the forefront the misconceptions of homelessness.
For more information about Ascencia or any of our upcoming events, please email cguerrero@ascenciaca.org.
