Rachel Capoccia

One in three people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles are women.  I have joined together with my friend Susan Allison in a fundraising team to help the Downtown Women's during this campaign as they strive to end homelessness for women in Los Angeles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here is a link to our team page: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/together-housed/team/867314/

I have been on the Board of the DWC since 2015.  I first learned about the organization in 2014 through volunteer activities with my former law firm, Alston & Bird.  Through A&B, I participated in several events including annual cooking clubs in the day center when we volunteered to cook and serve lunch for the women using the day center those days.  Every cooking club is a rewarding experience and it reminds us all of how much need there is in our city for services like those provided by DWC.  Now my current firm, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell sponsors two cooking clubs a year and I'm proud to introduce more folks, including Susan and our JMBM colleagues, to the DWC.

Last summer, back when we could all leave our homes, my husband and I hosted a friends and family Cooking Club, that included my niece, Carolyn Smith, and my great-nieces Gillian and Caitlyn, who were visiting from Texas.  Then later in the summer some other Board members and I won a charity auction of a Cooking Club with cast members from HBO's Insecure.  We all had a great time, as is evident in the photo below, and the cast members, Natasha Rothwell, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Ellis, were fun and incredibly kind.  They are all good friends of the DWC.  

When I was invited to join the Board, I was sold on DWC's mission and delighted to be able to serve.  DWC has the most involved and caring Board members I have had the honor to work with, and I hope to participate for years to come.  I have seen first hand through volunteering and Board activities how committed and responsive DWC's executives and staff are to the issues of women's homelessness in Los Angeles.  You can rest assured that the money you donate will help countless women in our city.  

We know 2020 is a challenging year -- boy do we know it -- and that it may be more difficult to donate than in other years.  We understand that everyone is struggling.  But know that any amount you can afford will be appreciated and will go to help alleviate the struggles of other less fortunate.  Thank you all so much for your consideration.  Stay safe and sane!

Learn more about the DWC at www.DowntownWomensCenter.org.