At GLIDE, we solemnly commemorate a dark chapter in human history. Six million innocent lives were tragically taken by hate, discrimination, and bigotry in the Holocaust.
This video serves as a tribute to the survivors, a reminder to never forget, and a plea for a world without hatred.
We invite you to join us in reflecting and sharing stories from our GLIDE family. Our goal is to create a world where love and compassion conquer hatred.
GLIDE is proud to have recently been given a Platinum rating – the highest from Candid (formerly Guidestar). This recognition is only bestowed on organizations with the highest financial transparency and accountability standards.
This award from Candid is a testament to GLIDE’s commitment to our community via program offerings and how we track and measure our impact as a social justice organization.
In 2023, only one percent of U.S.-based nonprofit organizations have been recognized with the Platinum Seal.
To earn the Candid Platinum Seal, nonprofit organizations must meet a rigorous set of criteria, including:
Providing complete and accurate information about their mission, programs, finances, and governance on Candid
Sharing their strategic priorities and information about their impacts
Being open to feedback and engagement from the public
For fiscal year 2023, 78 percent of our spending were directed to client services, assistance and support, including personnel and workforce development (which together comprised 61 percent of our spending). The remaining 22 percent of our expenses were for administration and technology enhancements.
Through its Finance, Investments and Audit Committees, GLIDE’s Board of Directors has exemplified prudence and diligence in fiscal oversight throughout the past fiscal year. In fiscal year 2024, we aim to enhance client services further by gaining efficiencies in other areas.
We hope that the Platinum Seal will instill high trust and comfort in our donors and supporters, knowing that their gift will go directly to those who need it most.
On a bright sunny day this past July 6, a crowd of people packed into the lobby at 330 Ellis Street, spilling out onto the sidewalk in both directions. Members of the Glide Ensemble belted out tunes while a cadre of elected officials, city leaders, and GLIDE staff eagerly gathered behind a long red ribbon.
With the gusto of a major milestone moment, the audience counted down the final 10 seconds to commemorate the reopening of our indoor dining services. Our Meals team cut the ribbon, signaling the moment in which our services transitioned back inside our building, marking GLIDE’s full return to on-site programming.
Seconds later, clients began streaming into the lobby and, for the first time in over 1,200 days, they enjoyed a delicious hot meal of GLIDE’s famous fried chicken in the comfort and community of our indoor dining room.
2023 was a momentous year for GLIDE. In addition to carefully laid out plans to reopen all of our direct-service programs, we began the implementation of a bold strategic plan, GLIDE Forward. This plan defines our next 60 years of service, building on the success and vision of our legendary founders, Reverend Cecil Williams and the late Janice Mirikitani.
One of the hallmark achievements of 2023 was the arrival of Dr. Gina Fromer, our new President & CEO. During the search process, Cecil recognized Dr. Gina as the future soul of GLIDE and a person who “knows what it will take to move GLIDE forward.”
While Dr. Gina was new to GLIDE, as a sixth-generation San Franciscan, GLIDE was not new to Dr. Gina. Several decades back, Gina was a young mom raising three boys on food stamps in the Bayview.
She came to GLIDE as a client to help make ends meet, and was taken by the kindness and unconditional love she received. Decades later, Gina walked through those same doors as our new President & CEO with a vow to “make sure, as CEO, the door never closes to moms like me.”
GLIDE Holiday Jam
2023 Achievements
Cecil’s passing of the baton to Dr. Gina was the capstone of several exciting achievements across the organization, a few of which are highlighted here:
GLIDE honored Cecil Williams’ enduring 60 year legacy at our annual Holiday Jam on Nov 9. The Jam raised over $2.5M in donations to GLIDE.
The Glide Memorial Church introduced a new mission and vision to guide our future work as a radically inclusive faith community.
The Center for Social Justice (CSJ) led 85 participants on our 4th annual Alabama Pilgrimage to confront the impact of centuries of systemic racism in the United States. The CSJ team also successfully led the Hunger Action Coalition, a state-wide advocacy effort that resulted in the investment of $500 million dollars towards anti-hunger initiatives. Currently, one in five Californians are food insecure.
Our finance team dedicated themselves to increasing the transparency and efficiency of our financial systems, resulting in the recognition of a Platinum level rating from Guidestar.
GLIDE’s Center for Applied Learning and Impact (CALI) launched new analytic methods to improve our data collection and evaluation, allowing us to make more informed, evidence-based, and client-driven decisions.
2023 GLIDE participants visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama
2024 Objectives
As GLIDE builds on the momentum from 2023, we are launching bold, ambitious plans in 2024:
We will return to Alabama in February for the 5th annual pilgrimage for racial justice with a group from UCSF and Men in Progress, GLIDE’s court-mandated batterers intervention program. On this trip, we will focus specifically on how systemic racism affects generational poverty, incarceration, and healthcare disparities.
We are thrilled to host a new Power of One Auction this spring. After an incredible 24 years of partnership that raised over $50 million for GLIDE, Warren Buffett will pass the torch to Marc Benioff as the new host.
We are reopening our historic Women’s Center in a newly refurbished space on the first floor of 330 Ellis Street, and look forward to further building community and providing support for our all female-identifying clients.
The Center for Social Justice will launch our inaugural Social Justice Academy, an exciting new initiative to catalyze the wisdom and expertise of people challenged by systemic inequities. The paid 17 week fellowship will provide education on community-based research, community organizing, and advocacy to uplift marginalized voices, center the wisdom of our community in policy circles, and empower individuals with the tools to drive social change.
Reverend Cecil Williams
Looking Forward
In the final Church Celebration of 2023, Cecil Williams’ spoke to a packed Church and said, “You’ve got to keep going, keep living. Love is here and now, and it is time to act.”
We invite you, our GLIDE community, to act and to be a part of this movement – 60 years in the making and growing stronger – as we continue our legacy of unconditional love and radical inclusivity.
Dear Friends,
As we pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am holding two ideas in my heart. The first is that Dr. King is celebrated and remembered in a mainstream Federal holiday, that his teachings are widely accepted and his legacy is cherished. The second idea is that his life’s work was–and continues to be–both critically necessary and deeply radical.
The same can be said for our work here at Glide. As we celebrate our 60 years of service in this beloved community, we are both a respected institution in the fabric of San Francisco and we are a radical and disruptive force fighting for inclusivity and justice. We know our work is not complete; and we are committed to being the love and hope and change that we want to see in our community.
Sometimes it feels like the winds are at our back. We are working side by side with political and civic leaders, and they are our partners in the struggle to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty, addiction and marginalization. And sometimes it feels like we are charging into the wind, facing blowback and resistance as we fight for racial justice, spiritual healing, food security and physical safety for our neighbors who are most in need.
Either way, we are buoyed by the teachings of Dr. King and we will never stop fighting and moving forward toward our shared goals. I am so excited about all of the things we are doing through our Glide Forward initiative to expand Glide’s services beyond our home in the Tenderloin and across this city as we continue to strive for the radical inclusivity that Dr. King and our own Rev. Cecil Williams helped us to imagine.
Please join me as we come together to build a beloved community through unity, service, and transformation. There are several opportunities to honor Dr. King’s legacy by working toward a more just and equitable society, where everyone is valued and respected.
CELEBRATING MARTIN LUTHER KING AT GLIDE:
Day of Service at GLIDE:
Date: Sunday, January 14
First Church Celebration: 9:00 AM
Take Action: 10:00 to 1:00 Sign Letters, Petitions, Voter Registration and Education
Second Church Celebration: 11:00 AM
Community Service: 1:00 to 2:30 PM Trash pick-up and distribution of items needed by our homeless neighbors. Please click here to register for the event.
March with GLIDE for the annual MLK March:
Date: Monday, January 15
We also hope you will join us on Monday, January 15th at the annual MLK march at Yerba Buena Gardens. Each year we march in celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The march begins at 11 am at the San Francisco CalTrain Station (at 4th and King) and ends at Yerba Buena Gardens. After the march, join us at Yerba Buena Gardens for a spoken word and civil rights program at 11:45 am, hosted by Minister Marvin K. White, along with a performance by the Glide Ensemble.
To march with Glide Church, please arrive at the corner of 4th and Townsend between 9:45 and 10:30 am and look for the GLIDE signs. RSVP to receive additional information about the events. You can also reach out to Freddy Martin, our Congregational Life and Community Engagement Manager, at fmartin@glide.org or 415-674-6168 to learn more about how you can get involved.
We celebrate Dr. King’s legacy on this particular day in January, but our work is never done. The opportunities to be involved at Glide are endless and I hope you will continue to fight and to celebrate with us in this new year.
Warmly,
Dr. Gina Fromer President & CEO
We are thrilled to welcome Gwendolyn Cornwell as GLIDE’s new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
Gwendolyn has lived in Northern California for over 25 years. She brings over 20 years of HR experience working for community-based non-profit organizations. A graduate of Notre dame de Namur, she earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology and has dedicated her career to serving mission oriented organizations.
Most recently Gwendolyn worked with Children’s Council of San Francisco (CCSF) for six years as their CHRO. In this role, she managed the Union relationship and led the strategy for talent management, benefits, compensation, and HR operations. Prior to CCSF, she spent four years as the Director for the Ann Martin Center and eight years as the HR Manager with California Institute of Integral Studies.
Gwendolyn is a mother of two and when her kids were younger, she spent many years traveling across the country as a proud hockey and soccer mom. When not working, you can find her spending time with her three young grandkids, hiking outdoors with her charcoal lab, or retreating to Southern California to visit family and friends.
Please join us in welcoming Gwendolyn to the team!
#GlideForward
We are thrilled to welcome Allyson Halpern as GLIDE’s new Chief Advancement Officer.
Allyson has spent her career in nonprofit management and philanthropy, specializing in mission-driven organizations that are starting up and/or at a critical stage of growth.
Most recently she worked at Life Learning Academy (LLA) as its first Chief Advancement Officer, building the systems and capacity for major philanthropic growth.
Prior to LLA, she spent seven years at 826 Valencia, where she helped the organization expand to two additional sites, triple its contributed income, amass a significant financial reserve, and double its student reach.
Allyson was raised in Massachusetts, and she has a special love for autumn leaves and Maine lobstah. When not working, you can find her solving NYT word puzzles on her phone, loving on her black Lab Ozzy, or hanging with her husband Dan and wondering how their two daughters grew up so fast.
Please join us in welcoming Allyson to the team!
#GlideForward
Toys fill up the Sanctuary pews.
The winter holiday season means sharing quality time with friends, handing out gifts, singing songs of joy, and lighting candles. It also means collecting, packing, and putting approximately 2,400 toys into nearly 400 bags for distribution to underprivileged children throughout the Tenderloin!
Every year, GLIDE puts out the call for toys and gifts for those families facing difficult times. And each time, you deliver! Thanks to the volunteers, our board of directors, corporate donors, and to the more than 1,000 of you who purchased a toy off our Amazon toy-drive registry, we managed to fill our Sanctuary pews with gifts galore.
GLIDE Board member Crickett Brown Glad volunteers to package toys.
Of course, funding the operations of a Toy Bag Giveaway does not come for free. Our Board of Directors stepped in when it needed to and thanks to a personal donation by Board Member Crickett Brown Glad, we could get these toys to the children in need.
“This is such a wonderful event because we’re making a difference in so many children’s lives,” said Crickett. “Serving 500+ kids here in the Tenderloin, it’s an extraordinary opportunity to give of your heart and give a little bit of your pocketbook.”
GLIDE President & CEO, Dr. Gina Fromer
For GLIDE’s new President & CEO, Dr. Gina Fromer, our Toy Bag-Giveaway embodies the spirit of giving forward. “I almost came to tears when I saw the amazing love shared by our community to the thousands of families we serve,” said Gina. “I remember getting toys at Christmas for my kids and the way it made me feel as a mother. The outpouring of Glide’s spirit is infectious. We wish all families a happy holiday season.”
GLIDE’s Toy Bag Giveaway made 2,400 toys available to kids across the Tenderloin.
GLIDE Board member and “Mayor of the Tenderloin” Del Seymour volunteered to fill bags. For Del, the necessity of this year’s contribution cannot be understated. “This annual event that GLIDE has been doing takes on even greater importance this time around because of today’s economic situation. We’re seeing an increase in the amount of children in need of gifts, especially due to a rise in immigration of families coming into San Francisco from other countries.”
GLIDE Staff Board member Chris Cimino (on the right) and Jake Pszonowsky fill bags with toys.
Maya, of Salesforce, volunteers to place toys in bags in Glide Memorial Sanctuary.
Glide arranged for volunteers (including a team from Kaiser Permanente) to come in and place toys in the bags seated in the church pews. For Salesforce volunteer Maya, this was a chance to make the end of the year holidays more meaningful while confronting the reality some families face in uncertain times.
“I think what’s special about Glide’s Toy Give Away is the chance to help others, especially around the holidays. I know we all can recognize our own privilege and I think it’s a real nice thing to be able to give back to the community, and make sure that as many families as possible feel supported and appreciated,” said Maya. “Every kid just wants to wake up with presents during the holidays. I’m glad to be able to help facilitate that experience.”
Salesforce volunteer team packages toys inside Glide Memorial Sanctuary.
A superfecta of 2023 end-of-year holiday events saw GLIDE’s presence illuminate across the City, including participation in lighting ceremonies at Golden Gate Park, Boeddeker Park, in the Castro and at Chase Stadium.
GLIDE’s Minister of Celebration Marvin K. White speaks about the Kinara, or candle holder (in Swahili) that honors African American culture in Golden Gate Park.
Golden Gate Park Candle Lighting
Fighting systemic injustices also means celebrating our hard-fought victories. GLIDE does this in many ways but our glow also radiates towards the end of the year when we join hands with our brothers and sisters in lighting candles, singing songs of merriment, and spreading holiday joy throughout San Francisco.
Celebrating 350 years since John McLaren planted the Cyprus tree at the entrance to Golden Gate Park, city officials gathered on December 7th to light Hanukkah candles, the Kinara and the Christmas Tree.
Mayor London Breed, CA Senator Scott Weiner and Minister Marvin K White were some of the individuals who spoke at the event. You can watch Minister Marvin’s speech about Kwanza by watching the video above. The event was covered by KRON4.
Mayor London Breed, Senator Scott Weiner, State Assemblymember Matt Haney and SF Supervisor Dean Preston help light the tree in Boedekker Park.
Tenderloin Candle Lighting at Boeddeker Park
On Friday, December 15th, the Tenderloin community celebrated the holidays with a tree lighting celebration in Boeddeker Park. Erik Arguello, of the Center for Social Justice helped to plan the event with community partners. Two groups of GLIDE’s ever popular dance group, Glidettes performed, singing festive songs.
The event included activities for kids, a visit from Santa and Miss Claus, words from city officials and performances by Tenderloin community groups. The event was covered by KTVU.
Glidettes performing at Boeddeker Park.Erik Arguello, Joanne Adams and Assessor Joaquin Torres were in attendance.
The Glide Pride Team goes caroling through the Castro.
Lighting up the Castro with Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
On Saturday, December 16th the Glide Pride team went caroling through the Castro. Singing Christmas carols with the justice-centered lyrics crafted by Janice Mirikitani and the Rev. Cecil Williams, the congregational life group spread joy and invited all passing by to join us at Glide Memorial Church for our Christmas Eve (9 and 11 am) and Christmas Day Celebrations (10 am).
Glide Ensemble performing at Joy to the City at Chase Center.
Light and Gospel at the Chase Center
On Sunday, December 17th the Glide Ensemble performed at the Joy to the City Event co-hosted by Code Tenderloin and Assemblymember Matt Haney. The event provided 3,000 children with Christmas toys, books, lunch and groceries.
The gospel-filled singing of the Glide Ensemble helped to lift the spirits of all who gathered and helped Tenderloin and South of Market families learn more about the unconditional love and radical welcome at Glide. You can listen to The Glide Ensemble’s performance by watching the videos below.
On December 21, GLIDE will collect toys, packing them into bags and distributing them to children (up to 11 years) who are enrolled in GLIDE programs.
We are now collecting toys through our Amazon toy-drive registry. Please help us make this year’s Toy Wonderland a memorable one for the children by donating today!
Interesting in making a bulk donation of toys to bring holiday magic to hundreds of children and their families?
Contact Anya Hill at ahill@glide.org or call 415-674-6148.
Thanksgiving was back indoors at GLIDE and our Daily Free Meals Program delivered the goods by anticipating the full rush of hungry diners and serving 2,400 + meals, along with 240 meals delivered by our Harm Reduction team.
Thanks to our many volunteers (including an appearance by San Francisco motorcycle club Kings of Cali) and staff, hundreds of turkeys and hams were carved and prepared for consumption, including more than 1,300 pounds of potatoes, nearly 1,000 pounds of fresh vegetables, several hundred gallons of stuffing, all to the delight of our Glide community.
Glide Minister of Celebration, Marvin K. White hosted a Thanksgiving Celebration service, featuring not only music from the GLIDE Ensemble and Change Band but appearances by San Francisco Mayor London Breed and California Assemblyman Matt Haney.
Special volunteer shout-outs to SFPD Chief Bill Scott, SFFD Chief Jeanine Nicholson, and San Francisco Accessor-Recorder Joaquin Torres. In addition to members of local groups, Both Sides of the Conversation and U.N.I.T.Y. and the rest of our 200+ volunteers!
“Today, I see a bright, shining star,” said Mayor Breed. “The new president & CEO, Dr. Gina Fromer. I’ve worked with Dr. Fromer over the years, and I can tell you she brings so much happiness and joy to her work. I know that all of the great work she did at the San Francisco Children’s Council she will also bring to Glide.”
“Today is about gratitude. I woke up this morning and I said to myself that I am so grateful for family, for my job, for my faith, for my church, and for my children, and for all the people working on behalf of the city of San Francisco,” said Dr. Gina Fromer, president & CEO of Glide.”
Dr. Fromer reminded us that Thanksgiving is not just one day. It’s every day. GLIDE gives every day back to our community. “Volunteers, serving food every day, our Walk-In-Center, delivering bags of groceries to those in need, GLIDE is not just a building but is about taking our goods and services to the people.”
Assemblyman Matt Haney took to the pulpit and spoke to the history of GLIDE and its relationship to the city. “GLIDE is the most essential, iconic institution in San Francisco when it comes to representing our values,” said Haney in front of the GLIDE faithful.
“Thanksgiving is the only holiday we have dedicated to gratitude. Living in the Tenderloin is living in the most diverse neighborhoods in the world. And the folks who live here overwhelmingly treat each other with friendship, kindness, and compassion. We need GLIDE more than ever.”
