###FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE###
CONTACT:
Tri Nguyen: 415-608-6237
tnguyen@glide.org
Join GLIDE’s Community Ambassadors for I Love Tenderloin Day
Ambassadors celebrate the under-appreciated neighborhood they serve
WHAT: Join GLIDE’s Cecil Williams Community Ambassadors for “I Love Tenderloin Day,” and/or shadow them on their rounds around the neighborhood. Witness their work to transform the Tenderloin into a place of love, safety, and joy for our clients and businesses.
WHEN: By appointment on Thursday, December 12th or Friday, December 13th: shadow community ambassadors as they walk and serve the neighborhood they love (12th) and celebrate I Love Tenderloin Day (13th).
I Love Tenderloin Day has a full day’s schedule of event programming taking place on the 13th (see flyer for details of location/timing).
WHERE: Start at GLIDE
330 Ellis Street, San Francisco
Then tour the Tenderloin neighborhood, or stop by festive events.
WHY: I Love Tenderloin Day celebrates the beauty and joy of the Tenderloin: and there is no better tour guide on the Tenderloin’s special day, than the ambassadors who care for the neighborhood! After nearly 7,000 interactions with people in the streets since their kick-off in August of this year, the Cecil Williams Community Ambassadors have placed 24 people in shelters or permanent housing, helped 16 unhoused people return home, reversed 13 overdoses, and helped 28 people join recovery support groups. Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie recently stated, “I am committed to getting our behavioral health crisis under control, starting on Day One of my administration.” Evidence shows street ambassadors are vital tools for changing a city’s behavioral health, and this is a great opportunity to see their positive work in action.
BACKGROUND: Our Community Ambassadors’ Program was launched to honor the life and legacy of Reverend Cecil Williams. Ambassadors create safer and cleaner streets, connect people to services and support groups, and build community with residents, businesses, and service providers. Watching them work with residents and small businesses in the Tenderloin is an uplifting experience which gives insight into the neighborhood’s challenges and strengths. The Tenderloin is a vibrant and diverse community, home to the city’s largest number of families, thriving immigrant communities, cultural events, iconic social service institutions, and so much more. Community Ambassadors’ neighborhood place-making activities enrich the neighborhood further.
Additional Resources:
– Community Ambassadors FAQs page
– Video about the Community Ambassador program
About GLIDE:
GLIDE is a nationally recognized center for social justice dedicated to fighting systemic injustice, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. GLIDE’s integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community empower individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of the most pressing issues including poverty, housing shortages and homelessness, and racial and social injustice.