Honoring Colin Shepherd, Senior Vice President of Hines and The Figueroa Corridor Partnership for their dedication to helping homeless individuals become self-sufficient.

Santa Monica, Calif. (November 17, 2008) – On Wednesday, November 12, 2008 the seventh annual Spirit of Chrysalis Awards (SOCA), held at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles, raised $320,000 for the Los Angeles based non-profit organization.

The inspirational evening honored Colin Shepherd, Senior Vice President of Hines for his philanthropic work with Chrysalis for more than 20 years and the Figueroa Corridor Partnership for its long existing relationship with Chrysalis Enterprises, a division of Chrysalis offering quality services to business and government agencies while providing transitional jobs.

Chrysalis client, Thomas Tophia was also honored at SOCA for making great strides to becoming self-sufficient with the help of Chrysalis. Tophia, once incarcerated and a longtime drug addict, is now a certified addiction specialist working with Phoenix House and renting his own apartment. He recently got engaged to Felicia Johnson, whom he met through the Chrysalis program.

SOCA brought together 300 businesspeople from legal, real estate, finance and hotel sectors for a VIP reception, live and silent auction, dinner and entertainment to benefit Chrysalis. Notable attendees included Richard Bloom, Mayor of Santa Monica; 9 th District councilwoman Jan Perry; Tim Dubois, President of the Edward Thomas Collection; Felipe Fuentes, Assembly member of the 39 th District; and Bob Hart, President and CEO of Kennedy Wilson Multifamily.

About Chrysalis

Chrysalis provides critical employment services to nearly 2,500 homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals annually through its service centers in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica and in the San Fernando Valley where poverty is the most pervasive. Since 1984, Chrysalis offers services ranging from job-preparation classes and one-on-one mentoring to material assistance such as interview clothing, bus tokens, and access to phones, computers, and fax machines.

About Chrysalis Enterprises

For those with the most barriers to employment, Chrysalis Enterprises provides nearly 1,000 individuals each year with temporary apprenticeships through its business divisions such as Chrysalis Recycling. These programs help individuals develop their skills and gain work experience that will eventually help them secure a job in the private sector. Additionally, this innovative work program generates almost 60% of Chrysalis' operating budget. 

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