The Lawrence Street Community Center RAZ Café is a safe day haven for the homeless and those needing emergency assistance. Three square meals, averaging 1700+ meals daily are served on site. Additional amenities include the beautiful courtyard, cell phone charging stations and laundry service. We were humbled to partner with Denver Rescue Mission for this project. LSCC & RAZ Café opened their doors in 2015.
"The words 'homeless' and 'veterans' should never be used together." Nancy Roble, CEO of ACTS Resource Center.
Nancy’s Veterans Transitional Housing Project provides veterans with food, shelter and life’s basic essentials while they get their feet back on the ground. While some are recovering from multiple surgeries and struggling to pay their medical bills, others are desperate to keep their vehicles running and find employment. It is a sincere privilege for us to partner with ACTS Resource Center to support our veterans.
We were excited to be Albert's Touch A Life Education Sponsor in 2017. Touch a Life’s Long-Term Care center for child survivors of forced labor located in Ghana offers dormitory-style housing with full-time house parents. The youth participating in their programs receive medical and mental assessments, rehabilitation plans along with educational and vocational training.
Mercer played their first official football game in 70 years on August 31, 2013 and won. We watched it from the Presidential Suite funded by our foundation, located in the Homer and Drake Field House. The Zellars’ family ties to Mercer spans three generations. Beverly Gaines '25, Broadus Zellars '29 and Roy Zellars '79. Broadus graduated from Mercer Law School at age 19 and Roy attended his first year of Mercer Law (Walter F. George) in 1980. Additionally, Roy's father, John served on the Mercer Board of Trustees in the 70's. Roy's great-uncle, Beverly Gaines played football for Mercer on the '23 and '24 teams.
Roy's father, John believed that everyone should have ‘a place to call home’. While working in the savings and loan industry, he helped make that a reality for many. He was also chosen to serve under President Reagan as President of the United States Savings and Loan League. In memory of John, we sponsored 4 Habitat for Humanity "rehab" homes between 2009 - 2011. These were distressed homes that were renovated or rebuilt. The ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos seen here are of 2 of the “rehab” homes we sponsored.
St. Petersburg Free Clinic provides food, shelter and health care for the greater Tampa Bay area. In 2011, their main box truck needed replacing. Our foundation was excited to purchase a new 2011 Ford F350 truck for them as well as create artwork and digitized designs for wraps to help promote their services on all of their vehicles.
In 1939, Shirley Miller Sousley was left by her single mother at the Salvation Army Denby Center in Detroit, MI. Shirley was grateful to finally have a bed and pillow to sleep on. The staff and girls at the center were her only family until she left there as a young adult. Seventy years later in 2009, the Denby Center had Shirley speak at their ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new housing unit. She was a true inspiration to everyone that day. Our foundation furnished the new housing unit, which was exceptionally meaningful to us because Shirley Miller Sousley was Ana’s mother.
RAZ Foundation is grateful for the privilege of contributing to the following local, national and global nonprofits over the past 10 years.
