Annual gala raises funds for Hope Through Housing

More than 800 people gathered recently at the Rancho Cucamonga office of National CORE for An Evening of Hope, that organization’s annual gala and fundraiser.

This year’s event featured 98 tables, a swing band, two mega-television screens and high-end items that were auctioned off toward the end of the evening.

The event was held on the top level of a parking structure next to National CORE’s headquarters at 9692 Haven Ave, the third consecutive year the party has been held outdoors, according to Jeff Burum, co-founder and board chair of National CORE.

Burum, a successful Inland real estate developer, helped start National Core in 1991 in order to build more affordable housing in Southern California.

All of the money raised will go to Hope Through Housing, a partner agency of National CORE that Burum founded in 1998 to provide more than shelter for low-income families and seniors in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

“Hope Through Housing has become the social service provider for National Core,” Burum said.  “It pays for after-school tutoring, trade schools, healthy living for seniors, activities for veterans, social workers for homeless shelters. Anything that helps people transition back into society.”

The gala, which attracts people from all over the United States, usually raises about $1 million. Much of that comes from major donors like Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley.

“They make the donations that help keep (Hope Through Housing) going,” Burum said. “We also have a great team of people working for us.”

This year’s gala emcee was actress Gabrielle Walsh, best known for her work on the television series’ Pretty Little Liars, She Spies, Haven and The Secret Life of Words. Planning for the event begins in January, and attendance is limited to 1,000 people so everyone will be able to see and hear the speakers with little or no difficulty.

“This is truly a great event,” said Alyssa Cotter, executive director of Hope Through Housing.  “It’s people coming together because they care, and because they want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”