December 2020
FROM THE DESK OF KELLY BRUNO NELSON

Dear NHF enthusiasts and supporters,

With all the ups and downs we faced this year, I want to share my utter appreciation and gratitude for your continued support in helping National Health Foundation address the health of under-resourced communities.

As we close out the year, I want to leave you with an inspiring story that reminds us all of the impact of our programs and why we do what we do.
Meet Ryan.

NHF Guest Ryan held a career as a boxing trainer for 20 years before arriving at National Health Foundation's Pico-Union Recuperative Care Center. He helped train great champions like junior middleweight Mike McCallum AKA "The Body Snatcher" and heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster AKA "Relentless Brewster." During this time, he also worked as a bouncer at the famous Bar One Nightclub in Hollywood. One night, an altercation arose at the club and Ryan was shot in the right eye, putting him out of work. Soon after, Ryan found himself experiencing homelessness and encountering health issues, landing him in the hospital and soon thereafter, referred to NHF's Pico-Union site to recuperate.

With the support of NHF staff including social workers, nurses, guest services associates and outside partners, Ryan successfully recoverd and was placed in Section 8 housing! Ryan is so excited for this next chapter and is incredibly grateful to NHF for helping him find the resources he needed to get back on his feet.

Success stories like Ryan are only made possible with the help of compassionate supporters like you. Thank you!
A picture of NHF staff and volunteers loading food boxes into the trunk of a car.
NHF staff member taking guest temperature.
2020 Year in Review

Thanks to supporters like you, we pivoted our existing in-person services to virtual ones to keep our communities engaged. We provided support to families applying for pandemic assistance to address food insecurity and hosted a food distribution event reaching over 2,000 individuals. We increased our investment in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts to provide additional resources for staff. But our largest undertaking of the year was the opening of an emergency, 90-bed recuperative care site at a local hotel through the statewide initiative, Project Roomkey.

All this and more was achieved through the generosity of supporters like you. Despite the challenges, we are closing out 2020 in hopeful spirits and hope you will continue to support us in the year to come.
National Health Foundation’s mission is to improve the health of under-resourced communities.
Our vision is that all people, regardless of who they are or where they live, can achieve their highest level of health.