The Annenberg Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Join 10th Annual HomeWalk as Presenting Sponsors

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- United Way of Greater Los Angeles today announced partnerships with the Annenberg Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which have joined as presenting sponsors of the 10^th annual HomeWalk, a 5K family run/walk to raise public awareness and funds to end homelessness in Los Angeles County. As part of the 10^th anniversary celebration, HomeWalk is moving to a new location in downtown Los Angeles' majestic Grand Park. 15,000 people from across the Los Angeles region are expected to participate.

"Combating the scourge of homelessness, here in LA and across America, is an enormously complex and multi-layered challenge, and it's something I feel very strongly about," said Wallis Annenberg, Chairman, President and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation. "In a prosperous city like ours, I believe we can to do a lot better. That's why I'm so pleased that we're able to join with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and play a part in this year's HomeWalk. I can't think of a better way to engage Angelenos in this effort, to raise awareness of the depths of the problem, and to take critical steps towards addressing it."

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is also pleased to announce the return of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Challenge for the 10^th annual HomeWalk. For every $5,000 raised, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation will match an additional $5,000, with a one-time additional $30,000 bonus once six teams raise $30,000 or more. Up to $400,000 is available for the challenge, bringing United Way of Greater Los Angeles one step closer to reaching their goal of raising $1.5 million this year.

"Eradicating homelessness has long been a priority for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and we've seen the change that can come from ongoing investment and collaboration from diverse communities and coalitions, including business, government, and nonprofits," said Peter Laugharn, President and CEO, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. "We are excited to continue our partnership with United Way of Greater Los Angeles through the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Challenge and encourage residents and organizations throughout the region to join our efforts to fight homelessness."

Nearly 47,000 people are living on the streets of L.A. County on any given night. Thousands of Angelenos will join Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, County Supervisors, City Councilmembers, United Way of Greater Los Angeles President and CEO Elise Buik, and other local leaders in Grand Park, running and walking to help end homelessness. Registration is $25 for both runners and walkers. This year's top sponsors include the Annenberg Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ACCO Engineered Systems, AEG, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Learn4Life, SoCalGas, and Southern California Edison. Thanks to the event's sponsors, United Way of Greater Los Angeles is able to invest 100 percent of funds raised by HomeWalkers back into the community.

"The strides we have made in working to end homelessness in Los Angeles would not have been possible without the support of our community partners, and we are beyond grateful for the continued generosity and support of the Annenberg Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation," said Buik. "The 10^th anniversary HomeWalk will be our biggest Walk yet, with 15,000 expected participants. There are also currently 15,000 chronically homeless households in our region; we hope each HomeWalker can represent one of our chronically homeless households, helping our most vulnerable neighbors move into a permanent home."

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by helping homeless people move into housing, providing students with the support they need to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.

About the Annenberg Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and globally. Since 1989, it has generously funded programs in education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic and community life; health and human services; and animal services and the environment. In addition, the Foundation and its Board of Directors are directly involved in the community with innovative projects that further its mission of advancing a better tomorrow through visionary leadership today. Among them are Annenberg Alchemy, Annenberg Learner, Annenberg Space for Photography, Explore, GroW@Annenberg and the Metabolic Studio. The Foundation encourages the development of effective ways to communicate by sharing ideas and knowledge.

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world's disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton's support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. In 2015, the Humanitarian Prize was awarded to Landesa, a Seattle-based land rights organization. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants, distributing $107 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2015. The Foundation's current assets are approximately $2.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org

SOURCE United Way of Greater Los Angeles

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