Captain Rebecca Helms, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, and Captain Nicholas Helms at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Kayley Douglas, Lily Nazlouyan, Aileen Chase, Jody Davis, Angela Shaw, Phlunte’ Riddle, and Janet P, Zaria Smith at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Elizabeth Kennedy Ellis and Stephanie Spruill at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Aileen Chase, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, and Phlunte’ Riddle at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Joe Harding and Peter Irwin at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Lt. Colonel Mike Dickenson, Captain Rebecca Helms, and Captain Nicholas Helms at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Katherine Fukuda, Julie Allen, Cathy Pupo, Andres Pupo, and Monica Pupo at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Suzy Woo and Shirley Nakaki at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Nicholas Gil, Evan Figueroa, and Angel Miranda at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Sarah Dave and Kirit Dave at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Juliette Garrison, Jimmy Dunn, Robin Dunn, Lou Jones, and Gale Salesian at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Juan and Estrella Villegas at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Joe and Sheryl Callahan at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Brian O’Neal, Jackie Tran, and Julie Curiel at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Braila Renteria, Donna Pomerantz, and Nicole Wright at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Lily Nazlouyan and Stephen Alvarez at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Madeline Walder, Rose Curiel, and Nicole Gordon [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Elizabeth Kennedy Ellis and Sandra Ware at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Katherine Fukuda and Michael Rincon at the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle's "A Night of Hope" fundraiser held at Noor [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
The Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle’s annual fundraising gala, “A Night of Hope,” lived up to its name Thursday evening at NOOR, offering a moving collection of stories about faith, survival, and renewal in a city still healing from the Eaton Fire’s devastation.
The evening’s program opened with testimony from Angel Miranda, who stood at the podium as living proof of redemption. Once homeless and battling addiction, Miranda recounted how the Salvation Army “became a lighthouse of hope” when he had nowhere else to turn. “They didn’t turn me away or judge me,” he told the audience. “They welcomed me immediately… The Salvation Army didn’t just help me survive — they equipped me to serve.”
Today, Miranda leads Bible study groups and volunteers to feed the homeless, crediting the program’s structure and compassion for helping him find his footing.
“Hope,” he said, “is not a feeling — it’s a choice.”
The stories that followed echoed that theme. In a video, longtime volunteer Georgia Law shared how her life was upended when her family home of 56 years was destroyed in January’s fire. “We lost everything,” she said. “But my church family came to me and prayed with us every day after the fire. I worry, but then I say, no — not everything is gone. We still have life. When you have life, you can rebuild.”
Law, who continues to volunteer weekly at the Hope Center despite being displaced, received a standing ovation when she rose from her seat.
Then came Steven Seruyange, who fled Uganda with his wife and two young children after facing persecution. Arriving in California with nothing but faith, the family was taken in by the Salvation Army Pasadena Corps. “We thought it was part of the U.S. Army,” he joked, drawing laughter, before turning serious. “They gave us a home when we had none. They restored our hope.”
Seruyange, a former banker, now works for the organization as a disaster case manager, helping families who lost their homes in the same fire that struck Law. “We are restoring people’s lives,” he said. “The help we give, people do not expect. The Salvation Army goes above and beyond.”
Captain Becky Helms, who leads the Pasadena Tabernacle with her husband, closed the evening with a report on the Army’s year of service. Since the fire, she said, more than 1,600 people have sought help for the first time. Nearly 5,000 meals have been served, 1,400 individuals have received groceries, and 2,500 people have received hygiene kits.
As the holiday season approaches, Helms said, the Corps is preparing to serve 500 families through its annual toy shop and Christmas outreach. “Behind every number is a real person,” she told the audience. “Our community is still healing, but we are committed to walking with families for the long road that follows.”
Mayor Victor Gordo, who attended the gala, urged donors to “bid early and bid often,” praising the organization’s unflagging work. “The city of Pasadena is a big fan,” he said.
By night’s end, the message was unmistakable: amid loss and uncertainty, the work of hope continues — one life at a time.
