Actor/activist George Takei and violist/social justice advocate Vijay Gupta have been named co-honorees for Shelter Partnership’s 35th annual gala.
The gala will be held Saturday, June 15, at The Ebell on Wilshire.
George Takei is a civil rights activist, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Timesbestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, most famously as Hikaru Sulu in “Star Trek,” and he has used his success as a platform to fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality.
Shelter Partnership will honor Takei for his incredible rise from World War II incarceration and childhood housing insecurity on L.A.’s Skid Row to becoming a beloved figure to several generations. Takei serves as an inspiration to anyone suffering through poverty and homelessness, proving that the stars are always within reach.
Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007, at age 19, and served as a member of the first violin section through 2018. He has appeared as a guest concertmaster with the Los Angeles Opera and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and is an active recitalist, soloist and chamber musician.
Shelter Partnership will honor Gupta for his role as founder and artistic director of Street Symphony, a nonprofit organization providing musical engagement, dialogue and teaching artistry for homeless and incarcerated communities in Los Angeles. Centered in practices of relationship, renewal, re-entry, and recovery, Street Symphony presents musical programs in Skid Row built on sustained relationships and partnerships with neighborhood organizations and community individuals.
Shelter Partnership Executive Director Jan Perry said, “We are so very excited and honored to honor Geroge Takei and Vijay Gupta at our annual gala. George is a treasure to sci-fi fans and to people who love his humor when advocating for causes he truly believes in. Vijay’s work with Street Symphony is so, so important. Music is one of the primary building blocks of community.”
Since 1985, Shelter Partnership has been a behind-the-scenes leader in the fight against L.A. County homelessness. The 35th annual gala is the organization’s sole fundraising event. All funds from the gala enable Shelter Partnership to operate its necessary programs. Tickets and sponsorship packages are available at shelterpartnership.org/Gala2024.
Shelter Partnership, Inc., based in Los Angeles, provides technical, developmental, material, and public policy support for L.A.’s housing system for the homeless community as a means to end homelessness in the region. Since 1985, it has assisted in the creation of both transitional and permanent, affordable housing with social support services for homeless individuals and families. Shelter Partnership has also been instrumental in securing permanent housing for thousands of homeless individuals and families at rents that they can afford.
Shelter Partnership also performs critical studies on homelessness and the housing delivery system. These include the needs of domestic violence victims, single women, emancipated foster youth, persons with a dual-diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse and a major study on housing needs of homeless and low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Since 1989, Shelter Partnership has also operated the S. Mark Taper Foundation Shelter Resource Bank, a warehouse project that solicits large-scale donations of merchandise and ensures that these items are delivered to the people and agencies who need them most, completely free of charge.
For more information about the work of Shelter Partnership, visit www.shelterpartnership.org.