Support The Homeless Ministry at Hollywood United Methodist Church / Watch THE COUCH
Video interview with Sarah Knapp. Sarah is the spokesperson for the campaign, writer of THE COUCH and veteran volunteer at The Homeless Ministry at Hollywood United Methodist Church.
(The campaign will begin on Friday October 26, 2018 and end on Friday November 16, 2018)
Sarah, why are you so passionate about The Homeless Ministry?
There are over 31,000 homeless people in the city of Los Angeles and over a quarter of those individuals report having a mental illness. This is a systemic problem that has catastrophic results for people every single day. People in our neighbourhoods are sick, don’t have adequate shelter, food or clothing, and they need our help.
Why are you motivated to run this campaign?
To raise awareness of the homeless problem in Los Angeles and to raise funding to feed and clothe our city’s most vulnerable community members.
The Homeless Ministry at Hollywood United Methodist Church
How will the campaign fund for change?
Each Tuesday, Hollywood United Methodist Church serves lunch and provides clothing, shoes, socks and toiletries to approximately 100 people. The campaign will help to fund those efforts.
Why do you want other people to support you?
We would love to have people support our campaign so that we can continue to raise awareness of this problem that affects so many of us in the city.
Why is your organization so unique?
Our organization is not unique in Los Angeles, many organizations are doing similar work in other neighborhoods. But we are unique because we serve the population at the corner of Franklin and Highland in the heart of Hollywood. This is our neighborhood, and this is our community and only we serve at this particular place and we serve with love.
Hollywood United Methodist Church, Los Angeles
So many of our guests are not only dealing with homelessness but also physical and mental health ailments and while we can’t offer medical care we do our best to reach out to organizations who can and we watch over our friends, we pray for them, and we love them. And we make sure they have some fresh fruit and dry socks each Tuesday.
Why do you need to raise these funds?
Our ministry is completely funded by donations. In order to continue serving our 100+ guests each week we must continually solicit funding, used clothing and shoes, etc
Ayelette Robinson (left) with Cristina Frias, who plays therapist Carol in The Couch. Linda McLaurin (back right) was the script supervisor for the series.
“As a member of the Hollywood community, I am honored to be supporting the work of The Homeless Ministry at Hollywood United Methodist Church. Everyone deserves clean and warm clothing and a meal when they are hungry. And while most of us are familiar with the glamour of Hollywood, not everyone realizes the extent of homelessness in this very same community. My hope is this campaign will raise awareness of the homeless problem and inspire more support of and kindness to those who need a lending hand. ”
“When I first heard about the premise of the new web series, The Couch, I was intrigued and excited. Penelope (actress and producer Ayelette Robinson) is a graduate student studying to become a therapist, and she must complete hours and hours of her own therapy as a graduation requirement. She procrastinated until the last moment, so opts to see several therapists to meet the requirement. I recently had the pleasure of watching The Couch at the premiere, and I am happy to say that the series does not disappoint.
The creative premise is the brainchild of Sarah Knapp, a gifted writer who created unique and interesting characters to accompany her innovative story. She deftly weaves in both humor and drama, and the audience is invested - we care about Penelope and we want to know how her story will unfold. And this is where more of the fun comes in, as The Couch is a Make It Yours format, and you as the viewer get to make decisions about which story path to follow at several junctures.
As a licensed clinical social worker, I watched the show with my “clinical” lens, and appreciated how each therapist’s approach and style was different, yet each was effective in his or her own way. This captured something very real - that there are many paths to healing, if we are brave enough to begin the journey. Bravo to the cast and crew of The Couch!”
“We’re so proud to stream THE COUCH at We Are Moving Stories! Let’s all work to amplify women’s voices in film - and do good at the same time. Be inspired. Watch this series. Be the voice. Tell three friends. Begin a new conversation about women and homelessness. Be the change. Thank you!”
Actor/producer Ayelette Robinson
Behind the scenes with crew of THE COUCH
The Couch
In this Make it Yours dramedy series, Penelope, a psychology graduate student, must see four therapists at the same time in order to complete her required hours in time for her graduation.
Read the We Are Moving Stories interview with Producer and Lead Actress Ayelette Robinson here
Awards & Nominations
Oniros Film Awards, June 2018
Winner, Best Web Series
Winner, Best Screenplay
Nominated, Best Actress
Nominated, Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated, Best First-Time Producer
Web Series Festival Global, August 2018
Official Selection
Queen Palm International Film Festival, October 2018
Official Coronet Selection
The Couch
More info:
______________________
GIFT
when you donate US15 to The Homeless Ministry at Hollywood United Methodist Church you can watch THE COUCH, a webseries that promotes women’s voices both in front of and behind the camera!
If you are an angel donor please contact us here!
______________________
How it works
At the end of each episode, you will see a screen asking you what decision Penelope should make and giving you two options. You can then watch the episode that matches your choice — just note the episode number of the decision you like, go back to the episode page, and watch that episode!
When you have made your $15 donation and watched the first episode we will email you info on how you can watch the other episodes.