Ron Hasse, president and publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News, accepts an award at the 2013 Community Employment Luncheon, honoring the newspaper as one of Tierra del Sol’s employment partners.

[Tierra] – Tierra del Sol Foundation started more than 40 years ago with a big dream and a small group of passionate individuals, but at their 2013 Community Employment Luncheon “small” was not necessarily the operative word.

More than 300 people packed the ballroom at the Woodland Hills Hilton for the luncheon on Nov. 15 to honor Tierra’s 150 employment partners and celebrate the successes of the individuals with developmental disabilities that they serve. Honorees at the luncheon included the Los Angeles Daily News and Hyperdrive. Attendees also heard from Jonathan Istrin, CEO of Tierra employment partner Alternative Home Care.

“Our mission to help individuals achieve their dreams and live big lives has never changed, and these employment partners share that vision,” Tierra CEO Steve Miller said. “Their partnership helps dreams become realities.”

Tierra del Sol works with more than 640 people across Los Angeles County, providing education, community service and employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Tierra’s programs focus on empowering adults with disabilities to transition from high school to college and then employment. For those who require additional education and training, Tierra has created volunteerism and job-training opportunities.

Other employment partners honored at the luncheon included: Albertsons Market, Alternative Home Care, The Auto Gallery, Big Lots, Burbank Manor, Child Development Institute, Fireman’s Brew, First United Methodist Church of Reseda, Hamer Toyota, The Home Depot, La Coruna Senior Apartments, Los Angeles Valley College, Lowe’s, Six Flags Magic Mountain, National Health Foundation, North Los Angeles County Regional Center, North Valley YMCA, ONEgeneration, Precision Dynamics, Ralphs Market, Sports Authority, State of California Department of General Services, Sun Thrift Store, Target, Tierra del Sol’s Foothill and Van Nuys offices, Vons Market and Walmart.

“Employers who hire Tierra clients aren’t simply investing in their company, they’re investing in the community,” said Chris Clark, Tierra’s chief development officer. “They find over and over that the Tierra clients they hire are a valuable asset to their workforce.”

During the luncheon, Tierra also showed a new video spotlighting their employment partnership with the Daily News, featuring employees Linda Anderson, Renee Steimer and Marcella Cowley, who provide services for the circulation, advertising and editorial departments.

“Each one of them takes on an important task for each of those functions,” said Ron Hasse, president and publisher of the Daily News. “They are an important part of our organization just like everyone else. … They lift the morale of all the other employees who work with them.”

For more information about Tierra del Sol, visit www.tierradelsol.org, call (818) 908-3355 or “like” their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tierradelsolfoundation.

Marcella Cowley (right) and Renee Steimer, Daily News employees and Tierra del Sol clients, share conversation during Tierra’s 2013 Community Employment Luncheon.

More than 300 people attended 2013 Community Employment Luncheon, honoring the employment partners of Tierra del Sol Foundation, Nov. 15 at the Woodland Hills Hilton.