A New Way of Life
2025 Gala
“In 2025, 98% of the women in our safe homes were not reincarcerated,” executive director Michael Towler said.
By Reese Whitman
A blend of administrative leaders, board members, and community members gathered for the Annual Gala of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, all united by the organization’s mission of rehabilitating those formerly incarcerated.
The gala, which was ANWOL’s 27th edition of the event, was held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. The theme for this year was “Radical Reentry: Global Impact,” with the goal of reducing the stigma around reentry, redefining the process as a journey of personal healing and community transformation.
A New Way of Life, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide housing and recovery services to formerly incarcerated women, has made strong and noticeable strides throughout the past year. “In 2025, 98% of the women in our safe homes were not reincarcerated,” executive director Michael Towler said. “They were meeting, and exceeding, the benchmarks that define radical reentry.”
The gala was also an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the work that citizens in Los Angeles have done to support rehabilitation for women. Three honorees were given ANWOL’s Changemaker Award, to recognize their work toward the organization’s mission.
The first recipient of this award was Avo Tajerian, the founder of Lucy’s Auto Center, an auto body shop located in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles. Since 1989, Tajerian’s family-owned business has developed into a community cornerstone, providing quality services for Angelinos and their cars.
“A car isn’t just a car,” Tajerian said. “It’s freedom, confidence, and dignity. When someone receives those keys, they can go to work, pick up their kids, and start a new life.”
Lucy’s Auto Center prioritizes customer service, and ensures that people, particularly women, feel comfortable, respected, and can trust in the services they are receiving. “Every time we see one of these women driving, smiling, and building a new future, it reminds us that community is everything.”
The second recipient of the Changemaker Award was Melanie Robledo, a senior program manager with Impact Justice, and a leader in housing injustice and reentry housing innovation. She is driven by her personal experience of cycling through justice and mental health systems.
“I was the woman that people looked past on the sidewalk,” Robledo said. “The one who hadn’t showered in weeks, lacking pants and shoes, tightly gripping multiple plastic bags and talking to herself.”
Robledo first became involved with A New Way of Life through her residency in their SAFE housing program, which drew her closer to the work that the organization does. “I’m committed to the work that they do and supporting it, so I’ve joined their board of directors,” Robledo said. “I want to see A New Way of Life continue to touch the states and the countries all across the globe, for them to continue their global impact, and for them to launch the Susan Burton Healing Center.”
The final honoree of the Changemaker Award was California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, who currently represents the state’s 55th district in South Los Angeles. Bryan has worked to revitalize marginalized communities through his involvement in the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee of Poverty and Economic Inclusion, and the passing of numerous assembly bills.
“I’ve been thinking about my relationship to A New Way of Life, and it goes back even before Susan [Burton] remembers,” Bryan said. “I was asked by Mayor Garcetti to write the city’s first report on the reentry needs of folks coming home from incarceration, when we got the first $6 million from Prop 47. So, I pulled up at A New Way of Life, and I sat down with the women.”
Aside from honoring and acknowledging the impact of these three individuals, the night’s program included a majorette performance from the Divas and Drummers of Compton, and two musical numbers on piano by Adobe Creative Resident Samora Pinderhughes.
Additionally, guest appearances were made by actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish and KJLH radio host Tammi Mac — the latter was the emcee of the event.
A New Way of Life’s 27th Annual Gala was an environment that put change at the forefront — through honoring those making an impact, the countless opportunities for guests to donate, and changing the narrative behind reentry following incarceration.
