MOSAIC, Inc. Non-Profit Celebrates 10 Years

MOSAIC, Inc. non-profit corporation just celebrated its 10-year-anniversary at a luncheon at the San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles.

Over the past 10 years, CEO Rev. Dr. (Bishop) James Steele has directed the non-profit into areas that focus on empowering individuals, families, veterans, and others. This has included creating recovery solutions for those who are under-served, downtrodden, homeless, and are affected with challenging conditions (e.g., debilitating chronic-disease(s) such as HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and/or any disabilities).

Simply known as “Father James” to those he works with and people he meets during his travels on his journey, he has spent the last 10 years working to alleviate the suffering of many who have been in challenging circumstances.

MOSAIC, Inc. has on its Board of Directors Rev. Dr. James N. Schultz and Rev. (Pastor) Eddie Parsadanian. Schultz is Secretary and Eddie is the Treasurer.

Dr. Schultz says, “We seek to learn of a need and then work to find a solution. It is great work and most satisfying,” and Pastor Eddie remarks, “MOSAIC has done great work, to care and bless various groups of people in need and community outreaches.”

Beginning in 2010, MOSAIC, Inc. has followed its mission of “Empowering, Educating and Training ALL individuals, families and family members, guardians, caregivers, World Faith Groups (WFGs) and Community Based Organizations to create, develop and implement innovative strategies and recovery solutions.”

The organization held symposiums & did outreach to families & individuals dealing with mental health issues, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, & homelessness.

In June 2014, MOSAIC, Inc. held a Celebration of Families and Remembering Dr. Sun Yat-sen. At the event, Rev. Dr. Jannah Scott was the keynote speaker, and spoke on behalf of the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), where her job was to engage with faith-based and community groups. Her talk included the issues of emergency preparedness, community resilience, incident response, immigration and other issues.

MOSAIC, Inc. has worked closely with many Community Emergency Response Teams in the Los Angeles area, along with CalTech Seismological Laboratory, & Office of Emergency Management in Los Angeles, along with many fire and police departments in that region.

MOSAIC, Inc. has also been involved with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), training individuals to spot terrorism activity, & how to report suspect behavior.

Also from 2014-2015, Fr. James also developed  curriculum for STEAM education, Emergency Preparedness workshops, and HAM Radio, and presented the programs to groups.

He continues to do prison ministry, veteran groups outreach, and assisting low income families to deal effectively with social services.

In 2015, MOSAIC, Inc. also mapped the Los Angeles basin on a block by block basis, using ESRI software to create a neighborhood-based emergency preparedness plan. The report incorporates faith-based organizations& identifies population groups that may need extra assistance during an emergency, such as mentally ill, disabled, seniors, and veterans.

MOSAIC, Inc. worked with Los Angeles [County] Mayor Mike Antonovich on homelessness.

From 2015 through the present, Fr. James & MOSAIC, Inc. have continued to educate and prepare individuals and groups to deal with emergencies and also to get organized through creating business plans.

All of these services are provided by Fr. James on a volunteer basis, as he draws no salary from the non-profit. For his activities and outreach efforts he has received a multitude of honor, certificates, and awards, including the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from President Trump.

Fr. James moved to the Mojave River Valley area approximately four years ago and has since been focusing his efforts on this region. This includes all of the above activities, dealing with the areas under-served population, and also continuing to teach emergency preparedness, and work on the homeless population issue.

These efforts revolve around lower incomes, which many times leads to many of the issues that he regularly is involved with.

Next time you see Father James at an event, a handshake and a “thank-you” is his reward for the work he is doing. He can be reached by email at: frjames@amosaicjourney.org.