Svend needs help finding a Home
From the Cabana King to Two Bananas a Day
Hi, I'm friends with Svend Petersen, the long-time Pool Manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
He used to own the house I lived in Hollywood and was my landlord. I received a call from one of the few friends Svend has left to inform me that he is homeless and has been taken advantage of by realtors who sold his house.
The Realtors that swindled him into selling his house quickly also caused the IRS to come after him. The IRS substracts money from his Social Security every month. He owes $71,000 in taxes just from the selling of his house. Credit Cards Companies canceled his cards and the Checking Account is in minus. His life went in a downhill spiral resulting in homelessness.
Svend is now 86 years old. As you may have seen him on the television or watched some of his interviews, he had been with Beverly Hills Hotel for over 40 years. He's been at the hotel with all the stars like Marilyln Monroe, Cary Grant, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, just to name a few. Back in the day, Katherine Hepburn used to ask Svend if she could come earlier to swim in the Pool. Svend always told me these amazing stories of the Beverly Hills Hotel and what happen behind the scenes.
During the good times, Svend had many famous people around him. How can someone who gave 40 dedicated years to serving the Beverly Hills Hotel, elites, and celebrities end up on the street?
Most of his life he served and helped people and now in his older years he's forgotten about. People that once called themselves "friends" don't want to know about his situation. It's a sad world we live in if elderly are starving and are just a burdon to our society.
This is why we are asking for your attention. Svend needs help. Right now Svend's few belongings are in storage and we are giving Svend money to stay alive but cannot continue to fund this project alone. We your need help.
To give you an example, Svend had two bananas today because all the money is used for paying for the motel, P.O. Box, storage, and IRS. A few weeks back he had to sleep in a car under a freeway bridge. At 86 years old, his life consists of going from motel to motel and when the money runs out, he sleeps in a car. Cheapest motel we found is $89 a day. He was recently hospitalized for an infection. They drained spinal fluid and now he is slowly recovering. All of this stress and instability is taking a toll on his health.
Our goal and solution is to find him a Studio or 1 Bedroom in the Los Angeles area. We would use the $5900 for downpayment and first 3 Months rent along with Food so he can get back on his feet.
UPDATE: We have raised the bar to $100,000 to help secure Svend's future.
Any donations are helpful.
Lets help Svend and get him back on his feet.
Thank you,
Mercedes Kennedy , Thomas Marinello , and Art on behalf of Svend Petersen .
---------------------------------------------------------
The extended Interview of CBS 2 Coverage from 04/12/17
Very busy day today, we started out with a Inside Edition Interview. Please have a look.
For more videos please visit the youtube channel here.
We thank you for all your support. You guys are amazing! We never thought that there's so many good hearted people out there. We will personally respond back to every one, just give us some time.
Thank you!
---------------------------------------------------------
Please note: We are not able to see your contact information when you leave a general comment below. If you would like to get a hold of us, please click the envelope icon next to our profile picture. Thank you.
+ Read More
Hi, I'm friends with Svend Petersen, the long-time Pool Manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
He used to own the house I lived in Hollywood and was my landlord. I received a call from one of the few friends Svend has left to inform me that he is homeless and has been taken advantage of by realtors who sold his house.
The Realtors that swindled him into selling his house quickly also caused the IRS to come after him. The IRS substracts money from his Social Security every month. He owes $71,000 in taxes just from the selling of his house. Credit Cards Companies canceled his cards and the Checking Account is in minus. His life went in a downhill spiral resulting in homelessness.
Svend is now 86 years old. As you may have seen him on the television or watched some of his interviews, he had been with Beverly Hills Hotel for over 40 years. He's been at the hotel with all the stars like Marilyln Monroe, Cary Grant, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, just to name a few. Back in the day, Katherine Hepburn used to ask Svend if she could come earlier to swim in the Pool. Svend always told me these amazing stories of the Beverly Hills Hotel and what happen behind the scenes.
During the good times, Svend had many famous people around him. How can someone who gave 40 dedicated years to serving the Beverly Hills Hotel, elites, and celebrities end up on the street?
Most of his life he served and helped people and now in his older years he's forgotten about. People that once called themselves "friends" don't want to know about his situation. It's a sad world we live in if elderly are starving and are just a burdon to our society.
This is why we are asking for your attention. Svend needs help. Right now Svend's few belongings are in storage and we are giving Svend money to stay alive but cannot continue to fund this project alone. We your need help.
To give you an example, Svend had two bananas today because all the money is used for paying for the motel, P.O. Box, storage, and IRS. A few weeks back he had to sleep in a car under a freeway bridge. At 86 years old, his life consists of going from motel to motel and when the money runs out, he sleeps in a car. Cheapest motel we found is $89 a day. He was recently hospitalized for an infection. They drained spinal fluid and now he is slowly recovering. All of this stress and instability is taking a toll on his health.
Our goal and solution is to find him a Studio or 1 Bedroom in the Los Angeles area. We would use the $5900 for downpayment and first 3 Months rent along with Food so he can get back on his feet.
UPDATE: We have raised the bar to $100,000 to help secure Svend's future.
Any donations are helpful.
Lets help Svend and get him back on his feet.
Thank you,
Mercedes Kennedy , Thomas Marinello , and Art on behalf of Svend Petersen .
---------------------------------------------------------
The extended Interview of CBS 2 Coverage from 04/12/17
Very busy day today, we started out with a Inside Edition Interview. Please have a look.
For more videos please visit the youtube channel here.
We thank you for all your support. You guys are amazing! We never thought that there's so many good hearted people out there. We will personally respond back to every one, just give us some time.
Thank you!
---------------------------------------------------------
Please note: We are not able to see your contact information when you leave a general comment below. If you would like to get a hold of us, please click the envelope icon next to our profile picture. Thank you.
Hi everyone,
Thomas and I want to thank everyone for all of their help and support on this campaign. We were able to do this with all of your help including the tv stations and newspapers. Raising almost $80,000 for someone who a couple weeks ago had nothing, is amazing. I wish we could say that for all the homeless. It was a very sad situation which always brought me to tears.
We appreciate all of the nice comments we have received about helping Svend. I know it may be difficult to believe that we did this out of pure love, that's how Thomas and I were raised.
In the past week we have been dealing with, unfortunately, a lot of drama. The idea was and still is to be transparent with, you, the donor. We know life sometimes is not pretty but we are campaign managers trying to do what we think is the right thing. Without getting into detail, dealing with drama is not something we signed up for therefore we must withdraw ourselves in order to retain the healthy relationship Thomas and I have.
We have spoke with the tax attorney, Gary, and he said if its too much drama, we should transfer all the funds to Svend. He also said in June, the IRS should stop taking $300 from Svend's account but Gary is still trying to get the sum reduced that Svend still owes the IRS.
The remaining gofundme funds will be dispersed to Svend's chase account. Svend has been given a check yesterday, May 18th, 2017, for $42,330.00. Another $1,226.93 is scheduled for withdrawal on June 1, 2017. Once this amount comes in, he will receive another check. If you would like to continue to make donations to Svend or contact him, please use the P.O. Box 2785 Los Angeles, CA 90078 and leave your information and or send him a check.
Thank you again for all of your help, all of your emails, support and suggestions.
Thomas and I are going back to making natural soap, saving bees, and photographing nature.
This campaign has officially ended.
Total Online Raised $78,920.00
Total Amount Raised $78,920.00
GoFundMe (5%) $3,946.00
WePay Fees (2.9% + .30) $2,593.49
Total Fees $6,539.49
Balance Available $72,380.51
Apartment 12 months plus security $19,646.00
First Deposit into Svend’s Chase account $5,000
Plus Furniture and living expenses
Thomas and I want to thank everyone for all of their help and support on this campaign. We were able to do this with all of your help including the tv stations and newspapers. Raising almost $80,000 for someone who a couple weeks ago had nothing, is amazing. I wish we could say that for all the homeless. It was a very sad situation which always brought me to tears.
We appreciate all of the nice comments we have received about helping Svend. I know it may be difficult to believe that we did this out of pure love, that's how Thomas and I were raised.
In the past week we have been dealing with, unfortunately, a lot of drama. The idea was and still is to be transparent with, you, the donor. We know life sometimes is not pretty but we are campaign managers trying to do what we think is the right thing. Without getting into detail, dealing with drama is not something we signed up for therefore we must withdraw ourselves in order to retain the healthy relationship Thomas and I have.
We have spoke with the tax attorney, Gary, and he said if its too much drama, we should transfer all the funds to Svend. He also said in June, the IRS should stop taking $300 from Svend's account but Gary is still trying to get the sum reduced that Svend still owes the IRS.
The remaining gofundme funds will be dispersed to Svend's chase account. Svend has been given a check yesterday, May 18th, 2017, for $42,330.00. Another $1,226.93 is scheduled for withdrawal on June 1, 2017. Once this amount comes in, he will receive another check. If you would like to continue to make donations to Svend or contact him, please use the P.O. Box 2785 Los Angeles, CA 90078 and leave your information and or send him a check.
Thank you again for all of your help, all of your emails, support and suggestions.
Thomas and I are going back to making natural soap, saving bees, and photographing nature.
This campaign has officially ended.
Total Online Raised $78,920.00
Total Amount Raised $78,920.00
GoFundMe (5%) $3,946.00
WePay Fees (2.9% + .30) $2,593.49
Total Fees $6,539.49
Balance Available $72,380.51
Apartment 12 months plus security $19,646.00
First Deposit into Svend’s Chase account $5,000
Plus Furniture and living expenses
I think the Beverly Hills Hotel should comp him a permanent room!
I want to send him $500 per month for the foreseeable future. How do I make that possible?
I am a local realtor that would be happy to assist Svend find a rental and would VOLUNTEER my time. www.ImOnItRealty.com -Sebastian
Hi Svend, I use to work with you at the Beverly Hills hotel from 1995 to 2001. I worked up at the front desk as a supervisor. Helped you out when you needed a guest signature confirmation for pool side room charges. My friend Robbie Auser also worked at the pool side with you. By the way, I've donated and if you need help with your eyewear being repaired or replaced or updated affordably please contact me , my father Jorge Sr, or my sister Cristina at our family business www.GlenviewOptical.com. Located at 515 N Central Ave. Glendale CA. 91203. 818-247-5910. I remember you Svend and your good heart!
I am a CPA, I will donate my time to stop the IRS to remove this liability and stop them from taking his social security. I am surprised no one helped. At 89 years old, and what has happened to him, we can try to settle with the IRS - please pm me. I will be in LA in May 2017.
My wife and I have 2 empty bedrooms and would love another family member Yes we are serious And we are for real. Let me know and we will make this happen.
I would be happy to help him get a new pair of glasses. I could offer money but I feel like the gift of sight is so important and would prefer to provide him with a new pair of glasses. Someone please reach out to me so I can get the information needed and can mail them to him.
Please call the Beverly Hills Hotel and ask for the Communications Dept and leave a message that they could turn the negative PR they are getting by do nothing now in to major POSITIVE PRESS if they did something / anything!! (310) 276-2251 or Message them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Beverlyhillshotel/. Squeaky wheel gets the grease - make noise - act disturbed - create havoc for the hotel. The man gave 40 years of his life to them now they can their corporate heads out of their asses and lend a hand!! Let them know that people are watching them!!
Can you post who the realtors are who swindled him? Others should be warned! I'm glad Svend is receiving help and donations. Hang in there sir!
Unbelievable. This man should have the love and support of the Hollywood elite. $20K come on people. He should have at least a couple million!!!!
I like to visit Svend, buy him new pair of glasses and just chat - I happen to be a danish Petersen too residing in Los Angeles.. -what are the chances to go meet and help him in person?
Can't believe The Beverly Hills Hotel would not house this man. Seems he's given his life to being their pool manager. He would probably be happy sleeping in your laundry room rather than under a bridge if you won't offer him something better. Too sad.
Dear Svend, you should write a book about your life before during and after your days as the "Pool Prince." You're in my prayers Svend! God bless you.
I just watched this on the news, broke my heart, this is so wrong. No one should be homeless and without food or his glasses. I would love to take him to Lens Crafters and buy him a pair of glasses. There is a section 8 office in L.A. on Wilshire, I'm sure he would qualify for a voucher.
Who are these Realtors?!! They need to be reported!! I'm in tears. I just received my Real Estate License, a solo mom struggling with my 16year old son, father is not around. Who can do this?!! Does anybody know these Real Estate Agents? I'm in a rental in Beachwood, probably close to his home. He needs to be on food assistance also. Can I help? I don't have $$, I am also in a harsh and scary situation until I can get a client or two. I am heartbroken and in tears. I fed Ed for over 10 years, an elderly man who also lived in the street. He would often camp behind my rental but the neighbors would chase him away. I feel terrified at our Human race, does anybody know who these Realtors are? I don't have much but I can pack him a sandwich here and there
I want to ensure you saw the very kind and generous offer made here by a man named Peter to send $500.00 a month. While it is wonderful that such generous donations are coming in, offers like Peter's are what will most help. The money will run out sooner than you think but donors who are willing to continue to contribute on a monthly basis will be of the most significant help. Please contact him and take him up on the very generous offer! Peter, I am very impressed with your generosity! The world needs more people just like you! While I cannot help every month, I will be donating soon and suggest you keep this account open for at least a year and go back to the media when the money is getting tight. I suspect many will donate on more than one occasion but will need to be reminded in this fast paced world where there is so much need. Good luck!
I'm CEO of Miami EyeWorks in Miami Florida . I would like to donate two pairs of Eyeglasses and including well needed prescription Lenses. ( Transition + Progressive Lenses with Antireflective Coating ) Please reach out to me ASAP with more information , so I can process his Optical lenses immediately and overnight him his glasses. https://www.facebook.com/MiamiEyeworks Johann
I knew Svend well growing up. He was always very kind to me and my family. i am so sad that this is what has happened to him. I have posted on my FB page and asked family and friends to donate. Please give him a hug from The Niklas family. And thank you for being kind friends to him during his time of need. The elderly are so undervalued in our society.
Please keep this page open so we can make weekly-bi weekly-monthly contributions to help. Thank Hilde
Thank you guys!! Mercedes Kennedy, Thomas Marinello, and Art Galstyan on behalf of Svend Petersen. Can I help? Do you know about Meals on Wheels? Free to elderly, two links. Also, who are these Agents? You guys are truly kind, good hearted people. This is horrid, thank you for helping this gentleman!! There are so many homeless on our streets, it's so wrong. https://stvincentmow.org http://www.mealsonwheelswla.org