Message from the President
Welcome to the September issue of ECF IMPACT!
Each September we are proud to recognize and honor all our exceptional and beloved Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who are the heart and soul of every one of our programs serving every stage of our clients’ lives—empowering them to reach their fullest potential and supporting their individual goals and pathways to success. We are so grateful for the dedicated service, advocacy, education and love they provide to our clients and their families, and we’re celebrating them all this month across our program sites.
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We are also celebrating the smashing success of our third annual VIP Art Preview—thanks to all of you who joined us for a wonderful evening of amazing art, fabulous food, wine and music! The event was a special thrill for our artists and for our guests who had an opportunity to meet them and purchase so many incredible pieces. You can check out a link to an album of photos from the event in this issue. Thank you for supporting our ECF Art Centers and talented artists!
At our Kayne Eras School, we are excited to be welcoming our new and returning students! There are so many engaging classes, activities and opportunities our teachers have prepared—student elections, sports, science, field trips, dance, art, music and much more—all designed to provide critical experiential learning that we know helps our students succeed in school and beyond. Our students know how special our one-of-a-kind ECF Kayne Eras School is—and they know that here they are supported and challenged to learn and succeed in their own unique ways. They also know that these opportunities are made possible by an extended ECF family of dedicated supporters.
This year, we’re kicking off a new and fun way to support our students by joining us at our first Homecoming Celebration Sneaker Ball! Read more about it in this issue—circle the date on your calendar—and dig out your dancing shoes! It’s going to be so much fun, and I can’t wait to see you there!
Meanwhile, enjoy this issue of ECF IMPACT, and stay tuned here, on our website www.ECF.net, and @ConnectwithECF on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn for news of all the fun to come throughout this fall season and the impact of your support in the lives of the children, students and adults we serve.
Warmly,
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Veronica Arteaga, LCSW
President & CEO
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ECF Welcomes Thomas J. Schulte to Board of Directors
Exceptional Children’s Foundation (ECF) is proud to welcome Thomas J. Schulte, CPA as a valued member of our Board of Directors.
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Tom is a Senior Partner at Armanino LLP, the 18th largest CPA and Consulting firm in the United States with six offices in Southern California. For many years he led the Southern California Assurance Department as well as its Nonprofit Industry practice. Currently Armanino’s Southern California Growth Office partner, Tom ensures that all clients and prospects in the Not-for-Profit group within Southern California are being fully served by Armanino’s services. | |
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Tom has served on numerous public, private and nonprofit boards. He currently is Treasurer of the Playa Vista HOA, chairs the audit committee for Our House and is former chair of the audit committees for the Grammy Museum, and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation. The former chairman and treasurer of Easter Seals of Southern California, Tom was also on the board of governors of UCLA Extension. He is a former member of the finance committee of GuideStar and has served as chairman or treasurer for the California Association of Nonprofits, the Los Angeles Business Council, the Los Angeles County and California chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the San Fernando Valley Girl Scouts Council.
A graduate of the University of California-Santa Barbara, Tom is a former UCSB Accounting Alumnus of the Year and has been named one of the “Most Influential People of Los Angeles” by the Los Angeles Business Journal in every year since 2017. He has been named as one of the top 100 accountants in Southern California by the Los Angeles Business Journal and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
For his exceptional service to ECF and other charitable organizations, he was honored by ECF with a 2022 Legends of Impact award.
Tom’s greatest enjoyment is his family. He and his wife, Shelby, along with their daughter, Lilah, and their two dogs live in Playa Vista.
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ECF Art Centers Third Annual VIP Art Preview Breaks Records Kicking off a Season of Studio Sales | |
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ECF Art Centers presented the third annual VIP Art Preview last month, showcasing artwork from all four of ECF’s progressive art studios in South Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Whittier and San Pedro. The event previewed works specially curated for guests by Leah Lehmbeck of LACMA and kicks off a fall season of individual studio sales across the ECF Art Centers.
ECF supporters and art lovers enjoyed meeting and mingling with our talented artists at the Preview, viewing hundreds of stunning exclusive works, a live art demonstration, a fabulous array of Mediterranean food and fine wines, and great music by DJ Leonard. Lucky collectors purchased more than 100 pieces of amazing art, and the event raised a record-breaking $30,528 to support ECF Art Centers and artists!
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ECF thanks all our guests and our generous sponsors, Azita & George Fatheree, Paul Zimmerman, ANX Architects, Nancy & Leslie Abell, and First Bank for making this exceptional event a record-breaking success and a most memorable and exciting evening for ECF artists and their families!
To view an album of photos from the event, click here. For a list of upcoming ECF Art Centers sales, click here.
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Homecoming Celebration Sneaker Ball October 19th to Benefit Students at Kayne Eras School | |
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Mark your calendars! You won't want to miss our Homecoming Celebration sneaker ball benefiting the students of ECF Kayne Eras School! Break out your grooviest dance attire and best dancing sneakers for our first ever Homecoming dance, October 19th in the ECF Kayne Eras School gym featuring dancing with DJ Quantum, fabulous food, a hosted bar, photo booth, live auction and raffle. The fun starts at 7 PM.
Check out our unique sponsorship opportunities and purchase tickets here. See you on the dance floor!
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During this month’s Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week, we are celebrating all our exceptional Direct Support Professionals across our 14 program sites! They are the heart and soul of everything we do at ECF to support children and adults with special needs!
Join us in thanking them for their dedication, expertise, innovation, and commitment to the highest quality service for the community we serve!
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DSP Spotlight: Meet Gloria DeLa Cruz
This month we're excited to highlight Gloria DeLa Cruz, a dedicated Direct Support Professional and member of our Residential team serving clients at ECF’s Valverde Home.
Gloria has worked at Valverde for 25 years and is like a family member to some of our residents who do not have any living relatives.
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One of her many touching memories over the years was with a client who had trouble falling asleep at night. The resident would wait for her to arrive so that she could tuck him away for the night.
Originally from El Salvador, Gloria is 72 years old and has been happily married for 52 years. She has 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
Gloria loves her work and her extended family at ECF, and we are so grateful for her exceptional service to the clients we serve!
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Early Start Arleta children and families beat the heat with a special day staff provided at Lake View Terrace Park and Library, beginning with a morning of water play and activities, followed by a picnic lunch and story time at the library. | |
Middle school students are excited to use technology to learn geography. | |
Reading is cool! Elementary students each chose a new book to take home. | |
Exceptional Works program staff members Mark Campoy and Aylene Frausto represented ECF and shared information about our programs and services at the Lennox Night at the Park event on Thursday, August 15th. The event was organized by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and the Lennox Working Group for a Safer Park. | |
Exceptional Children’s Foundation Earns 2024 Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid
Once again ECF has earned a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency!
Candid provides the most comprehensive data and insights about the social sector and demonstrates their transparency to potential donors and funders. The rankings are earned in four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
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The Candid Platinum seal is the highest possible rating and indicates that we exceed nonprofit industry standards. This exceptional designation sets us apart and demonstrates our trustworthiness to the public. | |
EXCEPTIONAL PARTNERS
ECF thanks the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation for their support for the Experiential Learning Program at our ECF Kayne Eras School.
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ECF’s WASC-accredited nonpublic Kayne Eras School provides special education for TK-12 students who have learning, emotional and developmental challenges. All of our educators are committed to the idea that every child can learn—and with individualized support and care, we help each child develop their confidence and unique potential so they can succeed both in and out of the classroom. | |
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Join our Circle of Friends by becoming a monthly donor! It’s easy and your gifts can really add up – $25 month yields a $300 annual contribution. Click here to sign up and make a difference every month of the year. | | | |
VISIT US!
Want to learn more and see our programs in action? If you would like to visit and tour one of our program sites, please reach out to Maxine Moshay, Interim Chief Development Officer, at mmoshay@ecf.net or 310-773-9435 to schedule.
We look forward to seeing you!
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Exceptional Children’s Foundation is hiring!
Join our exceptional team and help to make a positive impact in the lives of children and adults with special needs.
To learn about current employment opportunities, please visit www.ECF.net/careers.
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Show your support and help spread our mission by connecting with us on social media. Follow our page, like, love and share @ConnectwithECF | | | | |
