On Saturday, Children’s Institute hosted the 25th Annual Winter Family Festival for hundreds of children and families at our Otis Booth Campus in Echo Park. The day featured holiday entertainment including a petting zoo, holiday arts & crafts and toy giveaways.

Children and families who attend Winter Family Festival are served at CII through services including preschool, counseling, parenting classes and more. The event is an opportunity for families to celebrate the holidays together and ensures kids who Santa might miss receive a toy.

Soleil Delgadillo, Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager at CII, said this event is extra special because it is representative of all CII programs where everyone works together to create a memorable experience for families.

“This event means a lot to our staff and families because we are making sure people feel supported and appreciated during this time of year,” she said. “We want our clients to know that we are providing more than just services. We are creating spaces where they can enjoy being families.”

Families bonded while they enjoyed lunch, decorated gingerbread cookies and designed holiday cards. The Grinch made a special appearance and Cali 93.9 played festival music as kids posed for photos with host Jessica Flores.

While the petting zoo and face painting were fan favorites, the biggest excitement came during the gift giveaways where LA-based toy company Spin Master gave out science kits and robotic dogs. Loyola Marymount University contributed more than 2,000 books and Grammy-nominated musician Billie Eilish donated signed merchandise for teens.

Winter Family Festival volunteers Channing Chantell and Matthew Duckworth helped distribute toys during the event. While distributing more than a thousand toys could get overwhelming at points, the two said there was so much joy and happiness from children and families.

“It’s been great to just see the smiles on their faces when they come up and pick a toy,” Duckworth said. “Being able to giving back is the true meaning of this time of year.”

The quality time at Winter Family Festival applied to staff as well. Dalila Rodriguez Alegria, Director of Education at CII, said the event gave CII staff the opportunity to connect with families outside of preschool or clinical settings to form stronger relationships.

“For me, this event shows a sense of community versus the day to day work we do in our classrooms,” she said. “The whole family is here and we get to see brothers, sisters and parents enjoying their time as one big group.”

Terry, a parent enrolled in CII’s Project Fatherhood program, attended Winter Family Festival with his children Kesai, age 12, Ky, 9, Kayja 6, Kahlil, 3 and Kaleena, 2. As the kids waited in line for the petting zoo, Terry said he looks forward to Winter Family Festival and getting to do everything together as a family.

“These are the memories we want as parents,” he said. “We appreciate everyone giving back and creating all of these activities where my kids get to enjoy the holidays.”

A special thank you to our volunteers and sponsors for supporting the Winter Family Festival: Baby2Baby, Billie Eilish, Bloomingdale’s, Boy Scouts of America, California Credit Union, California Medical Pharmacy, Freya Zhou Group, HCVT, LA Works, Loyola Marymount University, Loyola High School, Les Amies, MyWish4U, Spin Master, Thrive Causemetics, UCLA Latino Alumni Association and Young Storytellers.

See more event photos here.

As 2019 comes to a close, we looked back at a few of the highlights from the past year at CII. As with previous years, our success was powered by the support of our strong community of volunteers, donors and staff.

Father-Daughter Tea Honors Special Bonds

Project Fatherhood welcomed families to our Otis Booth campus for the 7th annual Father-Daughter Tea where the princess-themed party celebrated the relationship between fathers and daughters. Read more.

Promoting Healthy Alternatives to South LA’s Food Deserts

CII held a Family Health Fair in South LA that promoted healthier life choices for families. The event promoted access to preventative health care while encouraging nutritious meals. Read more.

Healing Childhood Trauma From Gun Violence in Watts

Since launching in the fall of 2018, our REACH TEAM spent this last year building important relationships in the Watts community and offering crucial support services to children exposed to gun violence. Read more.

31st Annual Colleagues Spring Luncheon Highlights Legacy of Giving Back

The Colleagues held their annual Spring Luncheon benefitting CII and honoring actress, author and philanthropist Marlo Thomas. Actor Henry Winkler introduced Thomas, and following the award ceremony, the audience was treated to a private fashion show of Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 2019 line. Read more.

Movie Night & Car Show Promotes STEAM Curriculum

More than 500 families and staff attended the 2nd Annual Movie Night & Car Show at CII’s Watts Campus in early May that prepared kids for success in school while encouraging group activities with families. Read more.

Appreciating Our Amazing Teachers

CII has 32 early childhood sites in LA that are staffed by 213 teachers and home visitors along with in-classroom parent volunteers. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we shared perspectives from teachers, volunteers and parents connected to these programs. Read more.

HBO Documentary FOSTER Features CII’s Family Preservation Program in Action

As part of National Foster Care Month, CII teamed up with Film Independent to co-present a screening of the new HBO documentary FOSTER at the ArcLight Hollywood. The documentary featured CII’s Family Preservation Program in action and the screening was followed by a panel discussion. Read more.

C.H.I.P.S. Annual Spring Luncheon Focused on Philanthropy & South LA

The C.H.I.P.S. held their annual Spring Luncheon benefitting CII where they honored the Watts Gang Task Force and philanthropists Alex Tuttle and Tiffany Tuttle.  Read more.

Community Connections Promoted Mental Wellness in Watts

Over 1,000 kids and their families joined CII for a family-friendly day of fun promoting the role of prevention, social support and connection in overall wellness. More than 50 providers, programs and services helped make the event a success. Read more.

Dream Big Graduation Caps Major Milestone for Foster Youth

CII celebrated foster youth from our Individualized Transition Skills Program (ITSP) at our 3rd Annual Dream Big Graduation. Speakers included Sean Anders, writer/director, Instant Family and Jessica Chandler, Children’s Social Worker, DCFS.
Read more.

Fatherhood Conference Brings Together Leaders

CII’s Project Fatherhood Program brought together 400 professionals at its annual Fatherhood Solutions Conference focusing on ways to increase fatherhood involvement in families. Read more.

Improving Support Through the Trauma-Informed Care Conference

CII gathered experts in the field of childhood trauma to discuss the latest research and best practices when it comes to providing trauma-informed care. Read more.

Designers Partner with CII to Build Bikes for Kids

CII’s annual Gears4Kids event partnered with 100 volunteers from some 20 architecture and design firms to taught kids how to build and ride a bike. Read more.

2^nd Annual Cape & Gown Gala

CII honored Netflix’s Channing Dungey and long-time supporters Bridget Gless Keller and Paul Keller at the 2nd Annual Cape & Gown Gala where $1.2 million was raised for CII’s early education, behavioral health and family strengthening programs. Read more.

Neighborhood Schools Initiative Invests in South LA

CII launched the Neighborhood Schools Initiative, which aims to support an entire school or preschool community with services for students, their families, teachers and administrators. CII will work in three schools in South LA that form a “feeder pattern,” which will support the same kids as they move from preschool through 12th grade. Read more.

Winter Family Festival Creates Lasting Memories

CII hosted the 25th annual Winter Family Festival for more than 2,500 children and family members that featured holiday entertainment, a petting zoo and winter crafts along with toy giveaways. Read more.

Hello,

My name is Raul and I’m a Parent Partner at Children’s Institute in Watts. In my role, I use my life experiences to support, engage and motivate families to achieve their goals. I wish CII’s services had been available when I was a child.

Growing up in South Central LA, it was normal for me and my brother to witness violence. Whether we were riding bikes or playing catch, it wasn’t unusual to hear gunshots, take cover, and then resume playing like nothing had happened. I remember walking around yellow police tape on my way to school, seeing dead bodies more than once, and witnessing domestic violence in our home.

Adults never talked about what was going on. I don’t remember anyone sitting me down and saying, “You shouldn’t go outside right now,” or “Maybe we should talk to someone about what you saw.” Instead, everyone acted like it wasn’t a big deal—it’s normal and it’s what happens in South Central.

I’ve made plenty of wrong turns myself and had to work very hard to overcome the trauma in my own life. But today, I feel so lucky to be a part of Children’s Institute where I am helping people from my community heal from trauma.

Our caring, compassionate services support families struggling from the effects of community violence and poverty. These families have witnessed many of the things my brother and I experienced growing up, but thanks to Children’s Institute, we are able to help by offering trauma-informed early education, behavioral health and family strengthening services.

This year, partner with us to create a new normal for South Los Angeles. When we invest in kids, we lift up the whole community. With your help, change is possible.

Happy Holidays,

Support life-changing services for children and families with an end of year donation this holiday season.