Childrens Life-Saving Foundation aka Children's Lifesaving Foundation

Our overall goal is to "transform" the lives of LA's homeless and at-risk youth and families. We want the youth in our programs to not only understand that there are options out there that are positive and enriching and educational and life-affirming, but to learn and understand that they are DESERVING of any life they wish.

Each program has been designed to fulfill specific needs as they have come up within the families and we serve-both broadly: Our Project Angel Wings Holiday Program, which distributes over 2500 gifts a year, and comprises several different events for low-income students) to the very specific: The CLF's Vita Network Program was initially created to find financial resources to move families living in homeless shelters into new homes, and our Care through College Program when the families in our Vita Network who were Spanish Speaking told us their children needed homework assistance. These same youth grew up, and needed college scholarships.

If we are honest, our main strategy is being able to adapt and integrate program with the direct and specific needs of our clients as they arise. Since many of our volunteers are closely involved with our programs, this brings a genuine community feel to the way in which we work and operate as an organization.

Example:
We found out about an incredible group of so in-need LAUSD students experiencing homelessness last Fall. We would love to tell you this story, a rebooting of one of core programs that occurred as a result, and the tremendous need for it:

Something really magical happened to us last Fall, something which literally created a new focus that arose out of the ashes of the very tragic Woolsey Fires:

Sadly, not just one, but TWO of the beautiful campsites we have been leasing for well over a decade for both our Camp for All and Project Angel Wings Holiday Programs) were completely

Then, something really amazing happened shortly after the fires occurred: We found out about an incredible series of articles, published last Fall in the LA Times by veteran and legendary journalist, Steve Lopez. He did an incredible series on Telfair Elementary in Pacoima, which actually has the highest percentage of actual homeless students in ALL of LAUSD.

We were so moved by these incredible stories of families living in dirty, overcrowded motels, small, detached garages and even vans and cars.

We were then galvanized to action: We immediately invited 300 of these wonderful Telfair students to attend TWO of our awesome Holiday Parties, held at John Muir Elementary in Santa Monica. We gave out bags filled with great, brand-new toys, had an incredible day of DJs, games, beautiful holiday crafts, and Santa himself, of course!

When we asked these children if any of them would like to attend our Camp for All Program this summer, they all started yelling out “YESSS!!!”

How incredible, how life-changing would it be to invite these youth up to our Camp for All Enrichment Summer Camps in the upcoming season?

And we did! Over 350 of these Telfair students, as well as students from nearby LAUSD schools experiencing poverty attended our Wilderness Day Camp Program in 2019-and it was absolutely amazing.

The CLF responds, adjusts and adapts to needs as they emerge-making us a small but mighty non-profit agency...

The CLF has been doing this work for nearly 30 years. Our experience serving the population we serve is almost unparalleled, as our programs have encompassed a broad array of services and development. We also have a great knack for finding volunteers who absolutely understand our mission of trying to create an "extended family" feeling within the community of clients, CLF staff and CLF volunteers. We have attracted companies with like-minded missions, businesses who offer in-kind donations year-after year, and service groups and other organizations who continue, season after season, to lend their hearts and very hard work.

We also partner with other agencies and shelters serving the at-risk youth and homeless communities in Los Angeles, and offer our programs FREE-OF-CHARGE to them. By remaining membership-free, it allows us to serve a much larger client base, and allows the CLF the ability to also offer a large roster of orgs our impactful programs.

Here is a roster of our 2020 Camp for All Staff

Camp Director, Sean McCaffery: Sean has been our Camp Director for over fifteen years, and he has been an invaluable asset and mentor to the youth we serve. Starting his career at LA's BEST after-school program, Sean has helped develop the outdoor curriculum and programming for the past ten summers. Sean is also a youth basketball coach, fitness expert, and ace surf instructor.
The Wilderness Institute Wilderness Educational Instructors: Christina Robertson and Robert Remedi of the highly acclaimed The Wilderness Institute helps the CLF incorporate a truly informative, invigorating and EDUCATIONAL hiking experience for the at-risk we serve, many whom have never, ever been hiking before in their entire lives. Christina Robertson. Christina grew up in Southern California and has always had a love for an great outdoors. Christina has a passion to introduce hiking to families with little ones. She enjoys leading hikes for kids and sharing tips about how to make hiking fun for children. She is the Director of the Conejo Open Space Foundation, volunteers extensively with the education department with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA), and she helps out with the Trail Education Days in Wildwood. She has served on on the Conejo Open Trails Action Committee (COSTAC) since 2017, and served on the Conejo Open Space Foundation as Director since 2018. Joseph Greco is a fimmaker and Magic Castle Magician! He has helped to design a "Magic of Nature: Workshop that is both delightfully fun and fully STEM-lesson related! Autumn Chiklis is a young "LA TIMES" best-selling novelist who has created a "Telling Your OWN Story" Writing Workshop for the youth in this program. Autumn is also a veteran television performer, singer and upcoming television producer.
Kyla Soufer is a brilliant young artist getting her MASTERS in Psychology. She has developed programs for at-risk youth in Harlem and , and is a great teacher.

Our past Project Angel Wings Holiday Program was also a great success, co-hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving Event with RQ Agency-complete with gourmet food baskets for each family (including 15 lb turkeys!) and in December, distributing over 2,000 brand new toys and gifts to agencies like Homeboy Industries and Midnight Mission in DTLA, as well as to families we serve directly in L.A. County.
-The CLF has moved and transitioned 50 homeless and highly at-risk families into new homes, and hundreds of lives of at-risk and very low-income families have been transformed with new living quarters and financial aid.
Over 100 college scholarships have been awarded to deserving, at-risk teens all across Los Angeles
-Over 85,000 at-risk and homeless youth, teens and parents have been served since 1993.
-Hundreds of amazing, memorable field trips to movies, museums, sporting events, shows, concerts, the circus and outdoor recreational camps have been provided to homeless and at-risk you and their families in LA county.
-Over One Million Dollars in IN-KIND Donations of TOYS, NEW CLOTHING, FURNITURE, TOILETRIES and GIFTS have been successfully distributed. We have also distributed over $130,000 in direct funds and in-kind donations through our CLF Step Forward Emergency Family Fund to highly in-need L.A. families during the COVID-19 crisis.


What's Next?

Currently, the CLF continues to raise funds for The Step Forward Family Fund program through the late spring of 2022, and is focusing on revamping its Summer Camp for All Program for underserved youth and families in Los Angeles, to be in full operation again this summer season. This Camp for All program serves over 800 at-risk youth and families per season. CLF also created a new Student Ambassador Program, where local middle and high school students organize, run and host fundraisers for CLF's work. Student Ambassadors at Pali Charter High raised over $5,000 on #GivingTuesday alone in 2021, and CLF Student Ambassadors continue to host innovative, in-person fundraisers on their campus and in their local community. CLF is also currently vetting new families for its Step Forward Family Fund. We are also continuing to address crucial COVID-19 needs in our Vita Network, and continue to fundraise to provide direct assistance to these families. We want to own our own camp, and build our own campsite & facility-that is on the horizon for us!