You can help foster babies during CAALA convention

Help us make quilts for young foster children, it’s a labor of love

2024 August

Imagine being a child alone, in foster care or thrown into the court system through no fault of your own.

Every year, thousands of children in Los Angeles and Orange County struggle with this constant uncertainty. Where will I live? Who will help me? About a third of the children entering foster care are ages 0-5 with 19% under 24 months.

Helping children in foster care is not new for our organizations. OCTLC donated more than $10,000 and volunteers prepared and served lunch at Orangewood Children’s Home earlier this year. Last month LATLC hosted our third event with KidSave for foster teens to meet potential forever families.

CASA Los Angeles and CASA Orange County are also our partner charities. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) provides a powerful voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and abandonment. CASA volunteers are paired to mentor youth in foster care and work one on one to advocate for their best interests. This is even more important for infants and toddlers. Eighty-three percent of young children (0-5) experience improved physical health during CASA enrollment.

It is a tradition for LATLC and OCTLC to host a “service project” at our booth during the CAALA Convention. In the past, we have assembled toiletry kits for the unhoused, put together backpacks for children, and written “thank you” cards to first responders and medical professionals after the pandemic.

Now we want you to share your artistic talents during CAALA!

This year we are creating baby quilts for CASA.  Draw a picture or write a little note on fabric squares (we provide everything), and LATLC’s 2025 President and CAALA Board Member, Megan Klein, and her family will assemble them for quilts that will be given to these young, vulnerable children in LA and OC. There will even be fabric squares and markers at CAALA’s Kid Club, so they can be part of this special project.

The act of quilting has been called a “labor of love.” When someone receives a handmade quilt as a gift, they are given a tangible representation of that love, care, and connection. For a young child, a quilt or blanket provides a sense of comfort and security and relieves anxiety about separation from the mother.

Visit our booth (#404/406) during the CAALA Convention. You don’t have to be an INCREDIBLE artist to make an incredible difference for the children at CASA Los Angeles and CASA Orange County. See you in Las Vegas!