Los Altos Celebrates 65 Years of Helping Children in Need

For 65 years, Los Altos Auxiliary has been dedicated to improving the lives of children who do not have strong family support – and they are not slowing down! On September 27, 1957, Los Altos Auxiliary began as the Glendale Auxiliary of The Children’s Home Society of California. The Children’s Home Society of California (CHSC) was founded in 1891 to address the plight of homeless and abandoned children in the state. In the 1990s, CHSC changed its focus from foster care and adoptive services to helping families receive quality childcare and development services.

In 1993, members of Los Altos Auxiliary, still primarily concerned about youth without intact family support, shifted their focus to exclusively helping the boys in foster care at Sycamores. Sycamores was originally founded as the first orphanage in Pasadena 120 years ago, and today continues to be recognized as a leading behavioral health and welfare agency in Southern California.

“When looking through our scrapbooks back to 1957, we are so proud to continue the legacy of 65 years of compassionate and insightful caring for youth in the foster care system. We provide touches of human kindness, as well as important therapeutic tools, to remind the youth they are important and are valued and can have a healthy future. And a big side benefit is the friendships made among our members, as we volunteer for a common goal of helping,” outgoing President Hilary Gregg opined.

For the past 30 years, Los Altos’ efforts have improved the quality of life at Sycamores’ El Nido campus (a residential home in Altadena), with large-scale capital improvements, including the first on-campus library, computer lab, a silk-screening business, cottage bathroom remodels, landscaping, and an outdoor entertainment center, as well as social and outdoor adventures off campus, on-campus holiday parties, birthday celebrations, graduation ceremonies, and movie nights.

“I’ve been proud to be a member of Los Altos for over 25 years and each year we adapt, improvise, and find new ways to best serve Sycamores’ El Nido community. Our organization has evolved with age, and I know the future is exciting and full of promise,” long-term member Linda Yaussi explained.

For many years, the community supported Los Altos’ major fundraiser, an annual October Bazaar and Fashion Show, where members created and curated a boutique with holiday items, as well as homemade casseroles and breads. Later, the fall fundraiser shifted to selling beautiful handcrafted floral Thanksgiving centerpieces. Two years ago, Los Altos initiated the Holiday Adopt-a-Youth program to fulfill the Christmas wish lists of the foster youth at El Nido. In addition to the fall events, since 2009, the group has also hosted the Los Altos Spring Wine Tasting fundraiser, a popular community event, featuring wines from all over the world and wonderful auction items.

The COVID pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the famous wine tasting event for the last three years, and Los Altos pivoted from hosting the in-person wine tasting event to making a straight ask for donations from their faithful supporters. Thanks to those donations, in this year alone, Los Altos provided $28,000 of in-kind donations and $32,000 in grants, totaling over $60,000 in support for the El Nido campus and its residents.

Sycamores President and CEO Debbie Manners shares her gratitude for the group, “The dedication and generosity of the members of Los Altos is inspiring – and it does help to create a better life for the youth on campus. We are so appreciative of their kindness and support. Their efforts truly do make a difference!”

The mission of Los Altos is to enhance and enrich the lives of the youths, adults and families at the El Nido campus community and Sycamores. Women interested in learning more about Los Altos can visit the group’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LosAltosAuxiliary or contact Los Altos at https://www.losaltosauxiliary.org/contact