Children’s Institute has partnered with e-commerce organic grocery distributor Thrive Market to provide free memberships to families we serve who are impacted by COVID-19. The partnership highlights one of many ways CII is ensuring access to essential items during the pandemic.

Thanks to an anonymous $100,000 gift, 500 families (or 1,500 individuals) will receive food and household supplies for a month. What’s more, these items are sent through the US Mail, so families don’t have to leave their houses to receive the benefit.

In addition, all 1,000 CII staff members will receive free memberships to Thrive Market.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said working with Thrive Market offers an additional lifeline to families who would otherwise struggle to buy food because unemployment benefits haven’t kicked in, or families do not qualify for government relief.

“Many of the families CII supports were already struggling before this crisis and they are now facing increased risks due to extensive job losses and school closures,” Singer said. “This partnerships with Thrive Market is a crucial support to families reeling from COVID-19.”

According to a recent USC study, the number of people employed in Los Angeles County fell 16% in the last month, significantly higher than the national average. More than 1.3 million jobs were lost, disproportionately affecting African Americans and Latinos, especially those with just a high school education.

Nolan Green, Chief of Staff at Thrive Market, said they were eager to help when CII proposed a partnership. He said Thrive Market has created a system to prioritize orders from the most at-risk families to ensure they don’t go hungry.

“Organizations like CII are so crucial for mobilizing aid locally, so especially as a Los Angeles-based e-commerce company, we’re proud to do whatever we can to help,” Green said.

Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII, said it has been amazing to share the partnership with families in need of extra support.

“Our families have struggled with job losses and a lack of resources, which has added more stress to their already challenging lives,” she said. “The partnership with Thrive Market allows us to ease the burden on families figuring out how to feed themselves and their children.”

In addition to the partnership with Thrive Market, CII is distributing free meals to families at our early childhood centers, providing diapers and formula to parents, and offering virtual learning and mental health sessions. Since April 2, CII’s COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $160,000 to help LA’s most impacted families.

Children’s Institute has been awarded $5 million to focus on services that will help improve the health, economic stability and educational attainment of residents in Watts. This funding represents a larger partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) that will bring $35 million in new investments to revitalize Watts.

In late 2019, CII joined HACLA in its proposal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant. CII found out last week that our proposal was awarded the funding, which will help transform Watts and focus on the redevelopment and expansion of 700 public housing units into 1,569 units at the Jordan Downs development where CII has a large presence through our Behavioral Health & Wellness and Early Childhood Education programs.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said the award marks another step forward for the community of Watts. In early 2020, CII broke ground on a new Frank Gehry-designed Watts Campus that will house critical therapeutic programs and a variety of supports for children and families.

“CII is deeply committed to the children and families of Watts, and thrilled to be a partner on this critical initiative that will empower the community for years to come,” Singer said.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press release that while the city applied for the funding prior to the current COVID-19 crisis, it is the right moment to receive support for a community that will greatly benefit from these resources.

“At a moment when so many people are hurting, it is essential that we keep investing in our communities and sustain the momentum of the neighborhood-based transformation underway in Watts,” said Mayor Garcetti.

This effort will be supported by over 30 partners that include the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital Foundation, and Partnership for Los Angeles Schools among many others.

As the lead entity for the “People” component of the plan, CII will coordinate services for Jordan Downs residents including mental health support, managing a newly created People Center and organizing community resource fairs.

“This is a significant opportunity for community transformation both for the residents of Jordan Downs and Watts broadly,” said Danette McBride, CII’s Vice President of Community Innovations . “I am thrilled that CII, as the People lead, will be an integral component of the process.”

Over the coming months, CII will share more information about the project. Implementation of these services will begin in 2021.

It’s National Volunteer Appreciation Week and we are reflecting on our loyal volunteers and the impact they make at CII. In 2019, more than 4,300 volunteers contributed 20,000 hours of service to support children and families in Los Angeles. Those hours are valued at $450,000!*

While our volunteer activities are on hold during COVID-19, many CII volunteers have participated in #Give19, the social media campaign we launched to raise money to get essential supplies – like food, soap and diapers – to families impacted by this crisis.

Here are some volunteer highlights from the past year:

Age of Learning

One Saturday in June, more than 50 volunteers from Age of Learning, creators of ABCmouse, transformed the outdoor playground at our Western Head Start Center into a vibrant and interactive space to encourage play and learning. In addition to creating a large mural, the team put up new signs and donated games and sports equipment. When the children came to school Monday morning, their amazed faces said it all. CII Board of Trustee Sunil Gunderia is Chief Strategy Officer at Age of Learning and helped make the volunteer event possible.

Haworth

More than 100 volunteers from 20 design and architecture firms sponsor CII’s annual Gears4Kids event. Haworth, the furniture and office space manufacturer, buys bikes for kids in CII’s programs and taps into their network of Los Angeles-based design firms to contribute lights, bells, water bottle holders and locks. The volunteers help kids assemble and accessorize their bikes, and LAPD is on hand to teach bike safety.

UCLA Student and Alumni Volunteers

CII receives support from different student groups throughout the year, including UCLA students and alumni. In September, for Hispanic Heritage Month, the UCLA Latino Alumni Association beautified one of CII’s preschools in Watts by adding a fresh coat of paint to the exterior. Later in the year, another UCLA student group contributed supplies and gifts at Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School, where CII provides comprehensive supports to students and their families.

Capital Group

Once again, Capital Group employees spent a day in November assembling Thanksgiving Harvest Bags for children and families served by CII. They filled bags with stuffing mix, mashed potatoes and grocery gift cards.

Freya Zhou and Friends

With over a thousand children and parents in attendance, the Winter Family Festival would not be possible without the support of nearly 100 volunteers. Age of Learning, Loyola Marymount University, HCVT and CII support group Les Amies helped families celebrate the holidays with games, arts and crafts, gifts and lunch.

One volunteer who has consistently supported Winter Family Festival is Freya Zhou. The recent college graduate uses her birthday wish each year to enlist friends to help out at Winter Family Festival. This year, Zhou expanded her involvement by joining the event planning committee.

Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA)

As a long-time sponsor of the Father-Daughter Tea, JLLA brought 30 volunteers to the event, which celebrates the unique bond between dads and their daughters. JLLA holds literacy events throughout the year featuring reading circles, arts and crafts and dance groups, and a Halloween-themed event in October.

*The estimated value of a volunteer hour is $29.95. The estimate is based on the average hourly earnings (plus 12 percent, to account for fringe benefits) of all production and non-supervisory workers

The loss of jobs and school closures related to COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on Los Angeles families already living in poverty.

As an essential service, Children’s Institute continues to provide support including remote mental health sessions, weekday lunch distribution to preschoolers and emergency interventions.

Contribute to a powerful collective effort and ensure LA families receive the essentials needed to stay healthy and safe during this crisis and beyond. You can make a difference by donating $19, posting on social media and nominating three friends to do the same.

Now more than ever, we need your support.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Follow Children’s Institute on social media: @ChildrensInstituteLA on Facebook & Instagram and @ChildrensInstLA on Twitter
2. Donate $19+ to Children’s Institute by texting LAKIDS to 243725.
3. Post a supplied graphic and the suggested copy on social media. Tag three of your friends who you can count on to donate/share and nominate them to #GIVE19.

Download social graphics by clicking here here.

Instagram & Facebook Post

• Too many families in LA are struggling to get basics like food, diapers and education supplies in the midst of #covid_19. I just donated $19 to @childrensinstitutela #GIVE19 and I challenge <TAG THREE FRIENDS> to do the same.

Twitter Post

• Too many families in LA are struggling to get basics like food, diapers and education supplies in the midst of #covid19. I just donated $19 to @childrensinstla #GIVE19 and I challenge <TAG THREE FRIENDS> to do the same.

Video Posts 

Personalized video messages are also encouraged. Just be sure to include the following in your post:
√ Hashtag: #GIVE19
√ Call to Action: Donate $19 by texting LAKIDS to 243725
√ Tag: 3 friends who you’d like to nominate to do the same
√ Tag us: @ChildrensInstituteLA on Facebook & Instagram and @ChildrensInstLA on Twitter

We are confident that our Los Angeles community will come together to support each other during these challenging times, and we would very much appreciate your tax-deductible donation and help spreading the word.