Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Heart and Goal

Source: SK Staff

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Heart and Goal

by SweisKloss
December 17, 2020

Holidays from the Heart is a program near and dear to my, well, heart. This charitable initiative supports the most vulnerable and financially challenged patients at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). I have been involved with this cause for the last seven years when my brother first introduced it to me. Through the program, CHLA matches patients and their families with sponsors at the start of the holiday season. The sponsors are given information about their assigned families—what basic necessities they need the most as well as wish list items—then the sponsor goes shopping for the gifts. My brother and his friends sponsored about 10 families per year and always had a big party to wrap all the presents. When I was president elect for Kiwanis Santa Monica, I suggested supporting Holidays from the Heart, and Kiwanis enthusiastically joined in and have since sponsored families each year. In 2016, SweisKloss officially sponsored our first family. Being involved with this program continues to be a holiday highlight for us. I also recently introduced the program to my colleagues in Provisors and Echelon who have generously given their time and donations toward sponsorship. I loved going out with the shopping crew—this year included Jessica (SK and Kiwanis) and my daughter—and finding the gifts. We really enjoyed our time together. Once I drop off everything at the “North Pole” at CHLA, I get to see the happy volunteers bustling around, packing up the gifts to deliver to the families. A few hundred families get sponsored each year, and it takes a lot of coordination. Giving is always important but even more so this year; the immense amount of stress caused by the pandemic has been daunting for many people. If we all gave one thing, and that one thing can provide some form of comfort, some semblance of relief, and a moment of joy, then we are on the right path to a stronger community. Comment below and tell us about some of your favorite charitable organizations.