When La Casa transitioned from the Albert Sitton Home to Orangewood Children’s Home in 1985 it was the beginning of a new day at Orangewood. Through the benefits of volunteers and donations, La Casa has been able to impact lives of these youth on an almost daily basis with exceptional educational and recreational activities.
Times have changed, but life for an abused child has not. With your continued support, La Casa is able to meet these changing needs with Enthusiasm and Love. Without your donations and membership, we are not able to continue the work that we so love to do and that these children need and appreciate.
Please take a moment to consider us in your donation dollars this year. Your contribution, no matter the size, can help to put a smile on a child’s face that might otherwise only remember the abuse and neglect that brought him/her here to Orangewood in the first place.
Help Orangewood Kids Just Be Kids
We need your help to make a difference. Your donation will be used to help youth of all ages receive everyday essential items, experience extracurricular activities, and increase the reach of support programs that build successful futures. Our donation process makes it easy for you to designate your donation(s) toward a specific program, set up monthly recurring donation(s) to support initiatives all year or create an online fundraiser to share with friends. Will you get involved?
All donations are tax-deductible and a tax receipt is emailed promptly for your records.
La Casa’s Mission
Our focus is to provide youth that come through the doors of Orangewood with as comfortable a stay as possible. We always want to make the traumatic experience of being taken away from their guardians a little less painful. And to do this, we at La Casa work closely with the staff to plan events, develop activities and anything else we can provide the children to make their stay better. Whether it be a field trip to the zoo, a music device, or a cooking class, the children appreciate it. This is all possible through the support that we get from our fundraising arms, La Familia & Las Amigas, as well as various partners throughout our local communities.
Changes Taking Place Around Orangewood
With new court rulings and changes in childcare laws, more and more of the little ones get placed in alternative care. When the little ones first come into the home, their first stop is First Step; which we help to make as cozy and comfortable as possible.
Every effort has always been to place children with a family member or a non-related adult close to the child first, followed by placement in Foster Care, then Orangewood. However, there are always many not easily placed into Foster Care. Those children (usually older) come with a multitude of issues – as well as special needs – that require one-on-one or sometimes two-on-one care. Orangewood has stepped up to the challenge and these Special Needs children are thriving and doing well.
La Casa Yesterday & Today
Founded in 1980 as an auxiliary to support the Albert Sitton Home, later replaced by Orangewood Children’s Home in 1985, La Casa is an all-volunteer organization funded 100% by donations, brought together to support abandoned, neglected and abused children in Orange County. In 2010, Orangewood changed their name to Orangewood Children and Family Center. La Casa will continue to focus on and support abandoned, neglected and abused children residing at Orangewood.
Our main objective is to enhance the environment of youth undergoing difficult transitions with memories of love and caring while providing positive activities and adventures to nurture and to remember.
Orangewood Children’s Home Auxiliary La Casa
La Casa is committed to making special memories for the children while in residence at Orangewood. Through La Casa’s activities, Orangewood’s children are able to forget their troubled past, if even for just a few hours. These activities also allow the children to enjoy the simple pleasures of being a child. Additionally, members of La Casa’s Las Amigas and La Familia Chapters have been involved with youth of OC for 50+ years, supplying the necessary ‘fundraising’ activities to help support these programs.
We’re happy to say La Casa has continued on the successes of previous years; funding activities that promote education and well-being. Some of these special activities include focusing on the health and well-being of the children as well as teaching them life lessons like planting a Herb Garden with the children maintaining it. With Food and Exercise as the focus, the children will become more focused on a healthy body for living and learning.
special thanks …
La Casa takes pride and is always excited when we’re able to help the children have an easier time with their situation. If we can put a smile on their faces and enrich their lives while they’re at the home we are doing our job. This has been a wonderful year. We’re grateful for those who help us make a difference. Your support will unwrap brighter futures for children, families and entire communities.