Art of Advocacy - Children's Law Center of California

Wow! Thank you to our CLC friends for making our annual Art of Advocacy Gala a huge success! This year’s event, held under the stars on the UCLA Luskin Centennial Terrace, hosted more than 200 guests and together we raised over $200,000 for children and youth in foster care.

We heard from CLC staff, board members, and most importantly, directly from CLC clients about their experiences in foster care and the role CLC has played for them and their families. We celebrated our extraordinary honorees – Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, and Muralists DABSMYLA – each of whom has championed and supported children and foster care through their advocacy and art. A special thank you to Rosi Golan for lending her incredible talent and stunning voice to our evening.

Photo Credit: Photos by Juan Alaniz-www.genesisdigital.tv

This wonderful celebration showed how much we can achieve when we work together to better the lives of children. It was a joy to gather together – in person – to honor the perseverance and successes of the children and young adults we represent, their families, and all who support them – including you!

We want to express our deep gratitude to all of our honorees, generous event sponsors, donors, and guests. THANK YOU!

Honorees

We are delighted to honor the following individuals for their commitment to brightening the lives of children and youth in foster care.

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl

Supervisor Sheila James Kuehl has dedicated her career to improving people’s lives. She currently represents the Third District as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Kuehl previously served in the California State Senate and the California State Assembly. She was California’s first openly gay state legislator and the Assembly’s first female Speaker pro tempore. Supervisor Kuehl has been a longtime champion for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. CLC had the honor of working with Ms. Kuehl on several pieces of critically important legislation to improve the child welfare system, with a focus on providing important due process protections and support for young parents in foster care.

DABSMYLA

Australian husband-and-wife visual artists, DABSMYLA, employ a shared design language that dictates subject matter, positioning, color theory, and perspective. The duo recently donated several pieces of their colorful and whimsical artwork to shelter care.

Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo

Wendy Carrillo was elected to serve in the California State Assembly in December 2017, where she represents the 51st Assembly District (Los Angeles). In the State Assembly, she is a champion for foster youth and the author of a CLC sponsored bill to address racial disparities in the child welfare system through the creation of a blind removal pilot program (AB 656).

Musical Guest

Rosi Golan

Originally from Israel, singer/songwriter Rosi Golan now resides in Los Angeles. She has released two critically acclaimed albums (“The Drifter & the Gypsy” & “Lead Balloon”) and 2 EPs (“Collecting Bullets” & “Fortuna”), with her unique blend of songs steeped in Americana, pop, and thoughtful folk. She’s also written songs for Dagny, Natalie Hemby, Christina Aguilera (end-title music for Disney’s Mulan), Little Big Town, Billy Currington, Lisa Loeb, etc. In addition, many of her songs have been prominently featured in TV shows such as Private Practice, Vampire Diaries, The Royals, NCIS, and One Tree Hill, major films such as Disney’s Mulan, Dear John.