Exceptional Children’s Foundation (ECF) will celebrate its 75th anniversary of service on June 24th at the Celebration of Legends Gala and recognize ECF’s community partner, the Los Angeles Rams. Rams Safety Terrell Burgess will accept the award on behalf of the team. The event is expected to raise $1.5 million to support ECF’s programs and services for children and adults throughout Los Angeles that are challenged with developmental, learning, and emotional barriers.
Actor/Comedian Kevin Nealon, best known for Saturday Night Live, Weeds, and his celebrity hiking online series HIKING WITH KEVIN, will perform live at the gala, which will be emceed by Marc Brown, co-anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News.
The gala event also will pay tribute to ECF Legends, with awards presented to benefactors, leadership, staff and ECF service recipients who have had exceptional impacts throughout the organization’s 75-year history. The evening festivities, coupled with a live auction, will be held on the rooftop of the Hollywood Park Casino’s parking facility that overlooks the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where the Rams play their home games.
“We are thrilled to honor generations of ECF benefactors, staff and clients whose contributions have had a legendary impact on our mission progress,” said ECF President and CEO Scott D. Bowling. “We also are proud to share this special milestone with our business partners, the Los Angeles Rams. Our partnership with the Rams serves as a shining example of how businesses can join forces to strengthen communities with job creation while building a more inclusive society.”
“Inclusion is a top priority of the Rams and when we returned home to Los Angeles in 2016, we learned of the impactful work being done by Exceptional Children’s Foundation and saw an immediate opportunity to partner with them and engage their clients in our community work,” said Molly Higgins, Rams Vice President of Community Affairs and Engagement. “The Los Angeles Rams are honored to receive this recognition from ECF and proud to support an organization that provides essential and innovative services to individuals with developmental disabilities.”
Both ECF and the Los Angeles Rams began operating in 1946. Since 2016, the Los Angeles Rams have partnered with ECF’s Pathways to Employment Exceptional Packaging Solutions program in Inglewood, which provides adults with developmental disabilities skills training and paid work experience in packing, assembling and fulfillment contract work for local and regional businesses. The team’s charitable donations and fan packs are assembled by ECF participants. The partnership has played a key role in creating jobs for adults with disabilities and raising awareness nationwide. The Rams also support ECF’s K-12 non-public special education Kayne Eras School, providing inspirational player visits with students and donations of cleats and equipment for student-athletes.
ABOUT EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION (ECF.net):
The Exceptional Children’s Foundation (ECF) was created in 1946 by a group of concerned parents who pooled their resources to create a daycare program for children with developmental disabilities. Over 75 years, ECF has evolved into a nationally-recognized organization serving more than 5,000 people with developmental disabilities and their families annually from 15 program sites, in homes and in the community across Los Angeles County. ECF is the only organization of its kind in California to provide a lifespan of services for children and adults challenged with developmental, learning and emotional barriers—empowering them to reach their greatest potential.
ABOUT LOS ANGELES RAMS:
The Los Angeles Rams – Los Angeles’ original professional sports team – stand as one of the oldest franchises in the National Football League and since its founding in 1937, have garnered three World Championships and sent 30 of its members to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a professional sports team, the organization is committed to be a valuable civic partner and serving the greater Los Angeles area 365 days a year. The Rams play their home games at SoFi Stadium, which is located at Hollywood Park, a 298-acre sports and entertainment destination being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke in Inglewood, CA.
The Rams organization recognizes its unique ability to raise awareness and funds for causes and issues relevant to fans and community members. The entire organization is committed to serving as a valuable community partner and benefiting the Los Angeles region 365 days a year while providing substantial resources to support education and mentoring, health and wellness, and help address issues tied to poverty such as food insecurity and homelessness. Since the team moved back home to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams have provided more than 9,300 hours of community service and benefitted 192 schools and 153 different non-profit organizations through their community outreach programs.
