Welcome to Happy Trails For Kids!
A Message from Our President
Over the past few months, the media in Los Angeles has featured a number of stories about problems in the foster care system, including a lack of supervision and appropriate care for the boys and girls living in foster homes. While we at Happy Trails for Kids were saddened by the stories, it served as a reminder to us that our goals – to provide support and joy in the lives of foster children – are desperately needed by this vulnerable population.
Happy Trails for Kids hosted 65 kids from the foster care system at our inaugural overnight camp session in Malibu last summer. It was a week full of singing, laughing and friendship. The only crying took place on the last day, as we loaded the busses and said our goodbyes (until our next Happy Trails event!). The feedback from this program has been tremendous, as you can read for yourself on the Success Stories section of our site.
Since camp ended, we have hosted a number of reunion events throughout the year, as a core aspect of our mission is to be a stable in our campers’ lives. The kids were eager and excited to reunite with their friends and counselors! We are busy planning our next core event – another weeklong camp session in July, this time at our amazing new 72 forested acre camp in Idyllwild. All of our previous campers will be invited to return, and because of generous donations from our supporters, we are able to host even more children this year.
Thank you to all of our supporters for enabling us to expand our Happy Trails family! Specifically, thank you Max Salter for encouraging generous donations to Happy Trails for Kids in lieu of gifts for his 90th birthday party, and Mark Halpert and Liz Barnert for doing the same at their wedding. Because of you, at least 30 more children will be able to enjoy the adventures of a Happy Trails for Kids program this year.
Please take a few minutes to explore our site, learn about our history, mission, and the kids we serve, and find out how you can get involved in growing the Happy Trails family.
Susan Abrams, President 
April, 2010
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