A Sense of Home strives to prevent homelessness by creating first-ever homes and a community for youth aging out of foster care.
Christmas at
A Sense of Home
DONATE
FUNDS
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FURNITURE
BECOME A
SPONSOR
Hear From Those
We Serve
- Sponsoring the creation of a home in the individual or family’s apartment
- $8k donation
- Up to 24 volunteers (depends on the size of the home)
- You will receive details of the individual or family you are creating a home for
- Feel free to bring anything your heart desires, for example — welcome home gift baskets
- Videos and photos provided
- ASOH provides all items for the home including refreshments and lunch for you and your family
- Donate $8k to sponsor a home in honor of someone you adore
- We will send an animated card revealing this gift to the individual you are honoring
- We will send you the video of your home creation and can further dedicate it to the individual you are honoring
- You may want to share with your community & colleagues the ASOH wishlist asenseofhome.org/asoh-wishlists.
- This is updated weekly to reflect the items ASOH is in most need of to install all 250+ items in the every home that we create.
- For example if you click on our wishlist you will notice that we are in great need of crib mattresses and decor.
- Your colleagues could shop online for this list, or you might choose to do a decor drive at your company — where everyone brings in decor to the office on a specified date and then you deliver all of the decor donations to the ASOH warehouse on a Tuesday.
Are you ready to change a child's life?
- Take a look at your possessions. What don’t you really need?
- If you are an 8-year-old, and you have out grown your amazing 7-year-old clothes — Please collect and prepare them for a child who needs these right now.
- Neatly fold all of your favorite 7-year-old clothes and place it in one of your largest organizer boxes.
- Then add shoes, socks, schools supplies, books, toys and games.
- Write a note especially for the 7-year-old who is going to receive these items.
- Create a label for the outside of the box and label “7-year-old”. Then tell all your friends to do the same!!
- Schedule 2 hour or 4 hour volunteer activities
- Tuesdays through Saturdays 9:00am - 4:00pm
- Individuals and/or small groups of volunteers
- Create custom kits for homes
- Build furniture
With every new beginning, comes the opportunity to donate furniture & homewares. We thank you for thinking of A Sense of Home for your donations.
- It is important to note that we only accept undamaged items.
- Donors are asked to have all items delivered by their movers or companies, such as Lugg or Dolly.
- Deliveries are made to the ASOH warehouse: 3457 W. El Segundo Blvd. Unit A. Hawthorne CA 90250.
- All donation deliveries must be scheduled.
- Go to asenseofhome.org/donate-furniture-housewares for more information and to complete your donation form.
- Upload photos of all furniture items to ensure the size will work within the small spaces in which we create homes.
We welcome and thank you for undertaking a book drive to inspire and help enhance education for the amazing young people we serve.
- We install a Love Library in each home both for kids and for the young adults we serve.
- To participate in the book drive, you can collect donated books or purchases.
- Go to asenseofhome.org/love-library for our suggested reading list and where you can purchase.
- We ask that you ship your “Love Library” packages to the ASOH warehouse: 3457 W. El Segundo Blvd. Unit A. Hawthorne CA 90250.
- Raise $8,000 to sponsor a home creation on site
- Go to justgiving.com/campaign/asenseofhome
- Your team gets to create the home, or make it a virtual home creation and you will receive a video and dedicate it to a loved one or a group of individuals.
- On-site home creations occur when daily LA COVID caseloads are lower than 500/day.
- Prepare welcome home baskets and kits for ASOH recipients.
- The kits and baskets are designed to serve a specific function or to make a specific room functional.
- For example, cooking kits ensure a fully functional kitchen and yummy cooking.
- Go to asenseofhome.org/welcome-home-baskets for a full list of each kit.
- Watch this video to get inspired youtu.be/kVCBWn9_F7I
Latest Press
Ted Sarandos, Ryan Reynolds Toast Shawn Levy and Wife Serena at A Sense of Home Gala.
Create Your Own Fundraising Campaign
Rally your community and friends in innovative ways to ensure A Sense of Home can keep up with increasing demands for home creations in Los Angeles, and help ASOH open in cities across the country.
Listen to the latest podcasts
featuring A Sense of Home
Composed Living with Elsa Elbert
featuring Elvira Laguna and Rachel Stich.
Small & Gutsy features A Sense of Home
w/ ASOH CO-Founder Georgie Smith.
FREEDOM WRITERS PODCAST
In this week’s episode, Erin Gruwell is joined by Georgie Smith, the founder of A Sense of Home and the 2016 top ten CNN Hero of the Year.
Shared Ingredients
Georgie Smith joins Andrew Pelosi, host of Shared Ingredients, to share A Sense of Home’s mission, story, and ways to get involved.
THE SOCIAL SHIFT PODCAST
w/ASOH CO-Founder Georgie Smith
I Want Her Job Podcast
A random act of kindness to help furnish an apartment for someone who aged out of foster care altered the course of Georgie Smith’s life, and led to the creation of A Sense of Home.
Women Lead Radio
Donna Netwig, host of Women on the Journey; Tales From the Trenches, has a conversation with Georgie Smith, Founder/CEO of A Sense of Home, on creating a business around a passion for giving, and the journey of developing a 501c business.
ANTHONY TRUCKS PODCAST
w/ ASOH CO-Founder Georgie Smith
MY L.A. Community Affairs Show
w/ ASOH CO-Founder Georgie Smith
Crazy Good Turns
Young adults who age out of the foster system often bring with them a lifetime of trauma. One organization is determined to make them feel at home.
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Did you catch one of our incredible Pay-It-Forward Alumni and A Sense of Home Scholarship recipients, Julisa, in People Magazine? @people
We are immensely proud of Julisa’s inspirational journey into the field of nursing, and for sharing her story to help spread awareness about foster youth.
ASOH’s Founder, Georgie Smith, shares, “It is young women like Julisa who keep us dedicated to the mission and the work to ensure that all young people like Julisa and her son have a sense of home and a sense of community.”
Read the full article via link in bio and get inspired!
#asenseofhome #asoh #fosteryouthempowerment #fosteryouthvoices #ASOHinthenews #peoplemagazine #womeninmedicine
@_julisa_merwin
The Holidays are Here! Join us in preventing homelessness and bringing holiday joy to the former foster youth we serve. Here are 3 ways you can inspire change in our community:
❄️Sponsor a Home for the Holidays. Donate via link in bio to help us reach our goal of creating 25 homes this holiday season. Every donation of any amount helps.
❄️Sponsor Individual or Family Gifts. Sign-up in our bio to purchase, wrap, and deliver gifts for an individual or family.
❄️Support Our First-Ever Christmas Tree Lot! On Saturday, December 7th from 12pm - 8pm and Sunday, December 8th from 10am - 7pm hosted by @first_lutheran_venice at 815 Venice Blvd. Venice CA, we will be partnering with @rudyschristmastrees where 25% of all trees and wreaths sold will go directly to ASOH’s life-changing programs for former foster youth.
Every gift this holiday season gets us that much closer to creating homes and a community for those we serve. Link in bio for more info and please repost to inspire your networks to join us!
#asenseofhome #holidaygiving #givingback #fosteryouthvoices #fosteryouthempowerment #happyholidays
Happy Veterans Day! 🇺🇸 Today we are honoring one of our very own ASOH Alumni, Sarah. She served in the Air Force for four years and has made a huge impact volunteering her free time with us.
Sarah had her Home Creation back in 2018 and we have loved watching her grow and thrive since.
Thank you for your selfless service and time you have dedicated to this country and here at ASOH, Sarah!
And thank you to all the amazing Veterans like Sarah for their courage and for keeping this country safe. We honor you today and always.
#veteransday #honoringveterans #asenseofhome
Good sleep is essential to our health and ability to thrive, the difference of sleeping on the floor vs a good mattress is life-changing! Thanks to @serta @beautyrest @tuftandneedle, we are able to provide a comfortable, new mattress to each of the former foster youth individuals who we serve!
Thank you, @serta @beautyrest @tuftandneedle, for your incredible generosity. We are truly inspired by your commitment to helping A Sense of Home prevent youth homelessness
Our humanity requires us to shine brighter than ever. The essence of who we are is our humanity. It is our light. We need to work harder to shine our light. For if we don’t, darkness will envelop us all. There is no time nor energy to sow petty division, when divisiveness is what enables darkness to prevail.
Undermining any group among us, undermines us all. Go towards the light. Be the light. Shine brilliantly.
A Sense of Home stands for unity and baring our humanity in the process of our work. Our mission of preventing homelessness for former foster youth is equally important to “how” we acheive this. We create a safe space for kindness to bare its soul, blossom and thread our humanity together. We have worked hard collectively to weave our humanity together to embrace those in need of a sense of home with the community as a whole. We embody unity and we stand together with you — with those who are committed to improving peace, justice and equality for all.
Thank you Mayor Karen Bass and Supervisor Holly. J Mitchell for setting the standard for the kind of women leaders we need and that we can aspire to be. Thank you for truly understanding the crisis facing foster youth as they age out of the system. Thank you Supervisor Holly. J Mitchell for your hands on work with us in creating homes, and for your generous funding. Thank you Mayor Karen Bass for your dedication to the cause for over 3 decades and renewed focus on TAY youth in LA.
Thank you both for joining our 2024 gala and for speaking so powerfully on the importance of the work that we do. And thank you for speaking on how important it is that we work together as, community and link arms to ensure that young people aren’t falling between the cracks.Thank you to you both for being the bridge for former foster youth.
As we celebrate these revered women leaders on Election Day please know that it is not too late register to vote and if you are looking for here to vote please go to the link in our bio.
🔗Click the link in bio to find out where you can vote and how to register!
Welcome Home, Donda & Family! 🏠 🫶🏼
We are so grateful to celebrate this new chapter with Donda, a strong, determined mother and student.
Entering the foster care system at just 3 years old, she overcame a lifetime of challenges and is now currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Psychology, driven by her passion for helping others. We can’t wait to cheer her on in this impactful journey.
Thank you to all of our volunteers - including Kat, Julia, Grayson, Jane, and #ASOH Pay-It-Forward Alumni (PIFA) - who were able to share this special moment with Donda and her beautiful family!
▶️ Watch the full YouTube video via link in bio.
DM us or email home@asenseofhome.org to explore sponsoring a Home Creation for the inspirational young adults and families we serve!
#asenseofhome #Fosteryouth #Fosteryouthvoices #Fosteryouthempowerment
One of the most beautiful aspects of our gala is that all of the furniture donated to create the setting at our annual celebration goes into the homes we create. This year’s gorgeous furniture was thanks to an incredibly generous donation thanks to @livingspaces: Sofas, accent chairs, coffee tables, side tables, lamps, benches, poufs, throw pillows and more.
ASOH is all about synergy and authenticity. The revered and beloved designers @nateberkus & @jeremiahbrent found ASOH thanks to our gala honorees, Serena and Shawn Levy and they are now the esteemed co-chairs of the ASOH Creative Counsel. Living Spaces found us thanks to their founder and CEO and these two powerful forces merged to create the most exquisite gala lounge setting we have ever seen. All of the pieces are from the Nate & Jeremiah Collection at Living Spaces.
We thank our long term partner, @ruggable who donated all of the exquisite area rugs at the gala (as well as their new washable throw pillows). We loved the “Ruggable Red Carpet “ in front of a gallery wall (versus a step & repeat) created by @flamingflowerproductions.
Thank you Justin and Dalya of @flamingflowerproductions for designing and creating this cozy, ambient, beautiful and welcoming setting. Thank you for the flowers complimented by @voluspacandles (which were also included in our gift bags)
We are so grateful to all of the generous donors who give so much of their time and resources to make all of this magic possible. Behind the scenes so much love and care goes into every single detail of making the work possible at ASOH. We see you and appreciate you all. With love from the ASOH Team and Community xoxo
Thank you to our amazing gala honorees Serena and Shawn. Not only have you guided and ushered our growth since our earliest days you are now laying the ground work for opening A Sense of Home in New York. Thank you Serena & Shawn and your entire family — from the depths of our hearts for making ASOH grow and flourish. You have brought so many wonderful individuals and organizations into our community and have enabled our ability us to create more homes and serve more former foster youth.
It takes a village to make our work possible… so that we can all collectively serve as an extended family to former foster youth. That you for being our bedrock and modeling the authenticity that makes ASOH so special.
Shawn your improv was phenomenal and a memory for us all to cherish. Perhaps you have started a new tradition!! We can’t wait to see what our gala 2025 will bring.
We are so grateful to honor our wonderful hosts The Honorable Nicole Avant & Ted Sandros for all of their profound munificence. Our hosts of our gala are our guiding light and have been with us since the beginning. From day one, they have stood by us, offering their unwavering support and belief in our mission.
If you listen closely, you can hear the echoes of their encouragement throughout our journey. Their dedication has been a constant source of inspiration, reminding us of the power of hard work and commitment.
Ambassador Nicole and Mr. Ted made an immense impact when they gifted us our very first donation, which enabled us to purchase our truck. That truck has since become a symbol of our growth and resilience, still on the road today, fueled by the hope, humanity, and generosity that they ignited in us.
We owe so much to Ted and Nicole. Their belief in our vision continues to propel us forward, fueling our passion and drive each day. Thank you, Ted and Nicole, for being the heart of our organization and for empowering us to make a difference. Together, we are making strides toward a brighter future.
As our founder said at our gala “ASOH is a true collaboration between those we serve and the community. We’ve collectively woven our humanity together to embrace and keep warm and safe — the young people in our community who need us as extended support.” Thank you to the Alumni and PIFA (Pay-It-Forward Alumni) who joined our gala to make it so especially meaningful.
A very special thanks to the amazing Alumni speakers who so boldly and bravely embraced the opportunity to speak at our gala and for pouring so much work into it. You stood tall and shined so brightly. Thank you Valencia, Regina, Chy, Olivia and Naomi for providing so much insight, inspiration and meaning. Thank you for elevating your voices to educate and enlighten.
Thank you to amazing Alumni and PIFA Becky who often creates art for homes and AMAZINGLY sculpted the exquisite awards that were gifted to our honorees Serena and Shawn. Your talent is beyond measure and it’s an honor that we were able to share your special gifts with all gathered. WOW!!
We are incredibly grateful for our outstanding Pay-It-Forward Alumni! At the Gala, we had the honor of recognizing our PIFA members who have volunteered their time to help new recipients over 10 times in a single year. Their dedication is what keeps our community thriving. They truly are the glue that holds us together. We’re thrilled to have each and everyone of you part of our community!
Stay tuned for next week when we share a behind the scenes look at how Becky created the award.
Don’t miss our fantastic 2024 Gala Hosts @nicoleavant and @tedsarandos, along with our Honorees @serenalevy and @slevydirect, featured in @hollywoodreporter!
We’re thrilled to shed a light on their incredible contributions to A Sense of Home. We are more than grateful for the love and dedication they bring to our mission. Their relentless efforts help us create homes, community, and essential wraparound support for our foster community. We couldn’t do this without them.
Check out the full article linked in our bio to be inspired by the amazing work they’re doing
Last night was an incredible celebration of Home, Community, and Humanity at our 2024 Gala, and we are thrilled to share that 1.5 Million was raised thanks to ALL of our amazing A Sense of Home supporters!!!
Thank you Ambassador @nicoleavant & @tedsarandos for opening up your home and hearts — so we can create homes and wrap around services for former foster youth. Your munificence over the past 9 years is why we are here and are able to do the work. Thank you for creating the exquisite setting, designed by Justin at Flaming Flower Productions that included food by @jonandvinnydelivery and furniture by @livingspaces . These Nate & Jeremiah pieces will all now go into the homes we create. Our co-chairs Jena, Mike, Charlotte and Gary— your hearts, generosity and spirit ignite ours.
Thank you to our gala honorees @serenalevy and @slevydirect . Not only have you guided and ushered our growth since our earliest days, you are now laying the groundwork for opening A Sense of Home in New York.
Thank you @phillphill for your song HOME: “Know you’re not alone, ’Cause I’m gonna make this place your home.” That’s exactly why A Sense of Home exists — to provide former foster youth with a place that they can call home and ensure they never feel alone.
Thank you to our Alumni who joined us at the event and spoke from the stage: YOU ARE OUR INSPIRATION AND YOU WERE AMAZING!
Thank you @mayorofla and @hollyjmitchell for your kind remarks and for your partnership and advocacy for foster youth in Los Angeles.
Thank you @mrodofficial for always showing up for us and sharing your immense loving warmth. Thank you @abrahamalexander for your musical talents and heart. And @mrdrewscott for your unwavering support and heart.
Thank you to all of our generous event sponsors and auction donors, including @ruggable who also provided all of the rugs for the evening. And to our ASOH staff and volunteers for your dedication and the care you put into everything you do.
We are so grateful for our ASOH Community... together we are preventing homelessness, one foster youth at a time!
ASOH’s 2024 Gala is officially sold out! 🥳
A special thank you to our incredible sponsors and gracious auction donors who have made this event a reality. Your support means the world to us and we can’t wait to celebrate our community with you tomorrow night honoring Serena & Shawn Levy.
We’re excited to showcase some amazing auction packages. Swipe through to see the incredible auction items that will help us reach our fundraising goal and help us support our foster youth community!
Lastly, but certainly not least. Thank you to our fabulous hosts, The Honorable Nicole Avant and Mr. Ted Sarandos.
1,0000 HOME CREATIONS! 🎉🥳
What an amazing time we had. A huge thank you to the volunteers, Pay-It-Forward Alumni, the ASOH board, our Founders and community. Without you, all of this would not have been possible. Your countless donations, volunteer hours, and fellowship mean the world to us.
Each Home Creation we do brings us one step closer to helping us eliminate homelessness in our foster youth community.
Karen, you are a shining star! 💫 We are so grateful we’re able to be a small part in your wonderful story and complete the last piece of your puzzle. We can’t wait to see what you do in the future as an Early Childhood Educator, we need more people like you. And thank you for sharing your beautiful talent with us singing Happy 1,000th Birthday to A Sense of Home!
#1000HomeCreation #Asenseofhome #Milestone #1000Homes
Your voices matter! 🗳️Voting season is approaching and here are a few tips when hitting the polls:
1. Register to Vote! You can register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov
2. Check out voting polls and mailing locations near you at Lavote.gov
3. Bring friends and family to join you!
#Vote #Voteforchange #Votingmatters
#Earlyvoting #Votingpower #Voting2024
© 2023 Copyright A Sense of Home,
A tax exempt charitable organization qualified under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Tax ID# 47-3814056.
© 2024 Copyright A Sense of Home
A Sense of Home | The After-Foster-Care Community