By Anna Kerrigan,

“Smiling children looked up shyly as more than 20 Belmont High students sang holiday songs for them at the Children’s Institute International in December. “I almost cried, I was so happy… I didn’t think it would turn out this great but it did,” said Amy Phan, 15, who helped organize the outing.
Joshua Maldonado said he joined Youth Task Force LA after he noticed the group’s work in cleaning up the school and surrounding areas. “I saw that they were helping my community and I wanted to do that, too.” More teens should do service, he said. “They have a lot of excuses… homework, etcetera, but you can always make time.”
“The joy of helping people out, that’s all you need… the satisfaction of being able to make them happy,” Amy said. The students, who came as one of the community service projects of the school’s Youth Task Force of LA, had previously raised money to buy the children gifts.
Children’s Institute International is a private non-profit organization specializing in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect. The organization helps families with 24-hour emergency shelter care, short- or long-term foster care, therapeutic day care, parent education, help for parents who use drugs, sexual abuse treatment, individual and family counseling and other services.
For more information on services available —or how you can support the Children’s Institute International as a donor or volunteer—call (213) 385-5100 or (310) 783-4677. The organization’s web site is http://www.childrensinstitute.org”