Foster kids get secret admirer’s gift

In an act of generosity so surprising that it generated national headlines, a mystery donor last month gave $10,000 to Los Angeles County, asking only that it be put to “good use.” This week, the Board of Supervisors did just that, voting to use the money for the benefit of the county’s foster children.

The cashier’s check, dated May 2 and drawn on a bank in Bellingham, Wash., was mailed directly to the county Auditor-Controller’s Office with a handwritten note that said: “In this time of economic difficulties, governments need all the help they can get. Please put this anonymous check to good use. God Bless.”

But the donor didn’t name a specific department for the gift, meaning that the money was headed for the county’s multi-billion dollar general fund, a fate that somehow seemed too unceremonious for the grandness of the gesture.

So Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael D. Antonovich introduced a motion directing that the money be deposited with the Children’s Trust Fund, a non-profit organization that provides direct aid to foster children. The motion was unanimously adopted.

Operating under the auspices of the county’s Department of Children and Family Services, the organization was founded in 1968 by a group of social workers to take up the slack for services not funded by the government. According to its website, the Children’s Trust Fund last year served 5,000 foster youth by paying for, among other things, clothing, educational field trips, sports equipment, replacement glasses and dental work not covered by insurance or Medi-Cal benefits.

“This donation is going to have a positive impact on so many lives,” said DCFS’ public affairs chief, Nishith Bhatt, who added that, because Children’s Trust Fund has no administrative overhead, 100 percent of its donations go directly to services for foster children. “It’s really a unique thing.”

Meanwhile, during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, one member of the public offered his personal appreciation for the donor’s contribution. And that led to an intriguing exchange with Supervisor Antonovich.

“I just want to say, whoever that donor is, well, thank you on behalf of all of us residents in L.A. County,” the speaker said during a period for public comment.

“He’s a very charitable person who one time served as a public official in this county,” Antonovich responded.

Surprised, the speaker asked: “So we do know who he is?”

“Yes, I know who he is,” the supervisor said. “But if he wanted you to know who he was, he would have told you.”

And with that, the board moved on to its next order of business.

Posted 7/6/11