It’s said that children are the future of our world. That has been noted in many conversations, and even song lyrics such as, Whitney Houston’s famous song “Greatest love of all”.

We must nurture their minds from the time they are born and love them unconditionally while they continue to grow. Unfortunately, children are also some of the most vulnerable human beings that are left out into the cold, only to defend for themselves without the proper guidance and love we would expect to be given to them. Sometimes, unpredictable situations interrupt the phase from birth to adulthood where proactive measures are taken into effect. While many of times those measures seem to be at a slower pace, sometimes there’s a more aggressive approach in making sure that whatever wrong was done, a positive outcome is the final step.

Earlier this week, I was sent a Blogger Babe email looking for several bloggers to cover a charity event called Kids in the Spotlight . Hosted at The District by Hannah An and sponsored by Fox Entertainment and covered by E! network, the expected influencers were to live stream and write about the event in order to spread the word for the importance of the cause. Noted as being a cocktail for a cause, I knew that I had to be a part of the limited invite that was extended to myself and several others; and so I made sure to leave work early enough to dedicate my time to something that has now influenced my furture ambitions.

I invited two other friends as my guest that I felt would positively contribute to the cause while also being able to spread the word. The event started sharply at 6 p.m, but I was able to make it an hour later due to extreme traffic coming from Santa Monica. When I arrived, the place was packed, but although my friends were planning on meeting me shortly after I had arrived, I made my way inside in order to get straight to work as not to become diverted from the amount of excitement I was feeling. Events are my life as they give me the life of bliss that I choose to actively pursue, and with my arouse of natural energy, I tend to be a puppy outside of its cage.

The moment I walked inside, I saw Ty Burrell from the hit show, Modern Family, surrounded by a group of women and right behind him, E! network cameras were interviewing people. While I might not get starstruck on most occasions, he happens to be an actor that I’ve grown fond of through movies and television; though that wasn’t the main reason for my excitement as it was the food being passed around on trays. Immediately after grabbing a few hors d’oeuvres, I noticed a friend from blogger babes Kathy from Belair Mommie . As we made our way to each other, she introduced me to another group of women all affiliated to the Blogger Babes.

It was like a magnetic response where we all just started mingling as if we were a bunch of friends on a girls night out. Taking photos among ourselves, talking about our goals and even doing card magic with a phenomenal magician by the name of Fantastic Fig. After we made our way up the stairs to the second bar to sit down and mingle, I shortly grabbed my two friends who were arriving outside.

I then soon realized that my attention span had been shifted. I was more involved in the food and casual conversations among a group of friends that I didn’t have a full understanding of what my purpose for being here, so I began to take photos and grabbed a pamphlet at the door. Initially, I had wanted to speak to Burrell, but I didn’t want to interrupt his conversations nor seem like the creepy fan waiting on the sidelines. At a perfect timing when they were ready to begin the live auction upstairs where the rest of my group were hanging out, Burrell was directing everyone’s attention to follow him upstairs as he lead the way to the main course of the evening. This is where I began to seize my moment. I sprung into action by formally introducing myself hoping not to pull him away from his mission of making it up the stairs, so I just followed alongside him. He was absolutely pleasant and welcoming when I approached him.

I don’t know if I was more surprised at the fact that he made the time to still allow me to open up a conversation, in the midst of the countdown for the auction to begin, or that he was willing to take a photo with me. I asked a literally starstruck waiter, whose mouth was from his chin to the floor, to take the photo while still being pressed for time. Burrell was kind enough to give me an email in order to ask him a few questions and then I let him be on his way as to not take up more of his time.

The founder of this non-profit organization, Tige Charity, started the auction speaking among the many guest about the impact this charity will have on the children in foster care in the city of Los Angeles. Shortly thereafter, Ty Burrell and actor Mo Mcrae from the popular show, Son’s of Anarchy, were asked to grab the microphone and speak about their due diligence in being there for the positive cause. Unfortunately due to the background noises from other guest that weren’t involving themselves in the interactions with the auction, I couldn’t quite make out everything that was being said. While I don’t have the aggressive financial means to donate an amount that could possibly help this cause, I definitely wanted to know more about it so that way I may contribute in the future whether financially or actively. My group had completely dispersed and I headed down the stairs where I found two of my friends.

I also noticed that I had a chance to speak to Tige Charity in order to get a broader idea of her mission and how it was all started. Like most events that is surrounded by mainly one person, there tends to be a tug of war with their attention that can make it a bit difficult to engage in a vital discussion; and because I don’t deem myself as your typical journalist, I become very understanding of ones atmosphere where in most cases, I’ll just base my thoughts from my observations. In this case though, I needed to ask questions that might not be found in a bio through research.

Throughout our limited discussion, I was able to understand a little in how Burrell became a part of this organization which was through a casual conversation that he grew interest in. From there, he had met up with Tige Charity to further discuss the goal of spreading the awareness and from there a partnership was made.

So what is Kids in the Spotlight if you haven’t already clicked on the link? KITS is a non-profit organization that began in the year of 2009 when a risky gamble of survival or opening ones heart to others was a decision aggressively made by one woman. A decision to help and guide children in foster care by using their creativity in order to tell a story through film; to find a forever home as well as building a potential future career in film and production. This has got to be one of the most original and dedicated missions I have ever heard of when it comes to our youth in foster care. It all started making sense when I began to connect the dots to the meaning of Kids in the Spotlight and the clapperboard object they used for collecting donations. Even though I spotted the tables outside with charitable gift baskets, in the midst of all the food, drinks, desserts and ambiance, it was easy to become distracted; but this was a bigger ordeal that spoke to me emotionally. While I may not be able to directly relate to an actual adoptive child and or adult, at a young age, I was “adopted” into my step-fathers, rather huge, family where they see me no different than any of their other blood relatives. Seventeen years ago, my new adoptive family came to find another addition to our family, that being my older step-brother and his daughter, who I have always considered as my niece and brother. My older brother was adopted when my father was just a teen and until my brother was a man with a family of his own, that including those that had adopted him, he reached out to my father opening a strong family bond that still remains strong till this day.

So while this was an event to spread some type of awareness on my part, it was also something that I could create an emotional attachment to.

While I do fully support the mission behind the cause, I still have unanswered questions that I have yet to be answered. Questions of concern with what happens after a child’s time is up in foster care. What happens when they meet the age of adulthood and are forced to make it on their own even after all the hope and encouragement was ingrained into them to seek a sense of inspiration and comfort. Will they be shown the same attentiveness throughout the trial and errors of survival in a world that they might not know what to expect from. Will doors and homes be opened to them by the same city that they impressed through art and film, when their main purpose was to have a voice that would effect the reality of their lives. Also, is there a broader demographic that while the focus is on children in the Los Angeles area, are possible adoptive parents solely limited by not reaching parents in other states.

My curiosity continued to grow when I thought about the amount it takes to keep this organization alive and thriving, but I just couldn’t help but to think about the longevity for these children. I wasn’t able to receive a prompt response to my business cards and Q&A that I had given out, but I did find another interesting fact that I never knew. Ty Burrell is an adoptive father and in the midst of him previously speaking during the auction, that was something he had referenced. My respect for him grew even more aside from just being an attended guest. I soon saw a bigger picture as to why he would want to be a part of such an amazing platform. Every question I had typed out for him all seemed a bit irrelevant because he was proactive beyond the point of just being a special guest at this event. He was the face of it. A face like many other celebrities who have actively done their part in becoming parents and providing loving homes for children all over the world as well as in their very own cities.

Normally, I don’t like to intrude into people’s personal lives and try to set some form of boundaries in doing much needed research, but by one click on the search button, I had a whole new admirable perspective.

So what does this mean for the average actor that might not be attending film festivals put on for KITS in order to showcase these children’s work. Well, there could be a form of mentorship. A human compassion past the instinctive competitive scale that many actors and entertainers get caught up in while in a personal pursuit. Actors that can separate themselves from being a struggling or working actor from someone that didn’t have the same background where the idea of someone’s struggle might just be the idea of taking their life for granted. I’m no one to judge, but I’ve seen behind the smoke and mirrors. For me, I hope to be more of a voice and ear for those who still want to share their stories. Whatever outlets or resources I can offer, I’ll give openly without the expectation of receiving anything in return. It’s the little steps that we take to make an even bigger impact for others, it all depends on how willing and who’s willing to take that first step in order to make that impact. Tige Charity is a hero who started these steps to follow, and I’d be more than happy to follow in her footsteps.

If you want to spread th word or simply donate to the cause, please make your contribution and Donate what you can as I will too! If you can make a fun pact where donations are matched, even better!

xox