Celebrating the resilience, courage, and strength of Casa Kids who continue to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Casa Youth Shelter’s annual Bootstrap Ball welcomed a sold-out crowd to the scenic Old Ranch Country Club on October 17. The evening raised more than $400,000 in support of Casa Youth Shelter’s mission and the belief that every child deserves to feel safe, loved, and supported.
The festivities of this Cowboy Chic-themed fundraiser included an outdoor cocktail reception, a sumptuous three-course dinner, an extensive silent and live auction, a Wine & Spirits Pull, a custom cowboy hat bar where guests purchased and designed their own hats, and live country music.
Once inside for the program and dinner, Casa Youth Shelter recognized Sandy McElroy, a long-time committed Board Member and Program & Services Committee Chair from Huntington Beach, as the 2026 Legacy Honoree. For more than two decades, McElroy has given her heart to Casa Youth Shelter, including 19 years of dedicated service on the Board of Directors.
Above, (L to R) Casa Youth Shelter Board Member Karen Sullivan (Long Beach), Founding CYS Board Member Judy Klabouch (Los Alamitos), Amanda Jessen.
A quiet and thoughtful leader, Sandy never seeks the spotlight. She simply shows up. Whether making sure staff feel appreciated, cooking breakfast for the kids on Christmas morning, or thoughtfully guiding decisions that open doors to education, McElroy leads with extraordinary generosity and care. Her impact can be felt in nearly every corner of Casa Youth Shelter.
The 2026 Community Honoree was Pauline Grimshaw and the Los Alamitos High School Interact Club, who have shown up for Casa Youth Shelter with generosity and heart for nearly two decades. For twelve of those years, Grimshaw has led the club, inspiring generations of students to turn leadership into service.
Through holiday donation drives and generous financial support, Grimshaw and her students have brought joy, tradition, and a little childhood magic to Casa kids and families during difficult seasons, reminding them their community is thinking of them. The Los Alamitos High School Interact Club has been honored to show Casa Kids, year after year, what it means to have a community that shows up.
Courtesy photo
The Bootstrap Ball directly powers the Casa Youth Shelter mission. Every dollar raised helps keep the Shelter’s doors open around the clock, with every service offered free of charge from emergency shelter and counseling to aftercare and family support. Last year alone, Casa Youth Shelter served more than 4,000 kids and parents, provided over 4,500 counseling hours, connected 95% of Casa kids to a safe, reliable place to call home, and awarded nearly $50,000 in education grants to former Casa residents.
Through generous contributions of time and talent from donors and volunteers, Casa Youth Shelter, based in Los Alamitos, has served youth in need for nearly 50 years across Orange and Los Angeles Counties. An invaluable destination for youth who have faced immense challenges from abuse, homelessness, and trauma, Casa Youth Shelter provides a safe haven for youth where they can access resources, support, and guidance that help them step by step into the futures they deserve.
The generosity of donors is vital to fueling their journey so Casa Youth Shelter can give youth in crisis more than a fighting chance—a future where they are equipped and inspired.
Casa Youth Shelter gratefully recognizes the following underwriters and sponsors who made the Bootstrap Ball possible: Howard Kittle & Company, CPAs, LLC; ConservaTrust Fiduciary Services, Inc.; Halbert Hargrove; Compressed Gas Systems; The DelRe Foundation, Inc.; UCI Health; Green Street Interiors; Sandy McElroy; The Perry Family; The Aldana Family; The Lee Kim Family; among others.
Lupita Gutierrez, Executive Director at Casa Youth Shelter, states, “For nearly 50 years, Casa Youth Shelter has been a place where kids and families can turn when they need us most. That kind of commitment doesn’t happen without an extraordinary community standing behind it. As the needs of the families we serve continue to evolve, so does our work, but our commitment to being there for them remains the same.
The Bootstrap Ball is one of my favorite opportunities to bring together the people who make this possible, celebrate how far we’ve come, and share our excitement for what’s ahead. We’re incredibly grateful for the generosity, trust, and continued support of a community that believes, as we do, that every child deserves a safe place to land and a brighter future.”
Established in 1978, Casa Youth Shelter is a nonprofit organization located in Los Alamitos dedicated to providing a safe place for kids and families to turn to during times of crisis. For nearly five decades, Casa Youth Shelter has provided free, accessible services designed to strengthen families, promote emotional well-being, and help kids build brighter futures.
What began as a 12-bed emergency shelter in Los Alamitos has grown into a comprehensive network of services, including individual and family counseling, crisis intervention, prevention and early-intervention programs, parenting education, youth leadership, aftercare, and community outreach. Today, Casa Youth Shelter serves more than 4,000 kids and parents annually, primarily throughout Orange and Los Angeles Counties, while welcoming children and families in need regardless of where they live.
As the needs of the community continue to evolve, so does Casa Youth Shelter’s approach to meeting them. Through early intervention, compassionate care, and a commitment to meeting families where they are, Casa Youth Shelter works to ensure that no child or family has to navigate a crisis alone.
To learn more, visit www.casayouthshelter.org. Casa Youth Shelter is located at 10911 Reagan Street, Los Alamitos, CA 90720.