Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Ebell RCA Gives Away $160,000 to LA Organizations

In 2019, Randi Jones, RCA Director and Ebell Board member, welcomed more than 150 members and guests to the club’s annual RCA luncheon, celebrating 101 years of philanthropy helping women in Los Angeles. This year, the group suspended the luncheon and conducted its grant review process on Zoom.

‘Tis the season of giving, and in that spirit, the Ebell’s RCA endowment this week awarded a collective $160,000 to 15 local nonprofits serving women. One of the Ebell’s longest running and most beloved programs, RCA stands for Relief-Compassion-Action. The acronym evolved from the Rest Cottage Association, a philanthropic arm of the Ebell founded in 1917, to “provide care and a quiet place to rest for women needing help to recuperate from surgery, serious illness, and other health problems.” For 103 years, RCA has been run by volunteer Ebell members and continues to celebrate Women Helping Women.

RCA Director Randi Jones told the Buzz that “We are very proud to announce the grants to the following organizations:”

  • Alexandria House
  • Critical Mass Dance Company
  • Families & Criminal Justice
  • Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women & Children
  • Jenesse Center Inc.
  • Jewish Family Services of LA/Hope Transitional
  • Journey Out
  • LA Family Housing Corporation
  • New Directions for Veterans Oasis Program
  • Safe Passages dba Women Crowned in Glory
  • St. Barnabas Senior Services Women’s Emergency Fund
  • The Teen Project
  • Treasures Ministries
  • Union Rescue Mission/Hope Gardens Family Center
  • WeSPARK Cancer Support Center

Jones, who also serves on the Ebell Board of Directors, won approval for the committee’s recommendations last week at the Ebell’s last board meeting of the year, so checks could be delivered to recipients before the end of this month. Jones said committee members met several times over Zoom to review applications and get their work done quickly since many charitable organizations are particularly challenged this year.

“We are very pleased to report that the 15 organizations selected (out of a total of 23 applicants) include three new grantees for RCA,” Jones told the Buzz. “At least four of them assist victims of domestic violence, and an additional three provide housing to homeless women and their children, of particular interest to the RCA.”

The RCA endowment exceeds $3.5 million and has grown as the stock market has rebounded, allowing the organization to make more grants this year.

“I love that for our small annual donation to the RCA of just $12, Ebell members can be big time philanthropists,” Jones told the Buzz. “We welcome more Ebell members and invite all Ebell members to join the RCA. It’s really great fun and important work, especially now.”

The RCA, now 103 year old, was initially founded in 1917 as a place of refuge and recovery for women.  It started when Ebell Club member Miss Lillian B. Flanders deeded a small home she owned at 135 West 95th Street to the Club for use as a non-profit convalescent home for women in need. Originally staffed by volunteers from the Ebell, the building was named the “Rest Cottage” and was dedicated to providing care to help the women recuperate from surgery, serious illness, or, sometimes, breakdowns due to overwork. In the 1970s, the property was sold and the funds were used to launch the RCA endowment, which now grants nearly 5% of its assets annually to organizations that serve women in Los Angeles County.

Click here to learn more about the RCA and the Ebell, or contact the RCA directly at [email protected].

Ebell RCA members at their September meeting. This week RCA announced $160,000 in grants to local organizations that support women.
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Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard is the publisher of the Larchmont Buzz. Patty lives with her family in Fremont Place. She has been active in neighborhood issues since moving here in 1989. Her pictorial history, "Larchmont" for Arcadia Press is available at Chevalier's Books.

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