RAYS OF LIGHT PHILANTHROPIC

Our History

Find out what inspires RLP to do what we do in touching the lives of underprivileged children.

 

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OUR HISTORY

A story of giving back

Rays of Light Philanthropic CEO, Elaine Ray, is a former homeless and foster child who possessed a growing desire to give back some day. In October 2008, while reading a magazine during a trip to the hair salon, ideas began to form about giving back specifically to foster care children. The idea to ask her community to donate gifts was born, but she could not stop there. So, with the support of her family, they decided to add dinner, live musical performances, poetry, and prayer to the evening, creating an environment filled with love and attracting people to share their mission. Rays of Light Philanthropic CEO, Elaine Ray, is a former homeless and foster child who possessed a growing desire to give back some day. In October 2008, while reading a magazine during a trip to the hair salon, ideas began to form about giving back specifically to foster care children. The idea to ask her community to donate gifts was born, but she could not stop there. So, with the support of her family, they decided to add dinner, live musical performances, poetry, and prayer to the evening, creating an environment filled with love and attracting people to share their mission.

Because we wanted to “Be a Blessing” by sharing the love of Jesus through giving, we decided to name this event CHRISTmas “Be a Blessing” Gala. The goal was to make the connection between CHRISTmas and an act of giving versus perpetuating the mental posture to receive. On December 13, 2008, we hosted our first CHRISTmas “Be a Blessing” Gala in the backyard of our home in Chatsworth, CA. Over 150 people attended and 200+ gifts were collected.

In 2009 we decided to apply for our Doing Business As (DBA) and began operating as a Sole Proprietorship. December 2013, we received our Non-Profit Status under section 501(c)(3). RLP is a Corporation, owned and operated by Christopher and Elaine Ray. Every year, the CHRISTmas “Be a Blessing” Gala event continues to experience growth and more gifts are collected each year.

Starting in 2014, RLP launched the Backpack Drive & Family Fun Fest to provide foster, homeless and low- income youth with brand new supply filled backpacks. However, in 2017 we expanded the scope of our initiative to include the distribution of new & gently used clothing and shoes. In addition, we enlisted the expertise of volunteer style coaches to ensure each student had a complete look to return to school.
We have also included other fundraising events like Rays UP and Flow, a night of poetry and music to inspire the community and raise necessary funds to continue providing for the needs of underprivileged children.