History of Las Floristas

For over 78 years, the Las Floristas mission of helping children reach their potential has never changed. We are dedicated to serving the special needs of children with exceptional physical and/or cognitive challenges. The objective of these resources and energy is to supply these special children and their families at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center with the best medical and emotional care available. The end goal is to build an individual who has reached his/her potential, creating an independent, proud and productive citizen.

On February 16, 1938, at the home of Mrs. John Fredericks, Mrs. Thomas Mainwaring and Mrs. Homer Toberman founded the Junior Flower Guild, a branch of the National Plant, Flower and Fruit Guild. There were forty-two charter members and the purpose of the group was to aid in the beautification of the city. That same inaugural year this group of philanthropic women held their first Floral Headdress Ball. With the funds raised, founding members decided upon the King’s Daughters Day Nursey as a worthy charity to support.

In 1939, the Junior Flower Guild seceded from its parent organization and became an independent group, adopting the social name of “Las Floristas” (sharers of flowers).

In 1951, after thirteen years of diligent work and the completion of a new home for the King’s Daughters Nursey School in Palms, the group began looking for another project to support. Due to changing needs of the Palms area as well as the greatly increased financial potential of Las Floristas, a special project committee worked to find another children’s philanthropy. The “Las Floristas Preschool Speech Clinic” on the campus of the University of Southern California was chosen.

Las Florisatas supported this facility until 1974 when it established the “Las Floristas Children’s Clinics” at County-USC and Rancho Los Amigos Medical Centers. All along, we continued to work for children with special needs. The group not only has fund-raising goals, but its membership has always become personally involved with the children whom it has helped and a consequence of our work are the lifelong friendships that are formed.

We are proud of the fact that we are the second oldest charitable organization in Los Angeles and have provided more than $11 million to create and sustain pediatric programs.