First Ladies High Tea
Mobilizing Faith Leadership for Civic Impact
L.A. Focus Charities is a community-anchored nonprofit dedicated to uplifting, mobilizing, and amplifying the African American faith community across Los Angeles. At the heart of its work is a powerful yet often overlooked civic force: First Ladies—the wives of pastors who carry much of the emotional, spiritual, and social responsibility that sustains congregations and stabilizes neighborhoods.
For more than two decades, L.A. Focus Charities has partnered with these women, recognizing them not only as pillars of faith, but as trusted leaders, connectors, and civic influencers whose reach extends far beyond church walls. Through strategic convenings, partnerships, and community-facing programs, the organization transforms faith leadership into collective action that strengthens families, activates civic participation, and addresses systemic challenges across Los Angeles.
Strengthening Community Infrastructure Through Faith Leadership
L.A. Focus Charities exists to address a critical gap in civic engagement: the under-recognition and under-resourcing of faith-based women leaders as drivers of community stability and civic participation. First Ladies are often the connective tissue between congregations, families, and local systems—supporting communities through crisis, organizing service, and guiding collective response to social challenges.
By intentionally centering these women as civic leaders, L.A. Focus Charities strengthens the role of churches as trusted hubs for awareness, collaboration, and action. Through sustained relationship-building and strategic convenings, the organization transforms faith leadership into a coordinated civic network that reaches far beyond individual congregations.
Through its work, L.A. Focus Charities has:
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Engaged First Ladies from 100+ churches across Los Angeles
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Strengthened coordination between faith institutions and community partners
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Elevated awareness around critical social and civic issues affecting Black communities
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Created sustainable pathways for leadership development, service, and youth investment
While scholarship and youth initiatives are meaningful outcomes of this work, the broader impact lies in building a connected, informed, and activated faith-based civic infrastructure—one that mobilizes trust, leadership, and collective action to strengthen neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
