Extraordinary Lives Foundation

Home
United States
Mission Viejo, CA
Extraordinary Lives Foundation

www.elfempowers.org

06/04/2026

Our ELF Team attended the Tustin Sunset Market for a book signing & Fundraiser for ELF w Miss Tustin. 💜

Thank you, Miss Tustin, for believing in improving children’s mental health! 💜

06/03/2026

Anxiety and the Child’s Brain

Here are a few tips for recognizing signs of anxiety in kids and offering support:

* Know that anxiety often hides in plain sight.
Anxious kids are often quiet, well-behaved, and outwardly fine, which is why their struggles can go unnoticed for years. Untreated childhood anxiety can lead to more anxiety in adulthood, and most anxious kids never get treatment.

* Watch for avoidance, not just worry.
A child who skips school, dodges social situations, or finds reasons to opt out doing things may not be lazy or oppositional. Anxiety frequently shows up as avoidance, and anxious kids are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD or behavior disorders when the real driver is fear.

* Learn what a panic attack feels like.
Racing heart, trouble breathing, sweating, trembling, a sense of dread — panic attacks are intensely physical, and kids often think they’re dying or having a heart attack. Helping a child put a name to what’s happening is often the first step toward making it less terrifying.

* Don’t help your child avoid what they’re afraid of.
Avoidance feels better in the moment but makes anxiety worse over time. That’s why the most effective clinical treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with gradual exposure, works by helping kids face fears in small, manageable steps.

* Validate the feeling without amplifying it.
Saying “I know you’re scared, AND I know you can handle this” works better than dismissing the fear or promising nothing bad will happen. It tells your child their feelings make sense, while also giving them a vote of confidence in their ability to get through it.

Parents, be kind to yourself. You’re doing the best you can, and are doing a great job.

This is an excerpt from Child Mind Institute’s “Thriving Kids” Newsletter.

Thank you, Child Institute, for these helpful self-care tips! 🙏🩷

06/02/2026

Thank you to everyone who had attended ELF CEO and author Mara’s book signing and Piggie Bear reading at Barnes & Noble in Fullerton last weekend! 💜 We appreciate it!

Mara was joined by Orange County Department of Education Superintendent, Dr Stefan Bean, who has a book out called “Lifted to Lead”.

It is an inspiring story how Dr Bean who is a paraplegic and had been an orphan as a child in Saigon rose to become a great influential leader in Southern California.

His story is one of grit, determination, a strong sense of self and good mental health.

Both Mara and Dr Bean both are advocates for building soft skill in young children helping improve their Mental Health throughout their lives.

In the words of Piggie Bear, You are AMAZING!!!!

06/01/2026

Happy International Children’s Day! 🌎 👦🏽🧒🏼👦🏻👧🏾 💜

Today is the perfect moment to celebrate the joy, dreams, and boundless potential of children worldwide.

This global observance is entirely dedicated to championing children’s rights, promoting their well-being, and ensuring they have access to education and healthcare.

We, here at Extraordinary Lives Foundation, care for children worldwide and strive everyday to improve children’s mental health across the globe! 🫶

To learn more, please visit elfempowers.org

Happy International Children’s Day to All! 🌎 👦🏽🧒🏼👦🏻👧🏾 💜

05/29/2026

Check out these 2 Piggie Bear fans having a great time in friendship! 💗💗 Love this!

Remember, Piggie Bear thinks YOU ARE AMAZING! 🤩 🩷🙌

Hope you all have a great weekend! 💜

05/28/2026

We admire Princess Kate so much and her non profit called The Royal Foundation’s Centre for Early Childhood which focuses on young children’s mental health. 💜

They created the Shaping Us Framework, which offers a flexible way to talk about social and emotional skills that cuts across all areas of life and engages a broad audience.

The framework identifies crucial life skills which begin to develop in early childhood and continue to grow throughout our lives.

The skills are grouped into six clusters:

1 Knowing ourselves
2 Managing our emotions
3 Focusing our thoughts
4 Communicating with others
5 Nurturing our relationships
6 Exploring the world

Read More Here:

https://centreforearlychildhood.org/our-work/research/the-shaping-us-framework/

Together, we can improve children’s mental health and emotional wellness! 💜💚💜💚

05/27/2026

Welcome Colleen McCord, new ELF Clinical Advisory Board Member! 👏 💫✨

Colleen is an Associate Chief Clinical Social Worker at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, a part of UCLA Health.

She oversees clinical social work services in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Colleen’s work centers on interdisciplinary collaboration, education, and advancing equitable, patient-centered care.

She earned her MSW from New York University and her BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

We are honored to have Colleen on our team and look forward to her contributions and positive impact on ELF and the children we serve.

Welcome Colleen! 👏 💫✨

05/26/2026

Thank you to everyone who had attended Mara’s book signing at Barnes & Noble in Brea this last weekend! 💜

We appreciate it! Loved seeing all the kids faces light up & adding a “signed by the author” book to their book collection! 📕 📚 😄

Don’t forget to mark your calenders for our next book signing happening this Saturday! 🙌

This Saturday 5/30
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Fullerton, CA

We look forward to seeing you and your family there! 😃

💜 Fun Books ~ Positive Lessons ~ Big Hearts 💜

05/25/2026

Happy Memorial Day from the Extraordinary Lives Foundation & Piggie Bear! 💙 🇺🇸 ❤️

Let us pause today to acknowledge a sacred space in our hearts for all those who have served our country, and to whom we owe our freedom. Thank you for your service. 🙏💜

May our children continue to carry the torch of freedom and create a better life and community for the future. 🙏❤️

05/22/2026

Members of our Extraordinary Lives Foundation team visited the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center last week, and made a donation of Piggie Bear Therapeutic Happy Packs to the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Children’s Unit. 🩷

Together, we can improve children’s mental health & emotional wellness! 💜💚💜💚

Address

Mission Viejo, CA

Telephone

+19494849366

Website

http://www.elfempowers.org/, https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/TylSaw?vid=1bm9ow

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Extraordinary Lives Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Extraordinary Lives Foundation:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Mission Viejo?