ECF to honor Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich at 80th anniversary gala

Exceptional Children’s Foundation will recognize Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich on June 17 in Los Angeles for their family’s multigenerational support of children and adults with special needs. The gala also marks 80 years of ECF services across Los Angeles County and raises funds for programs serving nearly 4,000 people.

Why it matters: - ECF is marking 80 years of disability services in Los Angeles County, a milestone that underscores the long-term need for inclusive education, employment, housing and support programs. - The honor for Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich highlights a family legacy that helped shape services for children and adults with special needs across multiple generations. - Funds raised at the gala will support programs for children, adults and families at every stage of life.

What happened: - Exceptional Children’s Foundation will honor Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich at its 80th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. - The event will feature Jay Leno as entertainment and Emmy Award-winning journalist Kristine Lazar as emcee. - ECF is recognizing the Kayne family’s long relationship with the organization and its predecessor, the Kayne Eras School.

The details: - Jenni Kayne is the founder of a $140 million California lifestyle brand. - Richard Ehrlich is a luxury real estate executive with nearly 25 years of experience and close to $1 billion in career sales. - The Kayne family helped launch the Kayne Eras School, which later merged with ECF to expand services for children and adults with special needs in Los Angeles County. - ECF was founded in 1946 by Los Angeles parents who created the city’s first daycare and training program because no government program existed to do so. - ECF says it is the only organization in California providing uninterrupted services across every stage of life, from birth through adulthood. - The nonprofit now serves nearly 4,000 children, adults and families through 14 sites across Los Angeles County. - ECF’s programs include special education, mental health services, adult employment programs, independent living support, residential services and four Art Centers where artists with developmental disabilities train, exhibit and sell their work. - ECF says it has impacted more than a quarter of a million individuals and families since its founding. - The gala will include dinner, live and silent auctions, and program highlights reflecting ECF’s impact across the county. - Tickets, sponsorships and donations are available at ECF.net.

Between the lines: - The Kayne family’s recognition is about more than a single donation or event; it signals continuity between family philanthropy and the kind of sustained nonprofit infrastructure that is hard to build and harder to maintain. - ECF is using the anniversary to frame disability services as a full-life support system, not a single program or intervention. - The mention of the World Health Organization’s estimate that 1 in 6 people worldwide experiences significant disability places ECF’s work in a broader global context.

What’s next: - ECF will hold the 80th Anniversary Gala on June 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles. - Proceeds will continue funding programs for children, adults and families across Los Angeles County. - ECF will continue operating its services and sites as the organization looks ahead to the next generation of support for people with disabilities.

The bottom line: - ECF is turning its 80th anniversary into both a fundraising moment and a public tribute to multigenerational philanthropy that helped sustain disability services in Los Angeles.