By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter
A Highlands resident since 2012, Evan Golling, 13, is reaching out to the community to help with his fundraising efforts on behalf of the Junior Ambassadors of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to support the hospital’s lifesaving work.
Since 2019, Evan has raised $800 in donations for the hospital and he is hoping to surpass that goal this year. Since 2012, the Junior Ambassadors have raised more than $2 million in donations to support the hospital, according to the program’s website.
Evan and his sister Madelaine, 11, both attend Corpus Christi School, and their older brother Lucas, 13, attends Brentwood School. Evan joined the Junior Ambassador program two years ago and Madelaine followed shortly before the pandemic.
The Golling family has a special connection to CHLA because Evan had a serious procedure there shortly after he was born and the family has visited the doctors there yearly ever since, his mother, Nora, shared with the Palisadian-Post.
Evan began his interest in philanthropy at 10 years old when he asked his mother if they could donate their excess clothes.
“Evan is a helpful kid who wants to make the world a better place,” Nora told the Post.
They initially chose the Los Angeles Mission downtown because of its effort to help people in need and because the program accepts children’s clothes. Every few months, the family makes a trip downtown to donate formerly worn clothing they have gathered up from their home, as well as donations from family and friends.
In 2020, Evan received a “Valued Supporter” since 2018 certificate from the Mission.
When he is not fundraising and collecting donations, Evan is also a competitive volleyball player and a member of Pac6 in the Palisades, which was formed in 2015 to offer a progressive training program, according to its website.
As a top setter, Evan was invited to Tennessee this summer to train for USA Volleyball (which is a team for his age group) in the same facility where the U.S. National team practices in the summer before it was canceled due to COVID-19. Evan’s goal is to be in the Summer Olympics in 2028, which will be held in LA.
“I have been one of Evan’s coaches for a few years now and I have seen how much he loves the sport and the improvement in his game first hand,” Hagen Smith, Evan’s indoor volleyball coach, wrote to the Post. “Excited to see what is in store for him as he keeps progressing.”
Evan’s older brother Lucas is interested in physics and politics and both boys are encouraging community members to donate to Procter & Gamble’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program to provide clean water for families during periods of crisis.
Palisadians who are interested in donating to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles under Evan Golling’s name may do so at connect.chla.org.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
