Grace Chase remembers that everyone needs extra kindness shown to them during the holidays,

By Bethany BROWN

Crescenta Valley resident Grace Chase has long continued her family tradition of hosting a Christmas party for those in the community who are severely disabled. Her father, Vito Cannella, began the tradition over 40 years ago and it is Chase’s intention to honor him by continuing his mission of serving those who need extra care during the holiday season.

Chase’s late older sister was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old during a time when there was a stigma surrounding intellectual disabilities.

“Back in the late ’50s and early ’60s people weren’t as open and mindful,” Chase said. “The family doctor advised my dad to put my sister in a psychiatric institution and have more children. He became incredibly angry about that statement and started fighting for my sister’s rights and other people’s rights in the disabled community.”

As Cannella spent time fighting for the rights of the disabled, he noticed that a lot of people were without families because they had been given up on and living in group homes. He was saddened by this and thus was born his tradition of hosting a Christmas party for those who may have been forgotten – an attempt to show support and love to those who may be without.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person party was forced into cancellation last year and again this year, but Chase said she was not going to let another year pass without reminding “these wonderful people” that they are loved and being thought about.

Chase, with the help of friends and family, held a Christmas delivery on Saturday, Dec. 11, dropping off personalized gift bags to a few dozen disabled members of Tierra del Sol. The Tierra del Sol Foundation is a day program in Sunland that provides creative pathways to employment, education and the arts for individuals with disabilities. Chase’s sister attended Tierra del Sol for decades before she died, and Chase’s son is presently on its board of directors.

Chase said each recipient was asked to write out a wish list, then she and her “helpers” spent the weeks leading up to the delivery doing their best to fill the Santa bags with everything the members hoped to receive. The community provided donations as it has done each year and Chase said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, finding many donated gifts for the event left on her front porch nearly every day.

“The generosity of our community is truly amazing,” Chase said. “I feel like people really want to help, and we’re just blessed to have neighbors with the biggest hearts. You know, this really is a forgotten group of people and it’s so neat that we have residents in our town who just really open their hearts up to them and want to do something special for them.”