Alvenia Hatten
President/ Founder
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Alvenia Hatten, daughter of renowned community activist “Sweet” Alice Harris, founded Catch The Children in 2017. Alvenia Hatten was previously the director of the Dianne Feinstein’s Child School Readiness Center for seventeen years. In addition, she is the current owner of Hatten’s Family Child Care. Both agencies specialize in early care and education for children.
Born and raised in Watts, Alvenia is one of the individuals credited for helping her mother start the non-profit community public social services center, named the Parents of Watts, in the early eighties. The Parents of Watts encourages children to stay in school and avoid drugs. The program provides emergency food, clothing, and shelter for the homeless, prepare teenagers for college and the job market, and offer drug counseling, occupational and parenting classes, annual backpacks and school supplies festival, the annual Thanksgiving Holiday community food baskets distribution, and the Christmas Holiday toys & bikes distribution for over one thousand children.
Mrs. Hatten has a long history of working with youth and adults who have been marginalized by living below the federal poverty line. She is passionate about her advocacy for underserved people to show that every human being is important regardless of their zip code and socio-economic status. Alvenia Hatten has received various accolades for her leadership and dedicated community service for improving the quality of life for others. Mrs. Hatten has been married for twenty-nine years and has two adult children. She is also a faithful member of the Church of Christ located in Watts-Willowbrook.
"Sweet" Alice Harris
A prominent community activist in Los Angeles, Alice Harris has dedicated her life to mentoring youth and providing assistance to people who are disadvantaged or underserved. She is the executive director of Parents of Watts, a social services organization that she started out of her home in the mid-1960s as a way to alleviate tensions in her culturally diverse neighborhood after the 1965 riots.
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Affectionately known as Sweet Alice for her generosity and empathy, Harris collects toys and clothing that she distributes to children each Christmas. She is a highly regarded neighborhood advocate who works closely with elected officials and often serves as a liaison between parents and their children's schools.
Harris is the recipient of many honors, including the prestigious Minerva Award, which was create in 2004 by California first lady Maria Shriver to honor remarkable women. In 2002, Harris was named the state lieutenant governor’s Woman of the Year by Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante. Moreover, Harris was named President George H. Bush #702 Points of Lights out of one thousand phenomenal citizens working to aid their communities through volunteer work. In talking about her dedication to helping others, she is quoted in Essence magazine as saying, "I do what I do because I was given a second chance."
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Catch the Children Before They Fall Organization President, Alvenia Hatten, with her mother, "Sweet" Alice Harris.
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