About Us

Steel Magnolias is an all-volunteer organization whose main recipient is the Stramski Children’s Developmental Center at Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach that has been dedicated to children and families since 1975.

The center helps children and families deal with conditions such as autism, cleft lip and palate, birth defects, learning problems, and other developmental delays. The center also has clinics specializing in sleep disorders and international adoption. It is at the forefront of the study of Fragile X Syndrome.

Although many of these children’s conditions are “invisible,” they are often serious and accompanied by a lifetime of challenges. Very few of these problems are “quick-fixes” — they require numerous consultations and extensive pre- and post-consult work. Often, parents have difficulty advocating for their children due to cultural, educational and language differences.

The Stramski Center fills this gap by facilitating access to services and monitoring progress. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the center is able to provide individualized care to help children reach their optimum potential.

Each year, members of Steel Magnolias actively engage the community to raise funds so the Stramski Center can continue to help these children and their families. We host a variety of fundraising events including our signature event gala, golf tournament, and other imaginative events. Each event is completely volunteer driven which enables us to give more money back to services for local children with developmental delays or disabilities.