How Christy Abraham builds community through action

Written by Melani Morose Edelstein • Photographed by Vincent Rios

For Christy Abraham, philanthropy initially took shape in the margins of everyday life, between school drop-offs, carpools and conversations with other parents investing in something beyond themselves.

“I wouldn’t have described myself as someone focused on giving back in my early years,” Abraham says. “But when I started raising my boys, I found myself surrounded by people who really cared about their schools, their community and each other. It made me stop and think about how I wanted to show up.”

That question became a turning point—not overnight but steadily, reinforced by relationships and experience. Connection became the through line.

“I remember thinking, This feels good—not just helping but being part of something,” she says. That instinct led Abraham to Torrance Memorial Medical Center, where she joined the Foundation board in 2010. There, philanthropy became real because the result was visible.

“The first time I really understood the impact of the Foundation, it clicked,” she says. “You see where the support goes, you meet the people it helps, and suddenly it’s very real. This isn’t abstract; it’s personal.”

Over time, that understanding deepened as life brought the hospital closer to home. As she served Torrance Memorial, the hospital also served her family in moments of urgency and uncertainty. For that, Abraham continues to express immense gratitude.

“I was playing pickleball and started to feel like something wasn’t quite right,” she recalls. “It was subtle, but I knew my body. When I went in, they took it seriously right away.”

She was quickly diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and treated without delay. The experience underscored the fragile space patients are in and the trust developed by the care team that meets them.

“That has had a lasting impact on me,” she says. “You walk in hoping everything’s fine, but there’s always that moment of vulnerability. The care I received, the way they listened, how quickly they acted—it made me so grateful. And now I’m back on the courts!”

Abraham’s early studies in psychology shaped her understanding of the importance of both philanthropy and community.

“I learned that longevity is tied to connection,” she says. “Giving, being part of a community—it’s not just good for others. It’s good for you. I feel like I’ve invested in my community, and now it’s paying me back in the most meaningful ways.”

That philosophy defines her role within the Ambassador program at Torrance Memorial, a cornerstone initiative for more than four decades. The program brings together community members, physicians, hospital leaders and volunteers committed to ensuring exceptional care remains close to home.

“There’s an energy to it that’s hard to describe until you’re part of it,” she explains. “A lot of people don’t see themselves as ‘philanthropists.’ They think it has to look a certain way. But I always tell them, ‘Look at your life through investments. Do you invest in your relationships, in your children, in your friendships and your marriage? This is a community. It’s the same thing.’”

Through that lens, philanthropy becomes a natural extension of how people already live and care. The Ambassador program, she believes, simply gives that instinct a place to grow.

“There’s this incredible camaraderie,” she adds. “People come in thinking they’re just going to support a good cause, and they end up finding a community.”

At the center of her life is family. She and her husband, Jay, have raised seven children and now embrace the joy of five grandchildren. The same values that guide her work are rooted at home.

“Family is everything to me,” she says. “They were my biggest investment.”

She raised her children with an awareness of health, community and the importance of giving back. Those lessons are woven into their daily lives. The return on that investment is visible in who they have become.

“We always tried to get them involved early,” she says. “To show them there are opportunities to give, to connect, to be part of something bigger.”

Abraham keeps expanding the circle, bringing others into a community built on one simple principle: show up. Every conversation, every connection, every choice to engage has the potential of growing into lasting impact. From those small acts, something far greater takes hold.