Something Magical

The holidays at Hillsides prove that if you have courage and dare to ask for something, it just may happen. And indeed it did happen--our hope for a wonder-filled holiday for all we serve was satisfied. An empty auditorium, converted during this past month into “Santa’s Workshop,” was filled with gifts of all shapes and sizes. The task of handling the requests of not only our 66 residents, but the many children, youth and families served by our community-based programs was enormous, but without fail every one of them was satisfied. Extra effort needed to coordinate and make sure gifts were wrapped, bundled and delivered was made so that by Christmas day everything was in place for a memorable holiday. There is no way to describe this experience, but to say that it was magical.

Of course it was much more than magical, it was awe inspiring to see so many embrace the cause and, in spite of a poor economic environment, make the sacrifice to see the dreams of those we served fulfilled during this holiday season. Once again, the generous, selfless support of our donor community left us all grateful and edified. Please know that your efforts achieved your intended result of lifting the spirits of vulnerable children and their families precisely at a time when they needed it the most.

To our generous donors, great volunteers and selfless staff, thank you one and all for making this holiday season so special at Hillsides.

The truth is that this “magical” moment is representative of what we attempt to do every day in the many programs provided by Hillsides--restore hope and provide resources for all we serve to lead fuller lives.

On behalf of Hillsides Board of Directors, the beneficiaries of your kindness and staff, we say “Thank you.”

Happy New Year!

  

View a few photos of the "magic." 

Ho, Ho, Ho....

By the time you read this Santa will have already come to Hillsides, gifts will have been distributed, too much ginger bread consumed and a few too many Christmas carols sung, but most importantly, some wonderful memories will have been created. This is, of course, such a busy time of year and in the midst of all the activity, it is easy to overlook what this season is all about. But then you look into the face of a child surprised by getting exactly what had been requested of Santa and you are reminded what it is all about … making a difference in the lives of the children, youth and families we serve.

To all of you who are so dedicated to our mission and so generous with your time, talent and treasure…thank you.  Be sure that your efforts make dreams come true during this holiday season for all those we serve.

May you enjoy a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with good health and happiness.

From all of us at Hillsides………………Peace!

Roaming the Halls in Sacramento

From L to R: Sam Garrison, Joe Costa, Assemblymember Ricardo Lara, Marisol Barrios and Thomas Lee

Yesterday the Los Angeles Times had an article on the proposed budget cuts that Governor Brown will be addressing later this week. And so begins the annual ritual of adjusting the budget to reflect revenues. Given that these revenues do not match the budget’s projected revenue stream, we envision additional cuts to services. As always, this discussion will trigger an acrimonious round of proposals to determine which of the poor options we have will be selected.  Inevitably, these cuts will further erode the already fragile “safety net” that supports education and services to vulnerable children and families.

In an effort to play a role in the process, Sam Garrison, Hillsides board member and chair of our Government Affairs and Public Policy Committee, facilitated a round of conversations in Sacramento this past week with staff of our local elected officials. We introduced ourselves and hopefully established the kind of rapport with these policymakers that will keep them sensitive to the needs of all we serve. Besides Sam, Thomas Lee, director of Youth Moving On, and Marisol Barrios, director of communications and advocacy, joined me in these meetings. We met with staff from the offices of Gilbert Cedillo, Kevin de Leon, Ricardo Lara, Roger Hernandez, Carol Liu, and Felipe Fuentes.

There is no way to avoid some very significant cuts in this kind of constrained public funding environment. No elected official relishes making decisions that sacrifices needed services. Our visit last week was an opportunity for us to suggest to the legislators some criteria and priorities to consider in making these very difficult decisions. We can only hope that such advocacy will lead to decisions that support the delivery of care to the most vulnerable.

We advocated the importance of not being shortsighted in what funding reductions must be made--some level of support must be maintained in order to minimally sustain the needs of the most vulnerable. Cuts to avoid would include those that only exacerbate poor situations and eventually lead to more costly solutions, often placing the needy at a greater risk of harm. Certainly from our perspective it is very important to maintain the already significantly reduced funding for education. Fewer school days, more children in a classroom, and further elimination of ancillary and support services for school-aged children only threaten the integrity of the public education system and reduces it to not much more than custodial care.

In addition to advocatingfor support of education, in particular funding for special education, we also informed staff of the need for continued funding of mental health services to support children who have experienced abuse, neglect or violence.  Inadequately funding these kinds of services places these children and families at considerable risk of further harm. As resilient as children can be, they are especially vulnerable when needed services are sacrificed, threatening to weaken the gains that they may have made. Failure to effectively address the needs of these children and youth only opens the door to chronic behaviors and disorders that jeopardizes their long-term well-being and that of our society and community as a whole!

Challenging times require courageous and prudent actions. Legislators are typically receptive to the input of their constituents. As we begin the arduous exercise of balancing the State budget and making very difficult decisions, we ask you to join with us in any way you can to encourage our representatives to hear the voices of the vulnerable children, youth and families as they deliberate in January.

The Great Santa Ana Wind Storm of 2011

At one point during the Santa Ana wind storm, on the front lawn of the group home we maintain adjacent to the main campus, the towering tree came roaring down. Fortunately, the tree fell away from the structure, but never-the-less rekindled the trauma for one of our residents, who had survived the Joplin Missouri tornado earlier this year. He like many of the residents at Hillsides were frightened by the ferocious winds and awed by the display of force that brought three trees down,  buried three cars in debris and left the campus without power for nearly 24 hours.

As I walked the campus the day of the storm, I was impressed by the resourcefulness of our staff who adjusted their routines, stayed focused on the residents and pitched in to keep us all safe and operating well. In spite of the inconveniences, our residents were in good spirits, relieved that the storm was over and grateful for not attending school that day. But in subsequent days as things return to normal, an increasing number of residents have acted on their anxieties triggered by the trauma of living through such a powerful storm.

Last week’s storm confirmed for all of us how vulnerable we are in the face of the overwhelming forces of nature. For our residents already suffering form childhood traumas such an experience can be overwhelming. So, in addition to clearing debris and accommodating the inconveniences brought on by a power outage, the staff remained focused on reassuring our residents that they were safe and could count on us to help them deal with their fears and anxieties.

In a sense the storm was not only a test of our disaster plan, but more importantly, our resourcefulness to effectively address a very challenging situation while never losing sight of  the needs of the children we serve. To all the staff who braved the state of emergency to make their way to work, thank you. To the maintenance staff who marshaled the efforts to clear debris and restore power and good order, thank you. To the food service personnel who kept residents and staff alike fed in the midst of discomfort, thank you. To our community of supporters who have reached out to us in concern with offers of assistance, thank you. Together we got through the storm relatively unscathed and will recall to another generation how we survived the great Santa Ana wind storm of 2011. 

Give a Latte Smiles and Toys during the Holidays to Children and Families at Hillsides

The amount of support we receive from the community at this time of year is very gratifying and is a big help in creating a memorable holiday season for all those we serve. All this is accomplished because of the tireless efforts of so many individuals, families, employees, volunteers, businesses, organizations, and churches.


Before we all get caught up in the whirlwind of activity, let me just say thank you to all of you who give generously to the children and families we serve and who work so hard to make this season so special at Hillsides.


To start off the holiday season, Starbucks stores in Pasadena, La Canada, Sierra Madre, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Glendale and Sunland have found a way to reach customers and appeal to their hearts. Starbucks stores are hosting in-store promotional bins and posters for Hillsides, encouraging customers to donate holiday gifts beginning Friday, December 2.

Likewise, one local autogroup is spreading holiday cheer and bringing joy while simultaneously helping us fulfill holiday wishes for vulnerable children and families.  With the generous support from RUSNAK Auto Group, children served by our charity will be treated to special toys donated by caring patrons and the local auto group dealerships in Pasadena and Arcadia.


The Parkway Grill, Arroyo Chophouse, and Café 140 South in Pasadena displays Hillsides holiday trees with special wish tags for their customers to pick up. Businesses like these in our community make the holidays so much more meaningful for those we serve. 


Besides toy drives, businesses, individuals, schools and organizations adopt families for the holidays. We have a hundred families that participate in our adopt-a-family program during the holiday. These are families that have the greatest need. Coming together to help us give the extras like gifts, holiday decorations and meals enable us to recreate and continue traditions that are meaningful in childhood and to families. 


By fulfilling special wishes, we are able to give our children and families a few extras to help restore hope in a brighter new year. For this, we could not do it alone. I want to thank you for your generous heart and compassionate spirit. 

Thanks and Giving

National Charity League Pasadena Chapter

One of the things that I learned a long time ago is that you just can not say thank you enough. So let me take this year's Thanksgiving celebration to say, once again, thank you! Let there be no doubt that without the extraordinary support that Hillsides receives from our donor community, our ability to impact the lives of all we serve would be significantly compromised.

Without your generous support we would not be able to bring the library to life with storytelling and live music on a regular basis. Without your support we would not have been able to sponsor our students on a three-day magical camping trip to Catalina. Without your support holiday celebrations would not be marked by games, gifts and fun for one and all. The list of how your support makes a difference is endless. Like the many parents who I met on campus recently and told me how grateful they are for the care we offer their children, I say thank you.

In assisting us to provide so much for those we serve, you offer an extraordinary gift whose impact is made more significant because of how vulnerable they are. It is the gift of hope. For the mother at her wits’ end with an adolescent who is depressed and withdrawn, hope is knowing that her child feels comfortable in school for the first time in years. For the eight year old angry about being removed from her home, hope is when she finally gets her favorite toy and is able to laugh and run with abandon. For the lonely adolescent who has aimlessly moved from one foster home to another, hope is when he lands that first job and opens a savings account. Your support helps us to rebuild confidence, revive joy and restore hope. Thank you!

Be sure to know that on this Thanksgiving your generous support of our mission is at the top of our list of reasons to be grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reason to be proud…

Folks often ask me how we measure success for the children and youth we serve. Certainly we can point to any number of outcomes or achievements that demonstrate improvement whether it be in their emotional well-being, social skills or educational performance. But the true measure is ultimately expressed in the success of each and every individual we serve. The challenges that are addressed must never be underestimated and as a result their achievement is made only more remarkable.

Recently Thomas Lee, the director of Hillsides’ transitional housing and services, Youth Moving On, shared with all staff the remarkable story of one of our residents. What follows is Thomas’ presentation of Victor a young man who all of us are very proud.

Just over a year ago, Victor was an undocumented immigrant living at Optimist Homes, in need of housing and a path that wouldn’t jeopardize his probation and the attendant likelihood of deportation hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.  He applied to Youth Moving On (YMO) for housing and services and was accepted because he only had six months more of probation which would then determine his ability to obtain residency.  All he had was a high school diploma and a fire in his eye that said: “All I want is a chance.”

Victor joined the YMO program and promptly began an internship at one of our best sites: A4 (a team sports and athletic apparel company).  While in the internship, he improved his English, business math, and job seeking skills.  He also enrolled full-time into Pasadena City College and started working toward his associate’s degree. 

Within six months, he gained his residency, helped co-found the Indigenous Peeple Clothing Company, and was hired and given full employment by A4. 

With all those accomplishments, Victor didn’t stand pat.  He travelled to Le Blanc, France with YMO’s internship abroad program, saved over $8000, and was honored by Optimist Homes, Michaela Pereira from KTLA Channel 5 Morning News, and given a commendation by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. 

Through it all, Vic has remained humble and hungry for more.  He’s successfully completed his first year of college and is continually looking for more opportunities to make the most of his time at YMO. 

We measure success for Victor and all we serve when they can stand on their own, full of confidence and claim a hopeful future.

This Time of Year

On my commute to work every morning I pass a makeshift sign attached to an overpass that states, “22% of children in the U.S. live in poverty.” As if traffic was not bad enough, the drive also confronts me with some of the stark realities of life in 2011. The fact is that depending on how you look at the childhood poverty issue, the number is anywhere from 17% - 35% of children in the U.S. are impacted by poverty.

The recent economic down turn has only exacerbated the situation. I suggest that poverty is perhaps the greatest contributing factor to the fracture of families, jeopardizing the well-being of children in many ways. Poverty is a sad and tragic reality that is hard to comprehend and often is understated. We see the result of poverty every day in the children and families we serve at Hillsides.

As we get ready for the holiday season, this is the time for us to reach out to our donors and supporters to ask for your help to provide food and gifts for all the children, youth and families we serve. Especially during this time of financial challenges, your assistance can make the difference to provide a happy holiday season for everyone we serve. Your donation helps to ease the anxiety of many families who, with very limited resources, none-the-less attempt to provide a happy and memorable holiday for their children. Please find more information on how and what you might be able to do to make the holidays a wonderful celebration for these very vulnerable children and families.  

I urge you to consider what you might be able to do now. This is a busy season with many distractions and we can easily put this off until much later in the season.

As you know, we can never do enough for those we serve--even more reason then for us to do our best. It makes such a difference, especially at a time of historic economic challenges, for the children and families we serve to be supported by each of us.

Thanks for all you do.

Whatever It Takes

Recently, the Hillsides' administrative staff received an e-mail from Susanne Crummey, our longtime associate executive director, with an extraordinary request for assistance regarding the guardian of one our residents. This young man has been at Hillsides for several months and the plan is to transition him to his godmother who is prepared to become his long-term guardian. One of the challenges with the plan is helping his godmother to become more financially stable. This would be especially important once she welcomed this youth into her household. So the request was to see if we could identify a part-time job for this woman in order for her to be more confident about assuming this great responsibility.

I share this with you because it is a good example of the approach that we take when facilitating services--we do whatever it takes to best serve the children, youth and families in our care. In this case, it meant conducting a job search; at other times it means identifying housing or providing food. We are committed to doing anything we can to help the children and families we serve be successful.

This is very consistent with what emerged from a recent planning session where we identified the top three characteristics of the organization. Listed first was, "a culture of service," clearly evident in our extraordinary attempts to help this guardian find a part-time job.

Related to this is a yet another characteristic and that is being innovative. Whether it be the establishment of the Hillsides Education Center, thirty years ago, the development of a wide range of community-based services, the creation of Youth Moving On or participation in the pilot program to integrate residential and community-based services for the most challenging youth, Hillsides has been an innovator that has consistently striven to provide the best care possible.

And all this ties in with the third characteristic: advocacy. For us, advocacy is not limited to monitoring and weighing in on public policy and legislation, it is also intimately linked with all we do for each child, youth and family we serve.

These three characteristics, service, innovation and advocacy,  indicate not only who we are but also serve as a standard that we value and we plan to develop even more as we plan to be an ever effective organization.

Teacher Peddles Around the World to Help Foster Care Kids

As a substitute teacher, Christine “Chris” Farrugia always rode her bike to her school site. At age 56, she has decided to peddle just a little farther to raise awareness of the needs of vulnerable children. Beginning December 1, Chris will kick off her one-year ride around the world in front of Hillsides.

I met Chris when she came to tour Hillsides and explain to us what she wanted to do. Chris explained that after her parents and brother died in a car accident, she felt alone and was left with a desire to do something to make a difference. She thought about how foster children or orphans must feel when they are no longer with family, which is how she decided to raise money for organizations that offer services to children in need.  Through Chris’ family tragedy, she believed that ordinary people do extraordinary things every day even after they have walked through situations or ride through storms. Unfortunate events test our human spirit.

So many of the vulnerable children and families we serve have experienced trauma, in one form or another. Their human spirit is tested and sometimes feel they are alone. They don’t know what steps to take and don’t know who to turn to. When they come to Hillsides or we reach out to families, our staff provides the quality care, expertise and talent to strengthen their spirit. Volunteers take their time and talents to give generously through hands-on activities, mentoring or funds to help us restore hope in their lives.

It’s a simple message from Chris: If you have a passion or a talent, no matter the circumstance, you could do something to make a difference. Just get out there and do it. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. And that’s exactly what she’s doing and I have seen our staff, volunteers and donor community put one foot in front of the other.

Although the journey can appear daunting, Chris’ positive energy, enthusiasm and commitment are infectious. I am excited to have been chosen as the charity in America to join Chris on her journey. She is funding the world cycling tour with her inheritance and welcomes sponsors to host her campground stays, weather permitted, or hotel accommodations. Eighty-five percent of the proceeds from the ride will raise funds for Hillsides and Good Shepherd Centre Orphanage in Zimbabwe, Africa, the other charity she has chosen.

On her recent visit to Hillsides, Chris explained the mission of Project Miracle Co, the charity she established to raise funds for other deserving children’s charities. “I wanted to help the wheels that were already in motion.” While touring our campus, Chris said, “I feel this is the right place to do this—like I’m home.”

Like Chris, I believe Hillsides is the right place to volunteer, do something, and help the most vulnerable in our community.

A Culture of Quality Care

I’ve mentioned in the blog before that Hillsides is seeking a national accreditation with the Council on Accreditation in New York. Although we are currently accredited by the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, a decision was made last year to pursue a national accreditation to better position Hillsides in an increasingly competitive and demanding environment. Although we have been preparing for the accreditation for several months, we have now begun a yearlong process that hopefully with culminate with our accreditation, just in time for our centennial celebration.

As part of the accreditation process, our efforts to continuously address improving the quality of care has been strengthened. A specific committee has been charged with reviewing all our efforts to assure quality services. A  Board committee will review these efforts, which engages not only all levels of staff, but will also solicit input from our many beneficiaries. More than anything else, what we want to reinforce is a culture that values the finest care for the most vulnerable.

In a previous era, it was satisfactory to talk about the good that was being done and point anecdotally to the impact that was made. Today, that is just not good enough--not good enough for those we serve and not good enough for us as an organization if we strive to be a provider of choice.

Hillsides has every reason to be proud of the quality of care it provides the children, youth and families we serve. But like any other organization, it is easy to be satisfied with what we have done or what we are doing without necessarily taking a critical look at how services are delivered and what the true impact is as a result of the care that has been received.

Some argue that it is difficult to measure the impact; there are too many variables out of our control that influence the outcome. Although that may be the case, it is still not an excuse for us to maintain a critical eye on what we do to assure that all we do is the best. Providing quality care is the greatest tool we have to counter those unforeseen variables that impact the lives of those we serve. In doing so, we can influence the outcome.

As I often say, we can never do enough for those we serve. So it is with that desire that we embark on this process with every hope that it will strengthen us as an organization. Further, cultivating this culture of quality care will enable us to fulfill much more effectively our mission of providing a safe “place” for all we serve.

Resiliency

One of my favorite activities is to walk around the campus and check in on some of the residents who may be in crisis. At times, these children are highly agitated and unable to really interact. Inevitably over time and with the fine care that they receive from staff, you see their behavior improve and demeanor change from being withdrawn to engaged. Just the other day I visited with one of our residents who was supposedly on “independent study,” but actually on a suspension from the public school she attends. She sat with a staff member, withdrawn and indeed defiantly refusing to do any school work.

Today as I did my rounds, I am happy to report that she was actually doing some school work and interacting well with staff. What a difference a few days can make; often the progress is slow but with each day, this young girl will improve and eventually return to school.

The one thing that always encourages me, in spite of the many challenges we confront to provide services to vulnerable children and families, is their resiliency. Over and over again in more that twenty years working in child welfare, I see children respond to the services offered to them and rebound to be able to move beyond the trauma or crisis to be well functioning individuals.

Like the children and youth we serve, it is important for us to be an organization that is resilient.  Recently, I attended a workshop sponsored by the Child Welfare League of America entitled, “Building Resilient Organizations.” Organizational resiliency is defined by how successfully we adapt to change. In an environment where there are numerous factors impacting how we operate, it is important for us to be able to accommodate multiple stressors while not losing sight of our mission. We also must be resourceful in order to address challenges successfully, and from constraints, identify solutions and opportunities. This agility and innovation ultimately must be reflected on how we organize ourselves to be most effective, shedding, if necessary, structures and systems that no longer serve well.

In almost a hundred years, Hillsides has been very resilient, adapting and changing while never losing sight of its mission to be a “place” for children, youth and their families to be restored to well being. Like the children we serve, success is determined by how resilient, agile and how resourceful we are.

Help Hillsides Youth Moving On Win $25,000 with Your Vote

In celebration of its 125^th anniversary, Mercedes-Benz will be donating $125,000 to charities; five beneficiaries will receive $25,000 each. Elizabeth Rusnak of Rusnak Auto Group offered us an opportunity to participate in the Mercedes-Benz Community Stars Dealers Give Back program for a chance to win $25,000.  With help from Stephen McDonald, our board member, and his colleagues, we produced a sixty-second pitch that we submitted. We are excited to announce that our Hillsides Youth Moving On video has been selected as an official semi-finalist!

We chose to address youth empowerment through Hillsides Youth Moving On. When foster youth turn 18 they emancipate from foster care. With little to no support, 40% of former foster youth end up homeless within 18 months after leaving care.  There is little support for transitioning successfully into adulthood. Hillsides, a charity creating safe places for vulnerable children and families, established Youth Moving On in Los Angeles. We did this to combat the daunting statistics that will eventually affect 500,000 children in foster care today. We did this to create hope and help those vulnerable youth who want to receive help and have no where or no one to turn to.

Over the course of several hours, five YMO residents participated in the filming along with Thomas Lee, YMO director. The opportunity to participate in the contest is not just beneficial for us, but for the youth to know they can make a difference in the direction of their lives and others who need help and want it. We should all feel proud of the work they did to make the video a compelling pitch.

So how can you help? We have been placed alongside 14 other deserving submissions on the Mercedes-Benz Community Stars Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/qRkvWN) for the general public to vote on it. The five $25,000 grant winners will be determined purely by the number of votes they receive.

Help us by making sure you make an announcement to your Facebook wall asking your supporters, friends and family to vote for us, Hillsides Youth Moving On, on the Community Stars page using the link above. Here are some other ideas:

• Add this link/language to your e-mail signature: Vote for Hillsides, a charity I support, to win $25,000 in the Mercedes-Benz Community Stars Contest: http://on.fb.me/qRkvWN
• If you have a Twitter feed, or use other social networks, post the following: Vote for @Hillsides children’s charity to win $25,000 in the Mercedes-Benz Community Stars Contest: http://on.fb.me/qRkvWN
• Add to your E-mail blasts and Web Site Home Page
• Please forward this blog to your family and friends so they, too, can help us win $25,000

Hillsides now has a 1 in 3 chance of winning a $25,000 donation from Mercedes-Benz since we are in the Youth Empowerment category. Thank you for taking the time to find this a worthwhile cause to spread awareness of this video and for sharing your votes with us.

Setting a Direction

Tonight the Jewish community begins their High Holiday celebrations with Rosh Hashanah culminating with Yom Kippur. It is a time to review the past year, atone for any wrongs and celebrate the beginning of a new year. This annual ritual is similar to other religious traditions that provide an annual opportunity to reflect on the past while also looking forward, hopeful for what lies ahead. This annual review is good not only for individuals, but for organizations as well. And so as Hillsides’ anticipates our centennial in 2013, we are taking some time to review the past century, in light of our ever compelling mission, in order to better position us for the next century of faithful service to vulnerable children and their families.

As a result, this past week a select group of board members and executive staff set aside half a day for the first of two sessions to set a direction for Hillsides’ next century of service. In preparation for these planning sessions, interested parties have been interviewed, some internal focus groups have been held, and an initial organizational assessment has been developed. The process is meant to be iterative, so as materials are developed they will then be vetted by staff, the board of directors and our principle stakeholders. The goal of these planning efforts is to reinvigorate Hillsides, affirm our historic mission, and set a direction that will allow us to be confident of yet another hundred years.

I’m only stating the obvious when I say that much has changed since 1913, but as much as things have changed, some things are still the same and that is our mission and commitment. Even the challenges today have some similarities with those of 1913. They have to do with funding, practice trends, quality of care and ultimately the long-term well being of the children we serve.

Hillsides has always been an organization that is very responsive to the needs of the children we serve. This is reflected in the environment that we have established on the campus to provide a safe and welcoming place for our residents, the development of our educational service over the last thirty years and, most recently, the creation of our community-based programs, specifically our services for youth leaving the foster care system. It is this history of innovation that inspires us to look ahead to the challenges the children and families we serve confront and set a direction to be ever responsive to them and a real resource to aid them in achieving their dreams and hopes.

Remembering Rosario Espinoza

This past week Hillsides lost one of its finest staff members to cancer. Her loss is devastating not only because she was far too young and talented, but also because she was such a great example of what it is to be selfless and dedicated.  

Rosario worked at Hillsides since 2003, first as a therapist and, most recently, as the manager of our school-based services in Baldwin Park. Her first role at Hillsides was to provide services for pregnant teens. Rosario’s work was so exceptional that within a short time the principal of the school asked her and Hillsides to consider providing additional services to their students. With that, a whole array of services was launched by Hillsides on the Baldwin Park school’s campus, all of it nurtured by her dedicated and extraordinary commitment to the children, youth and families she served. It serves as a legacy that survives her.

As committed as she was to those she served, she was also dedicated to those she supervised, providing them not just with counsel and guidance, but especially with a tireless example of selfless, professional care.

What impressed me most about Rosario was her perseverance, refusing to allow illness to define her, working hard as long as she could in spite of set backs, hospitalizations and occasional absences.  It was an extraordinary example of her unwavering dedication in spite of significant hardships.

That kind of determination is inspirational not only to all us who experienced it, but especially to those she served. It was a lesson to never give up, in spite of the challenges and to strive each day with all the energy we can muster for a full life.

Inevitably that kind of example leaves a lasting impression and without a doubt encourages others to do the same even if against great odds.

More than anything else, it is the fine work and efforts of so many staff and volunteers that leave lasting impressions about Hillsides on those we serve. So although our sense of loss is great, we are nevertheless grateful for the “lasting impression” that Rosario has left on all of us. Her life is an extraordinary example of one who lived out what we believe--that our efforts are worthwhile and makes a difference.

May she rest in peace!

Happy Birthday Hillsides

According to our documents of incorporation, Hillsides was established on September 8, 1913 making it 98 years old! In just a couple of years we will mark our centennial and there is a committee of our Board of Directors already anticipating the event.

We sometimes find the enterprise of providing services to such vulnerable children and their families very overwhelming, but at least, we have a well established donor community, an organization that is competent with a great reputation, and a publicly funded social service system in place. So I can just imagine how daunting it must have been for Deaconess Wile, our founder, to have begun this work from scratch.

As we prepare for the centennial, we are combing through a lot of memorabilia and, in particular, I am interested in everything and anything that can offer an insight into the life of this remarkable woman. We know she was a woman of remarkable faith and that she saw her dedication to orphaned children as an expression of her beliefs and values. As such even today, although there is no sectarian agenda, the values she espoused continue to serve as the bedrock of the organization. She believed in the singular value of each child no matter what their history or circumstances. She was driven by the dream of providing a home for these underprivileged children and amazingly generated the resources that initiated what is today Hillsides.

Much has changed since 1913, but some things have not--our commitment to all the children and families we serve, helping them to understand their inherent value and their potential for a full and healthy life. Ninety- eight years later the tradition continues of being a resource for the children and families of our day who need assistance in a time of crisis.

Thank you, Deaconess Wile, for your vision, stamina and unwavering commitment. As friends and donors of Hillsides, know that your support continues to honor the dedication of this remarkable woman. She is the best example we have of someone, who in spite of the challenges, persevered and was successful. This hope is precisely what we pass on to all we serve.