These Cuts Won’t Heal

This blog is written from Washington, DC today where I am attending the National Conference of the Child Welfare League of America. The conference is an opportunity to hear inspirational speakers, attend workshops on various practice issues, become familiar with any number of legislative issues and spend time meeting with legislators and their staff to advocate for the children, youth and families we serve.

On Tuesday afternoon I went along with more than a dozen colleagues from California to fan out through the congressional offices to greet our legislators and advocate for the needs of those we serve. This, of course, is an especially challenging time as the Federal government wrestles with growing deficits.

For my part, it is difficult to argue for more funding in such a challenging economic environment. That being said, the challenge is to advocate nevertheless for funding that is necessary to provide essential services that makes a difference for very vulnerable children and their families. Funding that is targeted to serve the most vulnerable, which is proven to demonstrate improvement, reduce recidivism and create stability for both the child and family, must be made available even at a time of financial constraint. Attempts to balance the Federal budget on the backs of the poor and vulnerable are unacceptable. Somehow in the quagmire of government the interests of the needy surely can be addressed without a wholesale elimination of these essential entitlements.

This is the message that we share with our legislators as we advocate in a particular way this year against $60 million in cuts proposed by the House of Representatives. These cuts would only worsen the capacity of California to address its most vulnerable children. To learn more about these efforts, check out CWLA campaign, These Cuts Won’t Heal, at www.CWLA.org.

Although, at times, these efforts seem significantly removed from the everyday responsibilities to care for the children and families entrusted to us, it is important that we communicate with our elected officials the impact that their actions will have on the well being of those we serve and their constituents as well.

Please join me in encouraging our legislators to consider the impact their actions will have on the children and families we serve. Cuts to education, social services and health care may indeed balance the budget, but it will only exacerbate the struggle the most vulnerable wage to improve their lives. For some, the struggle is one of life and death.

You Got to Love Them!

One of the great things about the campus at Hillsides is our ability to interact with students and residents. Give them the opportunity and they will tell you with no hesitation exactly what they are thinking about and what their opinions might be on any and all topics whether you want to hear or not. Why not? At the end of the day it’s all about them.

Recently, Jay Bechtol, director of the Hillsides Education Center, sat down with some of the students to get their views on the school program. What follows is Jay's account of their input. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"When I think back to my days in school, one of the things I remember is how radically different my day-to-day experience was from what my parents and the adults around me thought  my school was like.  With that in mind, I asked several high school students to give me their views on HEC.  Here are some of their thoughts:

• The environment is too restrictive and sometimes the teachers have unrealistic expectations of the students.
• I love going to lunch and going on outings.
• I like PE and Math and getting to spend special time with Carolyn.
• I hate school lunch and we can’t get seconds.
• I like having friends here, at my old school I didn’t have any.
• For the most part the staff are caring.
• I don’t like the ineffective rewards program and wish there were more shop classes.
• I like the teachers and how they help us.
• I hate Math!
• I like talking to Isom
• Jay, don’t put my name on this, but I think Mr. B is a really good teacher.

In talking with these students and reading their comments, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia…How important friends were, how important a teacher was, and why Sloppy Joe day was better than fish stick day. 

Of course, the students at HEC are struggling with so many more issues than most of us ever did.  But, ultimately, they want many of the same things, and I think that the teachers and staff at HEC have created an environment where that is possible. Go Hawks!"

You Have to Believe in the Kids

This past Sunday on the CBS newsmagazine, “60 Minutes,” a segment featured the innovative and controversial charter school in New York City, The Equity Project (www.tepcharter.org). At one point in the segment, a teacher was interviewed and, in response to a question about the challenges of teaching disadvantaged and at-risk youth, she responded that more than anything else, “You have to believe in the kids.”

Her comment really resonated with me because I hear it said every day here at Hillsides as we address the challenges that our kids confront. At the end of the day, you have to believe that somewhere beyond the hurt, the trauma, the confusion and anger,  each child can move beyond the obstacles and come away restored with a sense of hope and a fuller life.

Belief is often tested when it is up against the odds for failure. Let there be no doubt the odds for the children and families we serve are against them. In spite of the challenges, when they are surrounded by good services and more importantly great people, something wonderful begins to happen. You see the change in their demeanor and behavior -- eventually a sense of hope is restored.

Years in this field has convinced me that there is no reason to give up hope for any child or family. Though the challenges are great and the resources are scarce, what we are able to offer them makes such a difference--the kind of difference that changes lives!

Please join me in resisting the cynicism of our stressed and painfully limited world by embracing those we serve, convinced that if you believe in them, in their inherent dignity and worth, that great and wonderful things can happen for them.

Never Keep for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today

Much is being discussed these days regarding funding for education and services for vulnerable children and their families. In spite of the uncertainties, we can be sure of some things: 1) The needs of these children and families will not go away, but indeed may deepen in such a constrained economic environment; 2) Funding is limited and perhaps diminishing; and 3) The need to be effective and efficient is urgent.

So in spite of our temptation to look to others and their initiatives to bring relief and provide solutions, the challenge is ours to be resourceful in responding to the needs of those we serve. Their needs can not wait for an impoverished system to respond. 

For this reason, we need your continued support–even more reason for us to never take for granted your goodwill and generosity. Because without your support, we are reduced to a holding pattern while the bureaucrats struggle to reach consensus.

What we can do is be efficient. In recently reviewing our fiscal year 2010 audit, we were happy our administrative costs are well below 10% in a field where the norm may be as high as 15%. Our emphasis has been, and will continue to be, on using as much of every dollar to provide care.

The critical questions are: How can we be most effective? How can we support these families to assure access to the resources necessary for them to thrive? This focus does not keep us from raising a voice on their behalf or keep us from encouraging strategies to provide adequate funding, but along with these advocacy efforts there is the significant need to make a difference now with what we have at our disposal.

Thank you for helping us do this. Recently, we celebrated our annual gala and raised approximately $370,000 to support our various initiatives. As we put away the gala paraphernalia, we are preparing the launch of our annual fund and in May we will be celebrating Foster Care Awareness Month with our signature event Hillsides Foster Soles.

Once again, thank you for all you do and know that in the midst of all the debates, wrangling and posturing that we never lose focus on delivering to those we serve what they need most–loving care.

Friends Sparkle at Fundraiser “Diamonds Are Forever”

This past Saturday, more than 350 Hillsides’ friends, including celebrities Dr. Drew Pinsky and Jean Smart, attended the much-anticipated annual benefit, “Diamonds Are Forever.” Chaired by La Canada resident Donna Ford, also a Hillsides’ board member, the annual benefit raised $370,000 for our programs and services for vulnerable children, youth and families.
I am so appreciative to our donors who consistently support the work we do to help restore hope to the children and families. The demand for services is great so I am encouraged by everyone’s support of our event and their desire to help bring some brilliance into the lives of those we serve.

For their participation in a very important way, I want to recognize, once again, our $10,000 and above sponsors for their level of commitment: The California Endowment, Bill and Susan Noce, Rusnak Automotive Group, Marge and Sherm Telleen, a gift in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Jack G. Booth, Don and Sally Clark, Drake General Contractors, Linda and Stephen Gill, Jacob and Clara Maarse-Jacob Maarse Florists, Judy and Ben Reiling, Swanton Family Foundation, The Walt Disney Company, and Western Asset Management. Without that kind of major support, we can’t have a successful event.

The event was action-packed with many unique and exceptional auction items, garnered by an amazing group of women and men who worked so well together. Many thanks to the Benefit Committee, under the leadership of Donna Ford, for planning an incredible event that sparkled in so many ways.

For the 19th consecutive year, Fritz Coleman, weathercaster for KNBC-4 and honorary chairman of the benefit, served as master of ceremonies and celebrity auctioneer. As always, he brilliantly entertained guests throughout the live auction, encouraging them to bid higher and not budging for anything less than an excellent bid to help the children. And as he so comically put it, he held our dinner hostage until we took care of business.

I was also very excited to have been a part of the live auction, along with Holly and Dave Davis, longtime supporters of Hillsides. As an amateur chef or as the appropriate title of the live auction package stated, “Diamond in the Rough,” I offered to prepare a 3-course dinner for eight guests at the home of Dave and Holly Davis. Wine pairings will be provided by Dave and dinner will be served by the 2011 Benefit Committee. Fritz was able to garner two high bids so we decided to offer two packages to both bidders. A heartfelt appreciation goes to Don Clark and John Miller, who along with Bill Burkitt bid for the package, for believing in my culinary talent.

Other event highlights included a silent auction, opportunity drawings, and, for the first time, a diamond draw to win a one-carat diamond, donated by Timeless Gems, complemented by entertainment throughout the evening. 

If you did not get a chance to attend and have an opportunity to go next year, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have an extraordinary time while helping a worthwhile mission. In the meantime, you still have an opportunity to attend another celebrity-sighted event at another annual event, Hillsides Foster Soles, on Wednesday, April 27. Bar Celona in Pasadena will be hosting the kickoff event of our online auction of celebrity autographed shoes. You won’t want to miss this one so save the date!