Strategy for independence

The New York Times recently had a great exposé on former foster youth and their challenges to get a college degree. The article featured numerous youth in Los Angeles and the Guardian Scholars program that supports former foster youth with tuition assistance, housing, and supportive services while pursuing their education.

The challenges are enormous, considering that only, “six percent of former foster youth…earn a two or four year degree by the age of 24” while “34 percent have been arrested by age 19.” The odds are in favor of incarceration over education. Failure at such an early stage in their efforts to achieve independence can negatively influence their ability to be successful. The amount of perseverance required is extraordinary. Is it any wonder that only six percent of the youth graduate from college?

The challenge is only made greater because often these young people have had a very inconsistent education. The movement from placement to placement let alone dealing with any specific learning challenges they may have is very daunting.

And what about the other 94 percent of former foster youth, what happens to them? If the education system is not the pathway to independence, then what will help them to succeed?

Our experience at Youth Moving On has taught us a number of lessons with regard to what are good strategies for achieving independence. In addition to encouraging and supporting youth to achieve a good education, we have also found that equally important is to prepare youth for employment. With the proper orientation and coaching many youth are able to experience the gratification that comes from employment. A good job validates skills that often have been underestimated and provides the financial rewards that are essential for true independence.

On any given year YMO graduates several youth who although they may not have attained a college degree have secured a good job that rewards them with a career path, medical benefits, and financial resources. In the process, these young people experience the kind of success that bolsters their self-esteem and strengthens them to address other challenges. Among our recent graduates we have youth now employed in teaching, counseling, and the medical field. In order to assure their permanent place in these fields, further education will be required. Knowing they have successfully been employed, they pursue that education with some confidence and may be better equipped to get a degree.

Like anything else, there is no one sure strategy to achieve independence. More often than not, what breeds success is success itself. If achievement on the job front opens the door to future education, then we just might have a chance at increasing the odds in favor of independence over incarceration.

A special tribute

The January issue of THE Magazine provided Hillsides with an opportunity to reintroduce itself to the community and define its place as a premier provider of an array of services to very vulnerable children, youth and their families. Universally, the reaction to the 24-page insert was how surprised many are to see the scope and depth of the services that we offer.

For many, the one thing that continues to dominate their perception of the organization is the 100-year-old residential program. First as an orphanage and now as a residential treatment center, this campus-based service embodies the core of what Hillsides is all about--providing the highest quality care and support that makes a lasting impact on the lives of those we serve.

The increased attention generated by our centennial year has helped to surface many former residents that have contacted us, sharing recollections of not just their memories of time spent at Hillsides, but also the impact the services they received  has had on their lives.

One former resident sent us the following recollection…

"I was placed at Hillsides in 1972 after being in foster homes off and on for six years…I recall being very scared and acting out… I recall my counselor… my favorite aide …earning money in the kitchen … learning pottery up on the hill by the pool. Weekend trips to the movies...but mostly I recall being cared for… Hillsides represents a turning point in my life, where I decided that I was going to be responsible and not blame what had happened to me for my own failures. I was abused, neglected and forgotten …at Hillsides I learned to forgive and move on. 

"I am a father now and my daughter has everything I never did because of the lessons I learned from Hillsides and the caring people involved there and my own motivation to be the best parent."

This is what Hillsides is all about at its best! Whether it is our residential treatment, the services offered at the Hillsides Education Center, our community-based services in schools and neighborhoods or our innovative program for former foster youth, Youth Moving On, Hillsides strives to create lasting change for children, youth, and families we serve. At the end of the day, we measure our success by the impact that we have on each person.

Our measurable work is made not just by our dynamic team of experts, but also by legions of dedicated volunteers and supporters who are so committed to tangibly making a difference in the lives for whom we care. Let me end by, once again, sharing from the tribute that was offered by this former resident.

"The next time you think you are not making a difference, think again. Everything you will do for those in need will have an effect, however small it may seem at the time."

To all those who are associated in some way with our important mission, thanks for all you do. I hope you will consider joiningus as we celebrate 100 years of creating lasting change.

Honoring Youth, Volunteers, and Donors

The donor and volunteer community for Hillsides came together at our annual Circle of Excellence dinner to honor philanthropists for giving their time, resources, and special talent to serve vulnerable children, youth, and families living in Southern California. On behalf of Hillsides, I am so fortunate to have generous individuals, corporations, and foundations like yourselves because it is with your effort our agency can sustain this great mission. 

The evening program began with two Youth Moving On residents speaking about their background, experience as youths transitioning to adulthood, and the impact that the YMO program has made in their lives. These youth testimonies were truly inspiring to hear and demonstrated how critical our support of former foster youth is to ensuring they are on a successful path to adulthood.

Our dedicated staff can provide programs such as YMO because of the ongoing generous support we receive from the community. The Circle of Excellence dinner, hosted at Pandora on Green, brought together 148 guests to pay tribute to our honorees. Receiving the Hillsides Community Angel Award was Starbucks, who was represented by Jennifer Vanderpool, Pasadena District Manager for the coffee company. Becky Garnett and Connie Endter, accepted the Hillsides Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Margaret Campbell, who is no longer with us, but lives in our hearts. Longtime supporter, Dee Fisher, received the Hillsides Angel Award. Our Special Recognition Award recipients were Cathy Brennan, Glenn Keller, and Victoria Mordecai. Each individual demonstrates a social conscience to create lasting changes in the lives of the most vulnerable that we serve. Through their resources, coordination of activities, and advocacy, Hillsides is able to provide the necessary programs and serves for children, youth, and families.

Just as exciting as it was to pay tribute to the tireless work of our honorees, I was delighted to announce that Wells Fargo selected Hillsides as the charity to be featured on the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoach during the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. What a wonderful way to ring in the New Year and kickoff our centennial celebration! Especially significant is the opportunity of a lifetime that a few children and youth will get by riding on the stagecoach.

The Circle of Excellence was the beginning of other gatherings held during the holidays. This week we held an H100 Member Social so new members of this volunteer support group could meet one another and learn more about YMO and our holiday giving.

We rely on your continued support as we get ready for the holiday season. And as you are attending holiday gatherings, serving a cherished family meal, and unwrapping gifts, please think of us and know we are certainly thinking of you for giving our children, youth, and families restored hope and a brighter future in the upcoming year.

Inspirational Stories of Youth

One challenge of being Hillsides CEO is setting time aside for direct interaction with those we serve in spite of numerous commitments. The other day I had the opportunity to visit Youth Moving On (YMO) and met with a handful of residents. I was inspired by their efforts to move beyond the challenges they face to a path that leads them to success.

A young woman, who has been at YMO only a few months, talked about how YMO is the next step for her on a journey away from gang involvement to pursue education, employment, and permanent housing. Articulate, self-aware, and resolute, she inspired me not just by her accomplishments, but especially her dream to develop a way to protect children from sex trafficking.

As I sat there visiting, a young man, a long-time resident of YMO, came in excited about having successfully passed his EMT exam. This allows him to realize a long-held dream of entering the medical field. No one would have thought that possible just a few years ago, when he was released from the juvenile detention system and sought out the services offered at YMO. But his hard work and conviction has served him well and today he is on his way.

And finally, there was another young man who had just returned from purchasing his first suit to wear to our annual donor appreciation gathering this Thursday. There he will share his story of how hard work and sacrifice has helped him begin to build the financial foundation for his independence.

Each one of them is inspirational more so because the obstacles are so great in such a challenging economic environment. Their stories prove dreams, matched with hard work and supported by a dedicated community, can make what some would consider impossible achievable.

How appropriate that their success will be shared with our donor community. Were it not for the extraordinary generosity of our donors, little of what we accomplish would be possible.

"Job" Well Done For YMO Residents and Employers

As many of you know, Hillsides sponsors a very innovative program of services for youth transitioning from the foster care system to independence called Youth Moving On. The services provided include supportive housing, counseling, educational orientation, job readiness and financial literacy.

When YMO was started several years ago I believe that one of the tenets of the program was to encourage the participating youth to pursue an educational program, whether vocational training or enrollment at the local community college. Our experience, however, has taught us that as important as education is as a fundamental component to long-term success, employment is the decisive factor to achieve independence.

So through the generous support of the Deutsch Foundation, Hillsides and a number of other providers of services to this population have set out to develop a curriculum. The curriculum aims to lead these young adults through a process that enhances their ability to secure employment and begin to establish the foundation of financial independence.

This past Sunday 60 Minutes aired a segment featuring a very innovative employment program that not only trains the unemployed, but also places them in jobs and pays them during an initial employment period. This mitigates the cost to employers who accept participants as interns. The end result is a dramatic increase in full-time employment. This program sounded very familiar to me because it is exactly what we do with the YMO residents that participate in our job readiness program.

Villa Sorriso in Pasadena

For the past several months we have paid the salary of a YMO resident who interned at a local restaurant. The restaurant provided this young man with professional training and a supportive environment and slowly, but surely he acquired skills and confidence. As the internship drew to a close, the young man applied for a position at the establishment and we got news yesterday that he has been hired as a full-time employee.

A4

This young man is just the most recent example of the success of this effort. To all the young adults who have persevered through these internships and have been rewarded with not just employment, but equally as important, confidence and hope, congratulations! And, of course, to the employers who partner with us to make this innovative program possible, especially Karen Tanji of Villa Sorriso and Mark Mertens of A4, thank you for believing in these young people.

One youth at a time, in spite of the challenges, YMO and Hillsides make the extra effort to help all we serve achieve their dreams with milestones like employment.

Homeless Youth Step into Affordable Housing

More than 5,000 youth, when they turn 18, emancipate or “age out” of California’s foster care system, and nearly 1,000 youth exit care each year in Los Angeles. They lose access to all state-funded foster care services and, for the most part, also lose connections to adult support received while in the foster care system. Research has indicated that without housing, education or emotional support, 65 percent of foster youth will face homelessness, twenty percent will be arrested or incarcerated, 46 percent will complete high school and only one percent will graduate from college. For these reasons, Hillsides founded Hillsides Youth Moving On (YMO) in 2004. 

By providing comprehensive services such as transitional housing, education, employment, mental health and mentoring support, we help youth transition successfully into adulthood. YMO helps youth avoid negative circumstances and achieve long-term self-sufficiency. Former foster care and probation youth take their first steps to independence when they arrive at YMO. Today, YMO has increased its capacity to accommodate ten more youth in permanent housing. 

Over the summer, we began a collaborative effort with First Place for Youth to secure funding from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to provide affordable housing and support services for a minimum of twenty youth over the next two years.  Permanent Housing, unlike transitional housing, has no pre-determined amount of time for youth to receive housing.  Youth can stay in their apartments and assume the lease as long as they pay their rent on time.  To ensure their success in this endeavor, YMO will continue to provide comprehensive case management, mental health, and career planning to all youth to guarantee a seamless transition to full self-sufficiency.

YMO also partnered with New Economics for Women (NEW), an organization that empowers disinvested communities, who willingly offered eight one and two bedroom units for our youth located at La Villa Mariposa apartments in Los Angeles. At our YMO complex, we have assigned two studio units for youth participating in this new collaborative.

This week we hosted a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at La Villa Mariposa apartments. The Reverend Cecil L. Murray, board member of LAHSA, shared words of inspiration and encouragement to our youth. Youth present were overwhelmed with the thought of having their first place. They expressed how far they have come.

For these youth, reaching this milestone in their journey is incredibly significant. Having experienced systemic trauma, abuse, run-ins with the law, or bouts of homeless, they have prevailed from these situations. We have created conditions and placed a great deal of attention to offering a comprehensive program whose pathway leads to their successful transition into self-sufficiency and independence.

Our collaborative relationship with LAHSA, First Place for Youth and NEW is so important in trying to alter the daunting statistics for these youth. With the help of others, whose goal is also to support youth in their transition from foster care to successful adulthood, we can make significant impacts in the lives of these youth. I am privileged to be part of their journey into adulthood and thankful that others have joined along their path.

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.

Farm to Table Gives Voice to Children

For the second year H100, a group of young professionals that support Hillsides, have gathered at the Flintridge Riding Club for a wonderful evening under the great oak trees to enjoy a meal of local fresh food, good music and an opportunity to learn more about our mission. This year the evening featured artwork created by some of our residents and highlighted during a great presentation by Kim Ha, our art director.

The art program is such an important component of the services we offer at Hillsides. The program is focused on one thing: to give our residents an opportunity to express themselves. Often what they express is their hurt, anxiety and desire. Words fail at times, but an image captures the emotion that otherwise would be trapped by the limitations of speech. In viewing the artwork that evening you could not help but be touched by what our residents bear at a very tender age. And you can’t also help but be grateful for people like Kim Ha and so many others who support them to express and, therefore, release what can not be spoken.

Many things are associated with Hillsides. One of them is that our residential treatment center is a place where children are restored to hope, made confident and strengthened as they return to their families and communities. The presentation on the art program helped guests at the Farm to Table event appreciate how our mission is achieved and the kind of impact we have on the lives of the children and families we serve.

Quite frankly, we can not do enough regarding sharing with the community the great work we do and the compelling nature of the needs of those we serve. To tell the story is to put a face on the challenges our kids and families confront. At a time of fiscal constraint in the public funding sector, we must not forget how the cuts being contemplated will jeopardize the very same kids that so desperately poured out their hearts onto the canvases that were displayed that night!

H100 allows Hillsides to share our mission with a whole group of people who are at a critical point in their lives, starting their families and becoming established in their careers. As they embrace our mission and share it with their families, neighbors, colleagues and friends, they become a voice for our children. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated group of individuals supporting us.

Consider learning more about H100 and join this wonderful group. As Hillsides approaches its centennial in 2013, our goal is have 100 couples committed to H100 and its activity in support of our mission. For more information, contact Nicola Wilkins-Miller at 323-254-2274 ext. 454.

I’ll be on a well-deserved vacation for two weeks. Our blog postings will resume on August 3 so stay tuned for the next one. In the meantime, feel free to read postings that have been archived and share with your friends.

Not Your Average Graduate

This is the season of graduations. At this time of year parents step back and acknowledge the accomplishment of their children despite the challenges associated with parenting adolescents. It is a time when some dreams are realized and new ones are established. Although we at Hillsides do not attempt to take the place of parents, we can not help, but be proud of our residents when they achieve a significant milestone such as graduating from high school, especially when the achievement comes after confronting considerable obstacles.

This past Friday evening was a momentous occasion for one of our longtime residents. In care for the last several years with only sporadic contact with members of his family, this young man graduated from La Salle High School. Bright, timid and yet determined, he achieved what few of our graduates do--a diploma from one of the more prestigious schools in our area. More than once, staff had shared with me their concerns about his ability to persevere. Nevertheless, they offered him the support that helped him get to this milestone confident and hopeful.

He said to our veteran group home director, Ramona McGee, “with your help I made it.” With our help and his commitment to his studies and addressing the trauma he experienced as a child, he made it. With our help and his determination, he can see beyond his fears to dream of a full life. This young man is not your average graduate.

He now has a high school diploma, a part-time job and will soon move to our transitional housing program at Hillsides Youth Moving On. There will be many more challenges and decisions to make yet he will not address these alone as he will be supported by the Hillsides community. Although we are not a substitute for his true family, we commit to walk alongside him so that, with our continued support, he can achieve even more and fulfill his dreams.

Instrumental in his success has been the fine staff of our boy's group home, who along with Brother DeSales and other staff at LaSalle, never gave up on this young man. Together they surrounded this young man with the care he needed and you could see the result in his beaming smile on graduation night.

Let me take this opportunity to thank LaSalle for their generous support and encourage all of you to never give up hope for the children and families we serve. This young man's graduation is witness to the power of our efforts.

2010 An Eventful Year

Everywhere you turn during this last week of the year you hear people summing up the accomplishments of this year. The same is true here at Hillsides. 2010 was a very eventful year in many ways. What follows is just a partial listing of some of the highlights.

Executive Leadership Transition

After nearly forty years John Hitchcock retired, and in his place I began my tenure as the chief executive officer. John was without a doubt the modern day founder of Hillsides, adding many innovative programs to the residential program long associated with Hillsides. In spite of the challenge of following someone as respected and loved as John, this first year has been a good transition as we begin to set a direction for the organization into its next century.

Program Evolution

Any one of the programs we offer have seen significant changes, whether it be the introduction of evidence-based practice with its emphasis on outcomes, to the introduction of more family-centered services and how it is reducing the length of stay. These changes are having a historical impact on how Hillsides fulfills its mission.

Fiscal Constraints

Although this past year saw an improvement of the reimbursement for residential services, the severe cuts statewide of education funds has jeopardized funding for services offered at Hillsides Education Center. The constraints on public funding have made all the more significant our ability to raise $2 million a year as we did this year.

Staff Stability

In spite of the challenges, we were able to lift a yearlong freeze on salaries and provide staff with a three percent adjustment in their compensation. In an effort to strengthen our position with staff, a staff survey was conducted, clearly identifying a set of priorities.

Organizational Assessment

This year also served as an opportunity to review the position many of our programs have in this field, develop plans to sustain our position and improve upon it. Our decision this year to pursue a national accreditation and participate in a statewide benchmarking project will help to strengthen our position as a provider of choice.

Ultimate Achievement Criteria

In total, Hillsides serves nearly 6,000 individuals, including children and their families, this year. Yet the only questions that matter and serve to help truly identify our achievement are: did we make a difference in the lives of the children, youth and families we serve and what more can we do?

During this holiday season I had the pleasure of meeting many of the parents and guardians of the children we care for. Without exception, they all thanked me for what we do to support them and their children through what is a very difficult time. More than anything else their acknowledgment points to the greatest achievement of 2010….the improvement in their lives and of their children.

There is always more we can do for those we serve so let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support without which we could not achieve what we have this year.

Be sure of our best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

The Spirit of the Holiday Season still among the Hustle and Bustle

Black Friday seems to be the start of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Millions of shoppers get in line on Thanksgiving night for retail stores to open the following day and get the deal of the year. People attend numerous festivities, go shopping for those on their list, or plan the entertainment and menu for the family’s get together. Regardless of which it is or all, some people never forget the vulnerable children and families, who in their time of need, get the love and support from total strangers.

At Hillsides we serve on average 86 children and transition age youth as well as 6,900 children and families living in Los Angeles County. Children living at Hillsides make their holiday wish list and staff plan winter outings to fill their holiday break from school. Transition age youth recreate traditions of their own while living at Youth Moving On. Of the families we serve, we select a hundred who are in most need during the holiday season to be adopted by other families, businesses, organizations and individuals.

Holidays are a reminder for many of our children that they are not living with their families, and thus, behavioral and emotional challenges are heightened. Transition age youth, for the first time, might be spending the holidays alone. Families in crisis are stressed even more with the pressure of the holiday.

The challenges are many and the resources are limited. As we have done in the past, we reach out to our donor community to rally support for the children and youth we serve during the holiday season. At this time when our faith traditions invite us to recall the light that dispels the darkness of our world, we call upon you to help us be a “light” for those we serve.

Wish lists, winter outings, traditions, and adopt-a-family program--none of these would be possible without the support of our donors. While you may be participating in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you still take time to think of the spirit of the holiday season. You give willingly to those in need, bringing light and hope to a brighter New Year.

For those wishing to make a difference this holiday season, you can do so by visiting our wish list, donating towards a particular item needed, adopting a family or sponsoring a winter outing. Call Laura Kelso, director of community resources, at (323) 254-2274 ext. 251 and see where the need is most. Thank you for restoring hope in the lives of so many children, youth and families.

Believe, Books, Bond

“Literacy is at the root of a person’s ability to succeed, and the family is at the heart,” states the National Center for Family Literacy. Since November is National Family Literacy Month, we thought we would share two stories of former residents whose experience at Hillsides enabled them to read and devour books.

Emotionally challenged, Gary Drake’s mother was unable to care for her son properly and opted to place him at Hillsides.  Self described as out of control, Gary came to live at Hillsides when he was only 11 years old.  He remembers only being able to read at a second grade level when he was in fifth grade. Gary also despised homework. While he lived at Hillsides, staff would drive him weekly to the University of Southern California's tutoring program to learn how to read.

“I learned how to show up no matter what is happening,” Gary said. “I was forced to look at the consequences for your actions. If you don’t read, life is harder than it already is.”

Living in a structured environment like Hillsides helped him in many more ways than just reading. He learned to negotiate with others, live among a diverse group, and manage different projects. Today, Gary is a general contractor to celebrities like Sting, Madonna, Jim Carrey, and others. He credits part of his success to the various skills he learned while living at Hillsides.

While he still does not like homework, Gary understands the importance of literacy, encouraging and supporting a structured environment in his own home that requires reading time. With four children in elementary school, Gary, with support from his wife, leads a model home of children participating in extracurricular activities like piano, surfing, gymnastics and Taekwondo and doing homework.

For John Downes, his experience at Hillsides inspired him to become an author of seven books -- three novels and four non-fictions. After World War II in 1946, John’s parents divorced. In the following summer they took the train to Los Angeles, where his mother arranged for him and his sister to live at the Episcopal Church Home for Children, known as Hillsides today. John was seven years old at the time, and lived in the Boys Cottage, while his sister, Joan, two years older than him, lived in the Girls Cottage.

“I became a voracious reader when I lived there. Not only did I read the entire series of The Hardy Boys books, but I read practically everything else in the library. I was in awe of anyone who could write stories. I told stories to the boys in the Boys Cottage,” John stated in an email to Hillsides. “Some Friday nights, a man named Luther came and told us ghost stories. They were very scary. He did it without notes or pauses. It was very inspiring for me.”

When John and Joan left the home and moved to Salem, Oregon, he continued to “invent stories, write them, and relate them aloud to my friends. Even in the Boy Scouts, I was sought out at camporees to tell stories.”

While in high school, his journalism teacher saw his writing ability and became a strong influence in his life. In his adult years, John pursued screenwriting and two dramas were optioned by producers at major studios.  However, nothing was produced. In the 1990s John wrote his first published novel, A Few Deadly Friends, which was an adaptation of his first screenplay, Criminal Bent. It was the first of three novels, all different genres -- mystery, literary fiction, war novel.

Literacy is important to our social, economic and political environment. Teaching the significance of reading and the skill to the children and families we serve is a lasting benefit. Hillsides’ children’s library rivals any other library in the city. We have an amazing collection of more than 8,000 books and about 14 reading groups. Author visits engage and inspire our children and students at Hillsides Education Center. Sherri Ginsberg, our librarian, customizes any volunteer’s talent with a reading workshop to bring a higher rate of participation by our children. We are so pleased to hear that a child, for the first time, read an entire book—all because they were motivated by the author or the volunteer that gave their time to explore a world of imagination, laughter and hope.

Have you read a book lately? Have you volunteered lately? What do you do with your family to encourage reading? Share your stories with us.

Changing Our Community with a Giving Heart

In the United States alone, there are more than a million charitable organizations, and Americans give more than $300 billion annually to charitable causes (Giving USA Foundation). On November 15, we celebrated National Philanthropy Day®, the special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy—and those people active in the philanthropic community—have made to our lives, our communities and our world, as stated in the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ website.

Change the World with a Giving Heart, the theme of this year’s National Philanthropy Day, brings to light the goodness in each person and organization that contributes to vulnerable children and families like those served by Hillsides. Our donors, volunteers and child advocates, with their treasure, time or voice, help us continue to create safe places for children who have experienced traumatic childhoods and suffer from emotional and behavioral challenges. Families in need of Hillsides’ resources and professional mental health expertise are afforded these services because of our donors who give willingly to our mission. Transitional aged youth find a safe place, mentoring and mental health support at Hillsides Youth Moving On because of the combined efforts of many organizations, corporations and individuals who believe in former foster youth having an opportunity to journey through young adulthood successfully.

Last week several organizations that support our mission were recognized at the National Philanthropy Day Awards luncheon presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  A hearty congratulation goes out to Print Interactive Radio and Television Education Society (PIRATES), Pasadena Independent Schools Foundation (PIS), and The Weingart Foundation for their commitment to serve nonprofits in Southern California. Both PIRATES and PISF are primarily volunteer-driven organizations themselves. Their commitment to serving nonprofits has been noticed and we recognize your dedication to the children and families we serve. Weingart Foundation was pivotal in our Youth Moving On’s capital campaign and continues to support our mission.

However, we continue to ask ourselves: What do the children need? What additional resources can we provide families? What does it take to help them? There is never enough that we can do for the children and families we serve. This year we raised $2.2 million to address all the needs of the children and families. That’s the kind of investment that donors, corporations, and foundations make alongside with volunteers and child advocates. The partnerships we make help us leverage the dollars that we have to provide for vulnerable children and families whose needs are tremendous.

We applaud Hillsides donors, corporations, foundations, volunteers and child advocates for changing our community with your giving heart. Together, we strive to create safe places for vulnerable children and families that need our love, stability, comfort, hope and resources to have brighter futures. Thanks for lighting their way and ours.

Blue Pencil Chaos

Last week was one of great highs and lows. At the beginning of the week I was invited along with many other child welfare executives to join Governor Schwarzenegger for the signing of Assembly Bill 12. Many of you who read last week’s blog entry will recognize the legislation as an important advancement of services provided to youth leaving the foster care system. The bill signing was the culmination of two years of hard work to craft the legislation and lobby for the support necessary to get it to the Governor’s desk.

The legislation, an important statement to foster care youth who have reached 18, enables us to continue providing services to former foster youth that are required for them to be successful. Having been part of this effort, it was truly gratifying to witness the signing. Youth served at both Youth Moving On and our Transition Aged Youth services throughout Los Angeles County will benefit from the legislation.

By the end of the week, a budget was presented to the Governor for his signature. Although the budget that was passed by the legislature provided no increased capacity to serve California’s most vulnerable, the budget was designed to maintain the State’s current level of commitment to social services and education. It is the Governor’s prerogatives to “blue pencil” or eliminate line items before finalizing the budget. As he has done in the past, he utilized the blue pencil to create further savings for the State’s “rainy day fund” and, in doing so, created a “rainy day” for us and other child welfare agencies.

In particular, the Governor significantly reduced funding for special education, suspended the mandate to provide some of these services, and moved the responsibility for funding these programs from the mental health to the education department. The “blue pencil” eliminations have created a tremendous chaotic environment in which to support these children and families, jeopardizing their care and placing them at considerable risk.

As you can imagine, we have been busy sorting out the impact this will have on 28 of 64 residents at Hillsides that are directly affected by these actions. We are, of course, committed to seeing them and their families through this very uncertain time and will do everything we can, within our own limited resources, to continue to provide them with the care they need.

Once again, the budget is “balanced” on the backs of the poor and the vulnerable. Once again, rhetoric is hollow as we continue to fail to allocate resources necessary to educate and safeguard our most vulnerable children and youth. Once again, the “system” further victimizes those who have been the most innocent of victims.

Over the next few weeks strategies will emerge to address this issue. We call upon our legislators to take up this issue as soon as possible and we call upon our donor community more than ever to support our efforts during this time. Together we will continue to be a resource for these children, youth and families helping them to create and find safe “places” were they can enjoy a full life.

Bill to Help Emancipated Youth and Kinship Care Passes

On September 30 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he has signed legislation to improve the lives of children and youth in California’s foster care system including AB 12 by Assemblymember Jim Beall (D-San Jose) and Assemblymember Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) to extend transitional foster care services to eligible youth between 18 and 21 years of age.

According to Governor Schwarzenegger, our foster care youth deserve every opportunity to succeed in life, and extending foster benefits and services through age 21 will help better equip them with the necessary tools. AB 12 will ensure our foster youth have access to important resources as they transition into adulthood.

Studies have shown that former foster youth are less likely to complete high school, attend college, or be employed, and are at a higher risk for becoming homeless, arrested or incarcerated. AB 12 aims to reduce this correlation by providing foster youth between the age of 18 and 21 a better support system to stay in school and obtain employment.

In addition to continuing foster care services to this age group, the legislation allows California to take advantage of federal funding through participation in kinship guardianship assistance payments. California was one of the first states to establish the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment program to provide financial assistance for children that are placed under legal guardianship with a relative and, now under this legislation, federal funding will be available to support these payments.

In the work we do to help vulnerable youth who emancipate at 18 with no place to call home, the lack of employment to help sustain them or skills to achieve independent living, we understand the significance of this legislation. At Hillsides Youth Moving On, former foster youth receive quality and affordable transitional housing, mentoring, mental health, and vocational and academic support. Critical to the success of these youth is a supportive community they can tap into while learning how to become young adults and navigate through adulthood.

We, too, rely on the help of a supportive community to assist us in also working with the youth. Your donations yearlong, especially during the holidays and in June during emancipation time, are important to giving these vulnerable youth a head start in relieving some stress or financial burden. To continue the great cause, view how you can help.

We are also ecstatic to know that relative caregivers who are participating in the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment program will also be benefiting from this legislation. We work together with families to create safe places for vulnerable children, some of whom are relatives. Often times the financial responsibility of providing for additional relatives placed in their homes is great and unexpected. This legislation will help lessen the financial strain. These are families who, at times, need to be adopted during the holidays. We hope you will continue to support us through those efforts. Learn how by visiting our www.Hillsides.org.

Fourth of July Symbolizes Independence for Country and Former Foster Youth

Fourth of July signifies our country’s independence. This celebration comes during a time when many young men and women in foster care have reached the age of 18 and have graduated from high school, thus becoming independent from the system too. These young adults become emancipated from the foster care system, leaving them feeling anxious, depressed, and alone. For many of these youth, the daunting statistic looms over their heads: nearly forty percent of former foster youth end up homeless within 18 months of being discharged from foster care.


At Hillsides, we are proud of our continued commitment to create safe places for youth even after they have emancipated from the foster care system. We believe it is our responsibility to find a safe place they can call home when they leave our residential treatment facility. We work with them in making sure they have a job. We encourage them to enroll in higher education or a vocational training program. We assure them that Hillsides will always be a supportive community that they can reach out to during challenging times.

So as I think about our country’s independence, I, too, think about our young adults and their newfound independence. In 234 years, Americans have worked together to build our country and make it what it is today. Together, we need to also work collectively to help shape our youth, especially vulnerable children and youth who rely on relative caregivers, foster parents, social workers, child advocates, mentors, volunteers, and donors. To learn more about how you can shape someone’s life, visit http://www.hillsides.org/.