Common Sense

Photo credit: www.usatoday.com

Washington, DC has become a place of sound bites, posturing, and token measures meant to appease as opposed to addressing issues in a meaningful way. Next week I head to Washington, DC for the annual meeting of the Child Welfare League of America. As part of the conference, delegates will walk the halls of Congress advocating for the needs of vulnerable children and families. Without exception, we will get a cordial reception by all our elected officials. Their staff will acknowledge our contribution to the field, our indispensable services, and assure us that they will advocate for those we serve. However, even the most effective of our legislators, like Representative Karen Bass, are up against a system that is driven by priorities that do not include the needs of those for whom we care.

The current debate on “gun control” is the most recent example. Will the modest measures that have survived the winnowing legislative process make any difference? Without being too skeptical, I suggest that more attention has been placed on the actual process than the intended outcome. As a result, no measurable benefit will come from whatever legislation may emerge. Perhaps less legislation and more common sense measures is the answer.

How can we address maintaining a secure society let alone one that is safe for our children without addressing the need for resources to provide adequate care for those who are most vulnerable? For many, they are made vulnerable by crisis and trauma that impact their mental health. Mental illness is an epidemic in our country that barely is recognized. The majority of those suffering mental illness are untreated either because of a failure to diagnose or limited access to care. Those experiencing mental illness are not to be feared; treatment can be very effective. But without an awareness of the illness and the necessary resources to provide effective interventions, it can be deadly!

I can only hope that the lack of mention of the need to reinforce the mental health service delivery system in the gun control debate is an attempt to appropriately disconnect the two and develop legislation that exclusively addresses the resources needed to adequately provide good and quality mental health services.

Common sense dictates that we keep guns out of the hands of those who would do us harm. Common sense motivates us to keep those most vulnerable safe. Common sense helps us to establish priorities in allocating precious resources to address the most vulnerable effectively.

At the end of the day, measures in Sacramento, CA and Washington, DC are important, but never a substitute for common sense and the commitment of each of us to hold the safety and security of our society, and especially our children, as a priority.

The Easter Squirrel

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Easter Bunny now let me tell you about the Easter Squirrel!

Like many residential treatment centers, Hillsides provides its residents with a comprehensive array of services that include a chaplaincy program for those who may choose to participate in it. Although we are an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, there is no sectarian agenda reflected in the care that we offer. The chaplaincy program has proven to be an important service providing comfort and support to children and families who value it.

On Good Friday last week, our great chaplain, the Rev. Pat Hendrickson, offered to lead a special devotion of the Stations of the Cross designed for children. A small group of residents and their staff chose to join me and our chaplain for this devotion. We gathered on the playing field at Hillsides and  walked over to the Church of the Angels where we started in the church and walked the grounds, stopping 14 times to prayerfully recall that first good Friday. At each, “station,” a meditation and prayer was offered and I was really edified by the attention and reverence of the residents.  

However, the mood changed when we got to the twelfth station, “Jesus dies on the cross.” As we were completing the prayer, a scrawny, emaciated squirrel appeared at our feet. We acknowledged the tiny creature, but continued on to the last two “stations.” At the end of the devotion, we realized that the little squirrel was now following us, seemingly seeking our attention and care. A few of the residents cautiously crouched down on the ground to examine the little critter. It didn’t take long before they began to try to figure out why this cute little squirrel was clinging to our every move.

Sure enough the baby squirrel was the sole survivor of a fallen nest and thanks to the compassion of our residents, the resourcefulness of the Rev. Pat and the assistance of the SCPA, our little friend was saved and lived to see a glorious Easter.

It is moments like these that continue to amaze and inspire me. There they were, children who have experienced hardships and challenges through no fault of their own, reaching out to assure the safety and well-being of this stranded squirrel. Their selflessness and desire to help demonstrates their capacity to be resilient, to move beyond trauma, and enjoy a full life.

If Easter is indeed the story of new life that defies tragedy, then all those we serve are great witnesses to hope. Long live the Easter Squirrel!

Happy springtime!

This past week I was visiting with family in my native Massachusetts. Although I was there for the first day of spring I had to shovel wet, slushy snow twice, so much for the beginning of spring! Even upon my return to California the weather is still more reminiscent of winter. But it is indeed spring and in spite of the forecast you can sense the desire to put off winter and prepare for yet one more beautiful southern California summer.

 

As I returned to Hillsides on Monday, I  found the campus quiet with the school on a week-long spring break, making my reentry a little less hectic. While our residents and students enjoyed a refreshing break, much activity continues on campus. With the move of some administrative offices off campus, vacated space on campus has been refurbished to accommodate additional work and treatment space for our clinical staff. The auditorium, a hub for a great deal of activity, is also being refurbished and equipped  to better serve as a gathering place and conference center for our residents and staff. The restored auditorium should be completed in time to host the Hillsides Education Center graduation in June and serve as a focal point for our Centennial Founder's Day celebration in September.

 

Off campus, Youth Moving On, our supportive housing and services for young adults program, is preparing a storefront on the corner of Los Robles and Orange Grove as a peer resource center to expand our outreach to this vulnerable population. In Baldwin Park, our new Family Resources Center has been up and running for the past few months serving as a center for an expanded array of services to children and families in that area.

 

However, as busy as things may be, we never lose sight of what it is that we are trying to accomplish for each and every individual that is served… to make a lasting impact on their lives.

 

There is a great story about a shoreline inundated with stranded starfish. As people gathered on the shore to view the spectacle, someone started to throw the starfish back into the ocean. One of the spectators approached the person tossing the starfish back into the ocean and asked what impact this effort would have given the magnitude of the problem. The person responded that for the one starfish returned to the ocean it made a big difference!

 

Confronted by the magnitude of the task--to restore hope to children and families that have been traumatized by hardship and tragedy—it can be overwhelming. But for the child that is cared for, the youth that is sheltered, the families that are supported, the task to restore hope makes a big difference.

 

So in spite of all the many things that are going on during this time of year, let’s harness the energy that comes with a vibrant spring and get around the hard, but worthwhile task of making a last impact on all we serve…one person at a time.