Hermit Crabs and the Season of Giving

As I walked out of the Children's Resource Center the other day, I ran into one of our residents, who was meeting with his therapist, when he asked to see me. Not wanting to disrupt his conversation with his therapist, I suggested I would see him later. He asked when and suggested that I stop by the cottage later that afternoon--how could I say no! So at the appointed time I went over to the cottage and found him enjoying ice cream, his afternoon snack. There really wasn't anything urgent he wanted to discuss, he just appreciated that I would check in on him.

As we visited for a bit, he mentioned that he had a pet hermit crab. He could see my amazement and curiosity about this peculiar pet and offered to show it to me. Sure enough in a well-cared glass container was not just one but two hermit crabs burrowing into the packed soil flooring looking for "treats." This young boy knew more about hermit crabs than I could ever imagine anyone would ever want to know and he was thrilled to be able to share his love for his pets with me.

Sometimes it doesn't take much to let a child know how important they are. It is our time, attention, and ultimately our consistency that helps a child who is leery of adults, once again, begin to trust. Helping a child trust again is a priceless gift and perhaps the greatest one we can offer here at Hillsides.

As much as this time of year is taken up with holiday related activities, it is also a time when we prepare gifts for those dear to us--gifts that convey our affection and commitment. As we celebrate with family, friends, and colleagues, we also remember those who for whatever reason are not as fortunate and extend our gift giving to include them. Each year Hillsides reaches out to the community to solicit your assistance to help make the holidays memorable for all the children, youth, and families we serve. Please consider helping us.

Recently, a board member encouraged all our board members to identify a child, youth or family to adopt during the holidays. She shared with fellow board members her experience with a family she adopted one year and how the simplest gifts offered to this family were not only gratefully acknowledged, but had a profound impact on her, making the holiday even more memorable.

 
Whether it's a toy, clothing item, gift certificate or cash donation, everything helps to make this season truly memorable. All your efforts for those we serve go a long way to restoring hope and building trust. Never underestimate what your gift can accomplish.

 

Thanksgiving Petition Drive

Thanksgiving is a day that is often marked by many traditions and rituals: gatherings of family and friends at a bountiful table, football games, outings, and the start of the holiday season. Many individuals also include on this day an activity that acknowledges our gratitude by doing something for those less fortunate like donating clothing and food to the homeless or serving Thanksgiving dinner at a local shelter.

At Hillsides we benefit from this volunteer spirit. This year a group of motorcyclists will ride to campus Thanksgiving morning and spend some time visiting with residents who will be here. This will be just one of the special activities being planned to celebrate Thanksgiving and to make it memorable for the children and youth we serve.

Indeed, one of the things that we at Hillsides are so grateful for are the legion of volunteers who offer their time and talent to serve those in our care. We are really dependent upon such generous volunteers, who beyond the service they render, become very effective advocates for the services we provide.

Once again, we call upon your commitment to our mission and ask you to take some time on Thanksgiving Day and consider signing an on-line petition to President Obama asking him to keep the many children and families, who are dependent on federal assistance, harmless in the upcoming fiscal discussions. Hillsides is joining with the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) to secure 5,000 signatures before Thanksgiving and to reach 25,000 over the next two weeks.

This is a critical time for our nation as we seek out a path to fiscal stability. Some very difficult decisions will need to be made. As we address this issue, it is important not to be shortsighted. We know that ensuring access to resources assists struggling families in finding the stability that helps to prevent child abuse and neglect. We must make it clear that a balanced approach to budgeting cannot burden children. Safe, healthy, and flourishing children will ensure our long-term prosperity, so please sign today. We also ask that you encourage family, friends, and colleagues to do the same.

For more information on what we are hoping to accomplish, please check out the materials at http://bit.ly/HoldChildrenHarmless. There you will find information that details the programs that are a key way to prevent child maltreatment, but also how they help strengthen families so they can contribute to the economic recovery and prepare children to be hopeful today and valuable members of our society tomorrow.

Fantasy Stories Fulfill Dreams

I walked into the auditorium to a full house of students being entertained by a troupe of wonderful professional actors who were performing a short play that was actually written by one of our residents. The story itself was inspired by the recent Twilight vampire trilogy and, as a result, it was filled with characters who are part werewolf subject to magic spells. It was filled with suspense, intrigue, humor, and triumph. At the end of the performance our Harry Potter look-a-like “playwright” rose from his seat to receive the applause from the assembly.

For a child who has learning challenges, with a tendency to be withdrawn and easily internalizes the disappointments and hurts he has experienced, the ability to risk sharing his “fantasy story” with a very discriminating audience says volumes about  his confidence level. More than anything else, what impressed me was the sense of pride and accomplishment that was achieved.

 

All of us recall moments as children when we were free to entertain our fantasies and enter some magical make believe world without worries or cares, where all of our dreams would be fulfilled and happiness reigned. This wonderful interaction with our students and the volunteer storytellers has helped children who have been robbed of that opportunity to enjoy, as all children should, the carefree pleasure of magical thinking. 

At the end of the day is that not what we are all about? Establishing an environment where children can dream. From those dreams come the aspirations that motivate a child to hope. This is what Hillsides is all about.

We could not do this without a whole cast of staff and volunteers who are driven to restore the ability to dream for the children we serve. The writers and actors of Storytellers serve as a wonderful example of how, in this great entertainment capitol, these wonderful professionals sacrifice their time and share their talent to make dreams come true for children who otherwise would be consumed by their sadness with no way to express themselves.

The therapeutic value of these experiences is immeasurable. This is a great example of how, in spite of fiscal restraints, a community comes together to be resourceful and place its talent at the service of those who most need it.

To the wonderful actors and writers of Storytellers and those on staff who coordinate all that is involved in these performances, thank you! These efforts inspire dreams that help the children and youth we serve hope once again.

Day One

She is a beautiful young girl with a bit of mischievousness  in her eyes. She can be sullen, withdrawn, and the anger she bears can be explosive. But in spite of the tough girl façade, Mindy is a child that has been hurt, rejected, and confused. I introduced myself to her, asking her about the great hair extensions she proudly handles with her fingers. She smiles and with that we begin our conversation. The path home for this young girl will be arduous, helping her to manage her impulses will be a challenge, supporting her to stay in school will require patience. But you can’t look into her eyes without wanting only the best for her. For us that means making the extra effort by assigning additional staff to her and tailor services that are individualized to address her needs specifically. These efforts require resources that are often in short supply. So the task at hand is to make the most of the resources we do have to provide the greatest impact possible for this young girl and all those that we serve at Hillsides.

This task was made easier by the passage of Proposition 30 that will allow continued funding for education. That being said, additional resources are only part of the solution. Just as important as an improved funding stream is the need to establish clear priorities, identify efficiencies that allow funds to be best utilized, and employ methods that clearly demonstrate impact. Let us not be deceived by the passage of Proposition 30; resources continue to be constrained and the challenges are many. Smart utilization of limited resources is the only answer. This is an era of doing more with less without sacrificing what is best.

So given this scenario, what advice would an advocate of the children and youth we serve provide President Obama on day one of his second term? I would suggest that the first task would be to establish common ground among all parties and state that education and the needs of the most vulnerable children and families are a national priority. Regardless of our constrained economic situation, we are united in addressing the needs of the children and families that depend on us to be successful. There is no better investment in our future than what we do today for our children

As much as we must not underestimate the assistance we received from public sources, the truth is that for an organization like Hillsides we are very dependent on the generous support we receive from the private sector. Last year 10% of our operating budget came from funding provided through individual donors and grants from private foundations. The impact we are able to have on the lives of the children we serve is dependent on the generosity of our donor community.

Regardless of the outcomes of this year’s election, we continue to be very dependent on private funds to augment what we receive from the public sector. In that sense nothing has changed and the challenges continue to mount. However, the efforts we make are so worthwhile, the impact we have is so significant, and the ability to restore hope to children and their families is priceless. Challenges aside, we must not give in to the cynics who wallow in doubt and worry, but rather look to what has been achieved as an indicator of what can still be accomplished, never losing hope to create lasting change for Mindy and other children and their families.