A Celebration of Art

This past Saturday night, on February 22, Hillsides threw its Annual Gala, “A Celebration of Art” at the iconic Langham Huntington, Pasadena.   This extraordinary evening was very successful, raising over $450,000 for our programs and services.

During the evening, 375 guests were treated to fine dining, entertainment, dancing, and a chance to bid on a wide array of items.  Unique to this gala, and in honor of its theme, we auctioned more than a dozen art works, including ones by noted New York artist Paul Gerben as well as by several local talented artists.  The gala also recognized that at heart, Hillsides is an artist as we work to transform children’s pain and trauma into hope and healing.

The evening would not have been successful without the tremendous efforts of the gala chair, Susan Pinsky.   We are most appreciative of her hard work and support, and that of her entire committee.   Also lending support was her husband, Dr. Drew Pinsky, who spoke during the evening and reminded the attendees of Hillsides’ mission to create lasting change in the lives of children and families.

I also want to thank Fritz Coleman, our emcee of the live auction, who helped us raise almost $70,000 on that one portion of the evening.   And I would not want to leave out our talented and tireless director of development, Carrie Espinoza, the entire Advancement Service staff, the legion of volunteers, and the many sponsors who made this gala possible.    A round of applause to all of you.

What follows is a video we presented at the event .  It was truly wonderful to see all of you who attended, and for those who couldn’t, we hope to see you at next year’s gala and you can still make an impact by making a gift.

Treat all children as our own

Sandy Banks offers a great perspective on the foster care system in her recent article in the Los Angeles Times where she propose that if  we took personally the care of the children in foster care, it would change for the better. In the February 9^th article her daughter’s friend who was in foster care  asks her whether she would be able to drop off her own daughter at a residential facility. And her answer was “no.” Not because of the quality of care, but simply because as a mother it was impossible for her to imagine that even the finest of facilities and  dedicated staff could do justice to the needs of her child.

Having directed residential treatment facilities for very vulnerable children for almost 25 years, I agree with Banks. However, the need for residential care still exists as part of an array of services required to effectively treat children who have been traumatized.

Recently, I recall speaking to the father of a resident who described to me the powerlessness that he felt to adequately address the needs of his teenage son. The adolescent’s defiance and outbursts had disrupted the family. After many less intrusive attempts to provide care, the family was left with little recourse, but to consider residential treatment. Hillsides has been a real resource for this family as they hope for the reunification of their son soon.

There are many reasons to consider residential treatment. For some of our residents, the failure of their families to provide an adequate and safe environment prompts the placement. For others, extraordinary developmental or learning challenges lead to residential treatment. For all residents, trauma of one sort or another is at the root of the care they require.

More and more families are effectively engaged, allowing  well over 85% of those children we serve in our residential treatment program to return home, experience success, and enjoy their childhood.

So to address the opening question posed by Sandy Banks, would you drop your child off at a residential treatment center? Perhaps the answer is, “only if absolutely necessary.” It is an important question to address for us who, one way or another, provide services for children removed from their homes. The only way that care can be effective is if indeed the children are treated as one of our own.

I often remind staff that separation is a considerable hardship that our residents and their families experience. So, with that in mind, our responsibility is to ease that burden by providing the absolute highest quality care we can offer.

Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to draw attention to the needs of thousands of children in Los Angeles alone and throughout the country that for whatever reason leave their homes and are entrusted to others to provide for their care. With great reluctance, a child is removed from the care of parents and family. The principle reason, of course, is to assure the safety and well-being of the child. But regardless of the reason for removal of the child from the family, foster care, as necessary as it is, can not be the solution, but rather a resource until the child can be restored to the family and community.

For too long we have demonized the families of the children served by the foster care system, judging them to be inadequate and indeed harmful to their children. But the truth is that these families, more often than not, are painfully aware of their challenges and with some assistance want nothing more than to see their children back within their homes. The role of foster care providers like Hillsides is to be a resource for these families and to assist them as they move along a path that will allow their families to be reunited. No matter what trauma a child may have experienced within their family, they want to be reunited--they want to go home.

The challenges are great for these families and, at times, they are significant enough to make it unsafe for a child to be cared for by a parent. Sometimes parents can not serve as the principle care giver, but it is rare that within the family unit there is not a relative that can indeed serve as a fine caregiver, allowing the child to be restored to the family. The value of a child growing up within a familiar and familial setting far outweighs the fine services they may enjoy in an institutional setting.

Foster care, whether offered by a family or in a group setting as we do at Hillsides, is an indispensible resource for the children and youth we serve and their families. It is not a substitute for the family, but rather an important component of care that provides not only a safe place, but also an array of services that helps the child to improve and move along a path that will lead to a stable future. Services are not only offered to the child, but the whole family is engaged to assist with the task of strengthening it to be able to, once again, welcome the child home.

This mission is embraced not only by our staff of extraordinarily gifted professionals,  but our community of supporters. With your assistance, we are a tremendous resource for all those we serve.