Dream come true

As part of our centennial celebrations, we did some research on the founder of Hillsides, Deaconess Evelyn Wile. We discovered she was a true pioneer in her field and that although she died when she was only 49, in her lifetime she achieved much--certainly more than perhaps she ever imagined.

Evelyn Wile was born in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was, however, an adventurer and before settling in Pasadena traveled and worked in South Carolina, San Diego, New York, and Hawaii. This amount of travel was a considerable feat at that time. These travels seem to point to her professional development in the field of child care. With each stop in her journey, the deaconess grew in her conviction of what was best for children who for whatever reason were without their families. It is fair to say that she was not just driven by professional interests, but by a strong conviction that her work was indeed a calling rooted in her religious beliefs.  So strong was her commitment that she dedicated herself exclusively to those in her care.

Part of the legacy Deaconess Wile left to Hillsides is an ethic that persists to this day, embraced by subsequent leaders like my predecessor John Hitchcock who insisted that children, their well-being, and success comes first. All that she did was ultimately a refection of what was best for those she served. We see this in her insistence that the organization, although founded in East Los Angeles, find its permanent home in the countryside free from the stressor of the city. Another example was her commitment to conduct this important work in a less institutionalized setting than what was common in her era, favoring a more home-like cottage living environment.

 

As much as she was driven by a strong sense of mission, she was quite accomplished as an administrator and fundraiser. Documents that capture the early activities of the governing body indicate how savvy she was at securing some very influential members of the community to provide the financial support required to establish the organization. In the thirteen years during which she established and led the organization, she managed to lay the foundation for not only an array of services for those in her care, but also provided the vision for the organization that endures to this day.

Deaconess Wile measured her success when a child in her care had the confidence and ability to move on to independence. The same is true today. In addition to the success of creating a lasting change for all those we serve we also consider ourselves successful to the extent that we fulfill Wile’s dream of being an indispensible resource for very vulnerable children.

Deaconess Wile had many who shared her dream and lent their support to see it fulfilled. The same is true for us today. The recent 100 Faces campaign captured some of those who continue to help us fulfill the great mission of Hillsides to create a lasting change for the children, youth,  and families we serve.

All this will be celebrated in a very special way with our Founder’s Day event that will be held this Sunday, September 15, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM on the Hillsides Campus on Avenue 64. Please join us as we recall Deaconess Wile’s dream and our celebration of how it continues to be fulfilled in all we do.

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.