As a nation, WE continue to fail miserably in modeling fairness and equity to those we are nurturing, guiding, teaching and raising – our children. As a nation, WE have lost our sense of moral values for common decency and the protection of our nation’s children regardless of the color of their skin. How are
At this time of year, we are asked to volunteer, donate or “make a difference” in the life of a child. In doing so, does that really make you different? Yes and no. Unfortunately, many families in our community have struggled all year long just to make ends meet and keep a roof over their
I heard it on the news: “In order to make a decent wage, I have to do indecent things.” I pondered on the reason why one would make such a statement. I needed only to think of states like California, hit hardest by the recession that posts one of the
It’s hard enough for children who have the resources to leave the nest at age 18; imagine how hard it is for youth in the foster care system who have bounced around from home to home and now don’t have the support of a loving family and other caring adults. So, what’s the typical outcome
Fact: In California, 65% of youth leaving foster care do so without a place to live. Fact: Within eighteen months of emancipation 40-50 percent of foster youth become homeless. Fact: 70% of San Quentin Inmates grew up in Foster Care. Foster children experience very little stability in their lives and as they get older, between
From the 50’s to the 70’s, California had one of the top school systems in the Country. But, after Proposition 13, the 1978 anti-tax law that froze property taxes on businesses and homes cut funding to schools and California dropped to the bottom five in the 80’s and
In the spirit of Father’s Day, and with so many young African American children and youth living in households without fathers, we should ask ourselves how we can break the “generational curse” that continues to perpetuate fatherless children being raised by a formal system; AKA: Foster Care. I am constantly reminded of how vital it
We kicked off the summer season with our 3rd annual Summer of Learning fundraising luncheon with lots of laughs, healthy food and meaningful conversations; much centered on what the children, youth and families in our communities will do once school is out for the summer. Summer without educational and fun activities
This has been one of those rocky rollercoaster weeks of high and low emotions for me. In my 17 years of going to County Budget Hearings which always have had a bit of drama, the last one I attended was surely my worst experience. At the Santa Clara County Children & Seniors Budget Hearing on
I couldn’t have picked a better time to start a blog. There’s so much to talk about with so little space to write it all down. The state’s $26 billion budget deficit has resulted in deep cuts to health and human service programs for those children and families in need of support. This is the