Share of Abundance
As Children's Bureau celebrates a rich history of 111 years your support is helping us to continue and evolve our mission as one of the largest investors in child abuse prevention nationwide. Share of Abundance reflects the many efforts and opportunities that have been made possible with your help.
What we accomplished this year is best illustrated through the stories of parents and children who have walked through our doors. In this report, you'll meet Karina, Denes, Yobani, Carmina and Ana. They all have faced numerous challenges but changed their lives through Children's Bureau. More importantly, each life story continues to grow beyond the services and programs we offered. They have become ambassadors of our work and share their knowledge to inspire and help others in their community. This is prevention at its best and why Children's Bureau continues to advocate for public and private entities to invest in the early years.
In 2015, we finished year one of our two-year commitment to accelerate the success of the Magnolia Community Initiative (MCI) by creating community-level change through two key efforts: our reading program and Belong community campaign. MCI also launched the pilot of a web-based linkage and referral system that is now being used by a dozen other organizations. In October 2015, we received our first national government grant to fund Dads Matter, a program that will be implemented in Orange County starting in July 2016. Furthermore, we proudly received national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation, recognizing Children's Bureau's implementation of best practice standards in the field of human services.
How are we able to create an abundance of opportunity? Because of you. We're grateful to each and every one of you for embracing the complex challenges of preventing child abuse. It's a journey that will change future generations for the better.
Alex Morales, President & CEO, Children's Bureau
Our prevention efforts grew with the addition of the Antelope Valley Welcome Baby Program, a voluntary hospital and home-based intervention for pregnant and postpartum women. The success of the program is measured through increased breastfeeding rates among mothers, the ability to link families to available community resources, educating parents on child development milestones and the overall well-being of children and families.
"It was a real stress reliever because a lot had happened during my pregnancy," says Carmina, who completed the program earlier this year. "I had lost my mother the day before my baby was born, so it was an emotional thing."
Carmina says, "I think it's a really good program because it's helping mothers young and old. There's a myth that 'mothers know everything' and they don't forget, but we do forget. Being able to be part of this program helped me to see that it's okay to ask questions and to call somebody up to ask for help."
Ultimately Carmina got more out of the program than she expected. In addition to vital emotional support, the Welcome Baby program helped her learn new concepts about labor, delivery and infant development. She also received assistance with immunizations and food bank aid. Most of all, she appreciated the ability to talk with a Parent Coach about any concerns that came up during her pregnancy and the first nine months after the birth of her baby.
"One of the biggest ways the program has impacted me is knowing that I have somebody there that cares about my well-being, the baby's well-being and the family also," Carmina says. "That's something that's really appreciated in this day and time."
When Denes and Yobani discovered Children's Bureau, they were on the brink of separation. Their first son was six years old and Denes was pregnant with their second. Then the couple had a stroke of luck. While attending another program at Anaheim Harbor Family Resource Center, Denes discovered a 16-week Children's Bureau couples group that focused on strengthening family relationships and enhancing fathers' active positive engagement in the lives of their children.
"It was a really great program because we were able to connect with each other again and pinpoint the problems that were affecting our relationship," Denes says. "It allowed us to open up on another level, and we were able to talk about stuff that we hadn't talked about in a really long time."
Group facilitators led activities that included topics such as strengthening self-esteem, co-parenting, social support, and parent-child relationships. A cohesive group of ten couples gathered weekly to listen, share and support each other. After the couples group, Yobani went on to participate in a program for fathers.
"I grew up without a dad," Yobani recalls. "I could see my son suffering and never wanted him to go through what I did, but I was a young dad and struggled. I was selfish. The parenting classes have helped me to connect with my 7-year-old son. He's happy now. I help with homework. We have son-dad time. We know each other now. I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't found Children's Bureau."
Children's Bureau has also strengthened Denes and Yobani's relationship by helping them resolve their differences constructively, teaching them budgeting skills, and encouraging more togetherness as a couple and a family.
"All in all, both programs were really great and they came into our lives at the perfect time," Denes says. "Children's Bureau helped us keep our family together."
Sometimes a great program does more than change a life; it inspires someone to help change the lives of others. That's exactly what happened to Karina when she joined the Family Enrichment Program with her two-year-old son in 2013.
"When I started coming to Children's Bureau as a parent I was very isolated," Karina recalls. "It was just my son and me. We did everything together, but everything was inside the house or maybe at the park. I wouldn't go out, I didn't have any friends that had children, and my son didn't have any friends."
When Karina saw the difference the program was making in her son, it started making a difference for her as well. She started socializing more with other group members, learning how to be a better parent, and gaining a clearer understanding of her own challenges. She quickly discovered that she wasn't alone — many other parents in the group were dealing with issues and problems similar to her own.
The experience was so transformative that within six months Karina volunteered to be trained to lead a group of her own out in the community. "I decided to be a facilitator so that I could lead my own group of parents and see if I would be able to make an impact the same way that the program had made an impact on me," Karina says.
Karina gave birth to her daughter just before her training began, but she persevered with her infant at her side.
"I've been facilitating my own group for about a year now," Karina says. "It's been rewarding in ways that I never imagined. It's not a physical reward, but it makes me feel good."
Karina's group meets at the Children's Bureau library, with occasional special days at a park or museum. Regular themes include colors, numbers, letters and feelings. Her group also features a themed calendar each month, such as Hispanic heritage, Pacific Asian heritage or disability awareness. In addition to running her own group, Karina continues to participate in the program with her daughter. "I've grown so much as a parent," she says. "The way that I speak to my daughter is much different from what I did with my son because I've learned so much more."
We've made great strides in our work with the Magnolia Community Initiative (MCI). In 2015, we completed the first year of focused efforts to accelerate parental reading and foster social connections within a 23-block segment of MCI's catchment area in Los Angeles. We've also streamlined how we work with the Initiative's partners, encouraging them to interact and incorporate what they learn into their own organizations.
Family reading routines are a top priority because early literacy success is directly related to school success. More than 300 families are now participating and every family reports reading to their kids at least one or more days a week. Median daily reading rates have increased from 15 percent to 35 percent.
We also launched an effort to expand social connections within the MCI community. Using what we are calling Belong Neighbor Circles, our staff has been supporting residents who invite their neighbors to work together to strengthen the neighborhood. The Circles are strengthening connections, building trust and developing new leaders who will ultimately help us to replicate the model. We also launched our own web-based referral and tracking system that simplifies referrals and service follow-up within the Magnolia Network. We're hoping to have nearly half of the Network service providers using the system by the end of 2016.
This past summer our Foster Care and Adoption Assistants had the pleasure of working with Ana, a high school student intern. She provided much-needed help creating files for new prospective families, scanning paperwork, creating electronic files, and preparing binders for pre-service training. But her most valuable contribution was something much greater: an insider's perspective.
Ana knows firsthand what it's like to be a child without a family. Her journey in foster care began when she was four years old. Her family came to the attention of social services after a neighbor reported that Ana and her three siblings were being mistreated. Both parents abused drugs and did not know how to care for the children.
Ana and her siblings were placed in eight foster homes before they were able to connect with Children's Bureau, enduring physical abuse in addition to fears of separation from her siblings and worries over whether they would ever find a permanent home. While Children's Bureau eventually helped Ana and her three siblings to be adopted into a loving home, her experiences have encouraged her to advocate for greater tolerance and understanding for kids in search of a family.
Ana spent part of her internship speaking with participants in Children's Bureau's Adoption Promotion and Support Services program, sharing her story and discussing how she overcame negative feelings about being adopted. The most important things kids need to know, she urges, is that everything will eventually be all right and that it's okay to speak up.
"It's hard thinking about when you will be adopted," Ana says. "Don't think you are alone. It's always better to talk about the situation than keeping it inside. Also, if you are adopted, you should not feel ashamed at all. You should feel special because you got to pick your parents and they chose you because they love you."
Ana is passionate about the need to keep family members together, both before and after adoption. "It's very important to be raised with your siblings because being in that situation of already losing your birth parents, you need at least someone by your side," she says. "Going through that transition of growing up without your siblings can be very hard. The child can go through emotional problems. If I hadn't had my siblings by my side, I would have been constantly wondering about their safety and if I was ever going to see them again."
With 92 percent of the families we serve living at or below the poverty level, the stressors being faced are overwhelming. Our approach focuses on four key areas known to strengthen families: nurturing parenting, school readiness, good health and financial stability. For those already harmed, our quality treatment programs provide healing and caring support. Here's a snapshot of a few successes thanks to your support:
100adoptions finalized
362children placed with loving foster homes
600young children and their parents prepared for kindergarten and future academic success
3,000parents guided on child development and bonding through our NuParent program
5,000individuals provided with skills, resources and support through family resources centers
7,000home visits to 700 at-risk families with young children in Orange County in need of parent education and services
12,000families strengthened using the Family Assessment Software in home-visiting programs in 4 U.S. states and Canada
85,000hours of mental health therapy and counseling provided to children who were abused and to families in need of professional help
"The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation is proud to support Children's Bureau as an organization that is making a true difference right here in the local community. Children's Bureau's innovative and encompassing programs extend beyond one child or family, but rather help build a strengthened and caring community. IICF is proud to partner with Children's Bureau in helping children across Southern California succeed."
Melissa-Ann Duncan
Executive Director, Western Division
Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation
In 2015, Children's Bureau hosted or participated in a variety of family, volunteer and community events across Los Angeles and Orange County. We also launched two outreach endeavors: Young Professionals Orange County and Team all4kids. Young Professionals offers a networking forum for those interested in expanding their business circles while also giving back to the community. The group continues to gain momentum and fostered the formation of a Young Professionals Los Angeles group that is starting in Spring 2016. Team all4kids was created to expand Children's Bureau's fundraising opportunities and started with runDisney in September 2015 where 20 runners raised $15,000 for Children's Bureau.
L to R: 1) Big Sunday Bookv Fair; 2) Jiffy Lube Thanksgiving Party; 3) Young Professionals Orange County; 4) Magnolia Place Toy Boutique; 5) Mariners Church - Huntington Beach Adopt a Family Event; 6) Farmers Insurance Family Event; 7) Team all4kids; 8) QBE's Orange County Toy Shoppe; 9) One OC's Spirit of Volunteerism Awards; 10) #Unselfie Campaign; 11) Young Presidents' Organization; 12) Calvary Christian School Volunteer Day.
| Children's Bureau Foundation and Other | ||
| Private Charitable Support | $ 2,905,462 | |
| Contributions In-Kind* | 1,513,310 | |
| Government Grants & Contracts | 24,886,443 | |
| Total Program Support | $ 29,305,215 | |
| Other Revenue | ||
| Debt Forgiveness | $ 7,687,263 | |
| Rental Income | 307,084 | |
| Interest Income | 227,483 | |
| Investment Income | 68,803 | |
| Other Income | 238,739 | |
| Total Other Revenue | $ 8,529,372 | |
| Total Revenue | $ 37,834,587 | |
*Donated outdoor awareness campaign and legal services |
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| Programs and Services | ||
| Prevention | $ 11,530,022 | |
| Mental Health | $ 9,897,198 | |
| 4,740,110 | $ 4,740,110 | |
| Total Programs and Services Expenses | $ 26,167,330 | |
| Support Services | ||
| Administration and Community Relations | $ 5,513,557 | |
| Fundraising | $ 835,028 | |
| Total Support Services Expenses | $ 6,348,585 | |
| Total Expenses | $ 32,515,915 | |
| Change in Net Assets | $ 5,318,672 | |
Children's Bureau audited financial statements available upon request by calling 213.342.0145. |
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*Agency expenses exclude one-time cost associated with closing of New Market Tax Credit
We greatly appreciate the generous support of those individuals, corporations and foundations that made vulnerable children a priority in their charitable giving and philanthropic goals. Thank you for being part of #TheGreaterShare.
This Honor Roll reflects gifts made during the 2014/2015 fiscal year. For a current list of donors, please visit our website at all4kids.org.
*Contributed to the 2014-15 Annual Appeal
*Contributed to the 2014-15 Annual Appeal
1) The Angelic Auxiliary Carnival at the Pier Benefit Committee: Michelle Habayeb, Andrea Fama, Monica Kennedy and Tara Wuchenich 2) The League for Children Event Chair Holly Hicks, President Mary Hiestand 3) President's Golf Invitational Co-Chairs Tom Casarella and O. Jacob Bobek 4) Vice Chairmen's Event Event Chairman Brad Knyal 5) Children's Bureau Clambake Event Chair Lori Irving 6) Celebrity Chefs & Wine Tasting Event Chair Julia Stewart
Special thanks to these companies for donating in-kind services:
Avison Young • Bain & Company • Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP • Paul Hastings LLP • QBE North America • Wills Communications
And to our 2015 Outdoor Advertising Campaign Sponsors:
The Admark Group • Clear Channel Outdoor • EYE Corp Media • JCDecaux North America • Jiffy Lube • Lamar Advertising Company • Martin Outdoor Media • Summit Media • Titan Outdoor
Are you interested in being a part of Children's Bureau's future? You can ensure the agency's mission and vision to prevent child abuse remains with a legacy gift. To learn more, visit all4kids.org.
"Planning a gift for Children's Bureau is an easy thing to do and I recommend it to anyone, regardless of the size of their estate. Children's Bureau is an exemplary organization that I am proud to support. I have seen the organization evolve, grow and improve year after year, providing an invaluable service to the community. This is a first rate group that matches innovation with kindness and a singular human touch."
— Salvador Villar, Children's Bureau Trustee and Kirby Society Member
*deceased
Editor/Copywriter
Susan Wirth
Director of Marketing & Communications
Creative Director
Beth Goldfarb
Cause Farm Creative
Photography
Danielle Klebanow
The images of children and parents are of actual Children's Bureau families. Families featured in this annual report provided their own photos.
#TheGreaterShare is a social movement to prevent child abuse. By investing in a share of children's success, health, parenting and community, we are investing in the greater good of society. All of this happens because of people like you.
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