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2021    
impact report

   

Dear Friends,

The past year was tough for everyone. We were alone, and yet together we shared magnified experiences of isolation, uncertainty, loss and despair. As we closed out our 2020/21 year, we had hope for a return to normalcy; nobody knows what normalcy will look like, but it seems COVID-19 isn’t done with us yet.

Our work to protect vulnerable children continues to be challenged by a pandemic that has affected every aspect of the organization. Life lines have blurred from the already fragile families we serve to our heroic employees and steadfast supporters. No one more or less important than the other.

Children’s Bureau has faced numerous times of peril in our 117 years - two world wars, a generation long conflict in the middle east, a depression, recessions, racism, inequities, and, yes, two pandemics. Yet we never failed to serve children and families. During the recent pandemic our mission moved forward and fostered innovative thinking in how best to address child and family well-being while the world was shut down. Connecting with our community in a virtual world isn’t easy or optimal but we kept creating, engaging and sharing in order to protect vulnerable children through prevention, treatment, and advocacy. And we did, as you’ll discover in this impact report.

We also began thinking about the future. A strategic planning committee, co-led by board members Dr. Suran Jain and Marc Washington, engaged various groups of the organization in developing a five-year plan focused on creating awareness about child abuse prevention, expanding our advocacy efforts, growing private funding, and increasing collaborations within the communities we serve.

We have never been able to do our work alone, so we will be calling upon you - our valued volunteer leaders, donors and supporters - to join us on this exciting and innovative journey to reshape how child, family, and community well-being are addressed locally and nationally.

With deep appreciation,

Ronald E. Brown, Ph.D.
President & CEO

Our prevention programs work, but not without your support.
Your gifts matter to a child and to a family right here in Southern California.

Protect the most vulnerable in our community by making a gift today.
 

bright spots

The uncertainty and setbacks of the global pandemic continued to impact all of us this year, with the families we serve being some of those affected most. Children lost crucial opportunities for social, educational and emotional development while at home, and the increased threats of unemployment, mental illness, and isolation put vulnerable households at a greater risk for abuse.

Despite the hardships, this past year brought the world together in unimaginable ways that have illustrated the hope and humanity we all share.

Here are some bright moments:

 

transformative
leadership

Children’s Bureau’s success begins with the business and community leaders who guide the organization. We are grateful to each of these dynamic and caring people for volunteering their time and expertise to be a part of the story to prevent child abuse.

As a father of four and now a grandfather, I empathize with the challenges of supporting a family and recognize that many need some additional assistance to meet the needs of their loved ones. What I really find meaningful is the emphasis Children’s Bureau places on preventive services and preemptive resources”

– Dr. Suran Jain, Board of Directors

volunteer leadership

Board of Directors

Chair

Patrick Niemann
EY

Vice Chairs

Mike Burke
AECOM (retired) Shelli Herman
Shelli Herman & Associates, Inc. Martin Jacobs
Capital Research Global Investors Janie Schulman
Morrison & Foerster LLP (retired) Carrie Tilton
Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles/Catholic Schools Collaborative/Shea Family Charities

Treasurer/Vice Chair

Matt Wilson
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.

Directors

Lisa Gritzner
LG Strategies Chris Jackson
Canyon High School Surendra Jain, MD
Applecare Medical Group/Real Estate Family Office/Napean Capital Group Ricci Ramos
Riot Games James St. Aubin
MUFG Union Bank Michael Traylor
Traylor Bros., Inc. Marc Washington
Uplifting Results Labs, Inc. Hope Wintner
Civic Leader Andy Wong
CBS Television

Board of Trustees – Los Angeles

Chair

O. Jacob Bobek
CBRE - Los Angeles

Vice Chairs

Thomas Casarella
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. James Pade
Clearlake Capital Group

Treasurer

Randall L. Bort
SandTree Holdings, LLC

Trustees

Greg Barnes
Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC Kenneth Baronsky
Sidley Austin LLP (retired) Bryan Boghosian
Deloitte & Touche LLP (retired) Matthew S. Clark (retired)
Wells Fargo Securities Chadd Davis
ETONIEN, LLC Cecily Dean
Consultant/Strategic Partnerships Damon Fisher
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Brian Ford
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Damon Frier
Grant Thornton LLP Kris Galashan
Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. Curt Himebauch
EY David Kass
Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. Lewis W. Kneib
Latham & Watkins, LLP Jordon L. Kruse
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. Christopher Lovrien
Jones Day Richard Magnuson
Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors James Marasco
Wells Fargo Capital Finance (retired) Kelly Masuda
Caruso Steven Moore
Brentwood Associates David Nemecek
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Matt Peterson
AETHOS Consulting Group Corey Printup
The RLJ Companies Amanda Ruch
Capital Group Peyman Salehi
City National Bank Kunal Soni
Morgan Stanley Clinton R. Stevenson, Jr.
West Coast Housing Communities, LP Michael Swartz
Scheper Kim & Harris LLP Salvador Villar
Mercado Plus James R. Walther
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Kyle Wheeler
First Beverage Group Matt Wilson
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. Casey Winters
KPMG LLP

Board of Trustees - Orange County

Chair

Gina Primeaux
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Trustees

Janice Bachmann
Disneyland Resort Jeffrey S. Fields
Windes Inc. Vanessa Flores
Capital Group Lori Irving
U.S. Bank Kevin Prewett
Ingram Micro, Inc. Keven J. Yue
Datapath North America

2021/2022
Newly Elected & Returning Leadership

Board of Directors

Marilyn "Mindy" Stein
Tikun Olam Foundation Amanda Ruch
Capital Group

Chair Elect

Matt Wilson
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.

Board of Trustees – Los Angeles

Chair Elect

Thomas Casarella
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.

Advisory Council

Jody Adair
Margie Baum
Alan Berkes
David Brown
Mark Carlin
Kathleen M. Duncan
Jim Ford
Mike Fourticq, Sr.
Chris Frank
Connie Gavin
Thomas Hacking
Doug Hayes
Roger M. Laverty III
Mark Lemons
Susana Luna
David Madison
Charlie Marquis
Hector Orci
Matthew V. P. Pauley
Keith Renken
Stuart Taylor
Hal Washburn

Staff Leadership

Ronald E. Brown, Ph.D.
President & CEO Corina Casco, LCSW
Chief Program Officer Kymberly Garrett, M.B.A.
Chief People Officer Gayle Whittemore, C.P.A., M.B.T.
Chief Financial Officer Monica Lee Copeland, MFA, CFRE
Chief Development Officer
 

together, apart

Although we were mostly unable to volunteer, celebrate, and raise support in person, you exceeded our expectations in finding new ways to support Children’s Bureau. From virtual events to family activities and fundraisers, we cannot thank you enough for continuing to rise to the challenge.

[The Children’s Bureau mission] is something very close to my heart because I grew up similar to many of these children. Being able to be side by side with them and bring some joy to their lives is very touching. Also, to show them that anything is possible and if this is where you come from, you can make an amazing life for yourself.”

– Lawrence Telles, Young Professionals of Children’s Bureau Board Member

 

strengthening
children & families

The risk of child abuse is very real in our community, and exponentially larger for children whose families are navigating social ills, such as poverty, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

Through innovative programs and services, Children’s Bureau works to ensure all families and communities have equal access to the resources and support needed to succeed, while also treating children who have been harmed.

Here is a snapshot of our impact:

prevention programs

building futures

11,000+

participants received parenting information, support, and community resources

29,000+

virtual home visits were conducted to at-risk families with young children.

375+

low-income children improved school readiness skills and received developmental and health screenings.

Family Enrichment Program

Protective factors are the positive counterparts to the risk factors that lead to child abuse and neglect. Children’s Bureau utilizes this framework to define child abuse prevention and ensure our families are receiving the services they need. Here is a snapshot of each protective factor for our 2021 Family Enrichment Program graduates:

For more information about the protective factors, please visit the Center for the Study of Social Policy at cssp.org.

Safer-at-Home Spotlight: Magnolia Place Preschool

Keeping 3–5-year-olds engaged is not an easy task, especially through a screen. Our Magnolia Place Preschool teachers centered important lessons around immersive activities, such as virtually visiting a farm.

Teacher Sofia and Teacher Keila have been a great support to my children with their distance learning and a great guide for me to better support them at home. Magnolia Place Preschool has definitely brought a positive change to our family making it stronger and united.”

– Magnolia Preschool Parent

family foster care and adoption

building families

48

adoptions were finalized.

268

children were served through foster care support services

[When I was asked to foster Baby D] during the pandemic, I was not scared to step in because of COVID-19, but what would happen if I did not.”

– Rachel, Children’s Bureau Foster Parent

Read more about Rachel’s experience welcoming foster children Reason and Baby D into her family here.

mental health programs

building strength

2,993

children received direct mental health therapy and counseling.

40%

of those children received treatment for the first time.

Safer-at-Home Spotlight: Virtual Therapy Office

I joined Children’s Bureau during the pandemic, and I was always struggling to figure out how to keep my children and families engaged. I decided to build a welcoming virtual environment that featured an avatar of myself to recreate a personal connection.”

– Yazmin Ramirez, Outpatient Therapist at Children’s Bureau

The virtual office space Yazmin created is not only used during appointments, but also a resource that families are encouraged to visit it on their own to continue working on coping skills for their children.

 

financial overview

For every dollar spent on prevention

$8 to $18

is saved in future public spending.

Children’s Bureau audited financial statements are available here.

agency expenses

program expenses

 

thanks to you

Our mission could not move forward without the generous support from the individuals, foundations, and corporations who understand that child well-being is a community responsibility.

View our full donor lists through the links below.

 

communities served

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Carson
Lancaster
Los Angeles (2)
Long Beach
Palmdale
Valencia
West Covina

ORANGE COUNTY

Huntington Beach
Lake Forest
Newport Beach
San Juan Capistrano
Santa Ana (2)

 

who we are

who we are

Equity and inclusion are at the core of our mission. We strive to create and sustain safe, supportive environments for all families, staff, and people leaders. To further this, we are actively training our staff in Trauma-Informed and Resilience-Oriented Care to better understand and reduce the effects of trauma to help us build stronger communities with equal access to resources and opportunities.

Our Mission

Protecting vulnerable children through prevention, treatment, and advocacy.

Our Vision

Children thriving in strong families and communities.

Now more than ever, our families need your support.

Give today.