Decades of Hope Gala

Clear Channel Outdoor has partnered with Children’s Bureau for nearly three decades in providing pro-bono advertising space valued at millions of dollars.  Digital and print ads are posted annually throughout Southern California promoting various Children’s Bureau messages including the need for foster-adopt resource parents or various prevention programs or the issue of child maltreatment in general.  These ads have helped Children’s Bureau expand its reach in the community in a much broader and consistent basis than what the agency could achieve on its own.  We are proud to recognize Clear Channel Outdoor as an Honoree for their extraordinary generosity, steadfast partnership, and genuine commitment to making our community a safe place to grow for all children and their families.

The Crean Foundation is one of Children’s Bureau most long-standing and generous private partners. The Foundation donated to Children’s Bureau for the first time in 1983, and has been supporting our Prevention programs in Orange County ever since. Over forty years of partnership, they have granted us a total of $5.6 million. The Creans also leveraged their partnerships to expand our scope in Orange County; in 1993, John and Donna Crean founded the Orange County Division of Children’s Bureau, bringing new friends and resources to our agency. Today, our Orange Country Prevention services support over 5,500 at-risk children and parents annually, via five Family Resource Centers, our Infant/Toddler Home Visiting Programs, and our place-based program, Network Anaheim.

Beatriz and Jay Fields embarked on their incredible journey with Children’s Bureau in 2018, driven by their desire to expand their family of three and make a meaningful impact in the lives of vulnerable children. After attending a parent orientation when their biological son, Jacob, was only seven years of age, Beatriz and Jay saw the critical need for foster and resource parents and felt compelled to take part in changing lives. The couple fostered three children that all reunified with their birth families. The Fields family have been able to continue their connection with all three of the children by gathering for meals, visiting parks together, and even attending birthday parties. When looking back at the past six years, Beatriz says, “We have loved with an open heart and have given ourselves to each child that we welcomed into our home. We are better human beings because we have had the fortune to connect with beautiful little beings with big missions, as well as their birth families.”

In September 2021, Beatriz and Jay opened their home once again to a baby girl, Isla, for whom they recently finalized adoption in June of 2023. “Each child that has come into our lives comes with a purpose.” Through love and resilience, the Fields family has not only transformed the lives of the children they have embraced, but they have also become an invaluable resource for the agency and families in need.

Gayle has exemplified not only the spirit of Children’s Bureau’s mission, but also a lifelong dedication to children, families, and communities both indirectly and directly. She’s been a part of the Children’s Bureau family since 1990 as our audit partner conducting our year end audit or consulting around managing the Mental Health contract. Finally in 2018, she became the Chief Financial Officer where she is responsible for the oversight of the agency’s Finance, Facilities, Information Technology, Mental Health Revenue Management and the FAF Software social enterprise departments. A strong and respected voice in the community, Ms. Whittemore has an unmatched depth of knowledge and has seen our organization grow in leaps and bounds even through a pandemic.

Gayle will soon be retiring but will be part of the legacy of Children’s Bureau forever.