November 30, 2009
Dear Friends of Foster Children,
Thank you for your friendship in making Help One Child’s ministry a success, as shown in the enclosed fiscal year report. Now, as we complete the first half of the new fiscal year, we are greatly concerned about what the future holds for at-risk children and their families.
On November 14, the San Jose Mercury News carried an article eulogizing a 24-year-old homeless man who spent most of his life in foster care. This young man entered the foster care system when he was only 4 years old and spent the rest of his childhood “bouncing from home to home and school to school.” Predictably, throughout his teen years, he moved back and forth from the juvenile justice center, a treatment center, transitional housing, and the streets, always reaching for “some sense of self-worth.” Now, because of untreated pneumonia, this young adult is dead.
When Help One Child finds a family willing to make a long-term commitment to children in foster care, the story can end in hope rather than death. Right now, we are entering an era in our local counties where capacity to protect at-risk children is on a steady decline, and Help One Child’s services are in even greater demand than before. Not only is our solution the best solution for the children, but a good foster/adoptive home is also the least expensive solution when a child has lost his family of origin.
Help One Child, however, is also experiencing financial restraints and will enter 2010 with fewer staff to meet the demands for support and recruiting. Please know that any donation you can make as 2009 ends will be used in providing services. Help One Child has very low overhead with donated space from Union Presbyterian Church and the many people who donate time to this cause. We are committed to stretching every dollar that comes into the ministry.
Will you continue your partnership with us in finding good homes for foster children? We thank God for you and every contribution you can make, large and small. Your gifts are literally life-saving.
Sincerely,
Jo Anne and Mark Morris
858 University Ave. • Los Altos, CA 94024 • (650) 917-1210 • Fax: (650) 917-5796 • www.helponechild.org
Year End Report For the year ending June 30, 2009
858 University Ave., Los Altos, CA 94024 • (888) KID-HOPE • helponechild.org
On each of 1000 days, at least one person came forward and joined our cause. Over 200 churches recruited 100 new foster homes. 400 new families joined our network and benefited from Help One Child’s programs to help a child in their care. 410 new individuals offered their time, talent or treasure and 290 families were encouraged to learn more.
Yet, the landscape of foster care is changing. Counties across California are showing a 30-40% decrease in the number of foster children. Less money in county, state, and federal budgets means fewer social workers on the street looking into abuse reports. The widening holes in the safety net mean fewer services for a vulnerable population that is not declining. Our ministry offers a lifeline! You can be one, too. Be creative. Reach out to a family and offer hope where there is frustration. Help us “help one child”.
Staff
Susan Kammerer
Executive Director
Judy Holmes
Parent/Volunteer Coordinator
Beth Walker
Recruitment
Cathy Lewis
SMC Program Manager
Cari Michel
Office Manager
Julie Handel
Special Projects
Board
Dan Van Elderen
Co-Chairman of the Board
Judi Van Elderen
Co-Chairman of the Board
Mark Morris
Corporate President
Jo Anne Morris, Secretary
General Members:
Cris Goodman, JD
Sandi Orlando, RN
Leslie Williams-Hurt
| Finances 08-09 | Your funds are used to recruit, train and support those willing to provide a home or services for foster children. |
| Total Income $382,000 | Total Expenditures $382,000 |
 |
|
|
Income Fiscal Year 07-08 |
$363,000 |
| Income Fiscal Year 07-08 |
$382,000 |
| Budget 09-10 | $383,300 |
Union Presbyterian Church of Los Altos donates the ministry’s full-service corporate offices and use of its facilities for ministry programs. Menlo Park Presbyterian Church provides discounted printing services. Volunteers provide thousands of hours of administrative and in home support. |
|
| Recruiting | Help One Child is dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting those willing to provide a home or services for foster children. |
Hispanic Foster Family Recruitment
The numbers could not speak more urgently: fully one-third of San Mateo County’s 370 foster children are Hispanic, yet in early 2008 there were less than 10 county-licensed bilingual Hispanic homes.
With that call to action, Help One Child translated and printed its ministry brochures in Spanish to kick off a recruitment push for more Hispanic foster families.
Help One Child found a pastoral advocate in Rev. Daniel Beteta of Mid-Peninsula Hispanic Outreach Ministry located at First Presbyterian Church San Mateo. Rev. Beteta sent a letter of endorsement to 30 other Hispanic pastors in San Mateo County identified by Help One Child. Nine months after outreach to Hispanic churches, 8 churches promoted the need and 20 families had attended San Mateo County’s foster parent training.
Community Leader Makes Impact
When Carrie Du Bois of Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos met Help One Child last fall, it was a catalytic match. She had seen foster children in her cousin’s home and felt more should be done to ensure their success in life. Not only did she promote foster care at her church, but as a school board member she also publicized the need for foster homes in schools. Passionate about foster youth’s educational outcomes, she masterminded the community event, A Night for Abigail, which invited educators and community leaders to seek solutions in their own districts.
| Church Recruitment | |
| Participating Churches | 136 |
| Individual Church Presentations | 26 |
| Mission Fairs/Special Events | 19 |
| Home Church Orientations | 21 |
| Community Based Orientations: | 12 |
| Individual Recruitment | |
| Orientation Attendees | 98 |
| New Prospective and In-Process Foster Parents | 63 |
| New Volunteers | 105 |
The following churches have been directly involved in recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive parents over the past fiscal year.
Belmont Church of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fellowship Bible Church, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Burlingame Burlingame United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, New Life Community, Our Lady of Angels, Trinity Lutheran Church Campbell St Lucy’s, The Home Church Cupertino Abundant Life Assembly of God, Bethel Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church of our Savior, New Life Church, Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino, St Joseph of Cupertino, St Jude’s Episcopal Church, Valley Church, West Valley Presbyterian Church East Palo Alto Apostolic Assembly, Iglesia Bautista del Valle, St Francis of Assisi Church Foster City Central Peninsula Church, St Ambrose Episcopal Church, St Luke Catholic Church Gilroy Gilroy Presbyterian Church, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, New Hope Community Church, South Valley Community Church, St Mary Parish Half Moon Bay Coastside Lutheran Church Los Altos First Baptist Church of Los Altos, Foothill Covenant Church, Foothills Congregational Church, Los Altos Lutheran Church, St Nicholas Catholic Church, St Simon Catholic Church, St William Catholic Church, Union Presbyterian Church, United Methodist Church of Los Altos Los Gatos Calvary Church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Venture Christian Church Menlo Park Menlo Park Presbyterian Church Millbrae Central Peninsula Church Millbrae, Millbrae Bible Church, New Vision United Methodist Church Morgan Hill Morgan Hill Bible Church, West Hills Community Church Mountain View First Presbyterian Church Mountain View, Mountain View Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, St Paul’s Lutheran Church, The Highway Community Palo Alto Aldersgate United Methodist Church, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, First Christian Church of Palo Alto, First Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church Palo Alto, First United Methodist Church Palo Alto, Grace Lutheran Church, Grace Presbyterian Church, Jerusalem Baptist Church, Palo Alto Christian Reformed Church, Palo Alto Church of Christ, Pathway Church, Peninsula Bible Church North, The Highway Community, University Lutheran Church, Vineyard Christian Fellowship of the Peninsula Redwood City Centro Cristiano Sion, Familia Cristiana Verbo, First Congregational Church, Fully Alive Community Church, Messiah Lutheran Church, Ministerios Kairos, Peninsula Christian Center, Peninsula Covenant Church, Sequoia Christian Church, St Matthias Catholic Church Roseville Valley Springs Presbyterian Church San Bruno Bethany Presbyterian Church, Crossroads Christian Center San Carlos Church of the Epiphany, Community United Church of Christ, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Mid-Peninsula Vineyard Christian Church, New Hope Peninsula Church, St Charles Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church San Jose Central Church of Christ, Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran, Christ the King Catholic Church, Church of the Chimes, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Holy Family Parish, Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church, Holy Spirit Church, Neighborhood Bible Church, New Creation Lutheran Church, Queen of Apostles Parish, Santa Teresa Catholic Parish, St Christopher Parish, St Julie Billiart Parish, St Thomas of Canterbury, St Timothy’s Lutheran Church, WestGate Church San Mateo Congregational Church of San Mateo, First Presbyterian Church, Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mid-Peninsula Hispanic Outreach Ministry, St Andrew’s Lutheran Church, St Bartholomew Catholic Church, Transfiguration Episcopal Church, Western Hills Church Santa Clara Calvary Baptist Church, Community Church of Santa Clara, First Presbyterian Church of Santa Clara, Hope Lutheran Church, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Santa Clara First Baptist Church, St Clare Catholic Church Saratoga Church of the Ascension, Saratoga Federated Church, Saratoga Presbyterian Church, Sunnyvale Church of the Resurrection, Crosswalk Community Church, St Cyprian Church, St John Lutheran Church, St Luke Lutheran Church, St Martin Catholic Church, Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, Trinity United Methodist Church, Unity Missionary Baptist Church Woodside Woodside Village Church
| Training | Help One Child is dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting those willing to provide a home or services for foster children. |
|
Making Sense of Alphabet Soup August 16, 2008 An all-day workshop provided understanding of the traumatized child’s thinking and behavior, clarity in an alphabet soup of diagnoses and powerful interventions. Led by Nancy Thomas  Toolbox for Foster Parents September 13, 2008 A three-part workshop provided the “tools” every foster parent needs: strategies for dealing with defiance and self-regulation, handling grief and loss, and navigating the system for mental health and educational services. Led by Don Williams, PsyD Linda Ikeda, RN, MFT Lois Raap, MA Ed, JD |
Parenting the Challenging Child January 31, 2009Parents learned about the underlying biological mechanisms and motivations that drive oppositional behavior and techniques to deal with them.
Led by Don Williams, PsyD
Year-Round Resources
A lending resource library of books, tapes and DVDs on various parenting topics and a list of respite providers trained to work with children with severe behavioral issues. Foster Parent/Volunteer Coordinator Judy Holmes maintains the ministry hotline and facilitates volunteer matching with families in need.
| Monthly Trainings | |
| CPR/1st Aid Class Attendees/TB Tests | 141 |
| Parent Child Connection Network | 353 |
| Special Trainings | |
| Education Seminars/Trainings | 5 |
| Adult Seminar Attendees | 358 |
| Children in Structured Childcare | 341 |
| Volunteers assisting at Seminars | 263 |
| CEU Hours obtained by Therapists | 26 |
| Help One Child is certified by the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences to grant Continuing Education Units | |
Training and Support Groups
Locations
Los Altos, Morgan Hill, Roseville Trainers
Don Williams, PsyD, Linda Ikeda, RN/MFT (Los Altos), Tammy Greer, MSW (Morgan Hill), Carla DeRose, MFT (Roseville)
Network
A virtual network of over 350 families receive notices of educational opportunities, special events and resources in their area of interest.
Monthly Meetings
A “check-in question” is sent in advance and explored by attendees at the meeting. Trainers provide support and feedback and then teach related psychological principles and practical methods for improving family dynamics and bonding.
Camp Connection
August 16-21, 2008
A weeklong camp held at Mt Cross Lutheran Outdoor Ministries where families solidified the bond between their foster or adoptive child, the new parents and siblings and learned therapeutic ways to respond to children suffering from Attachment Disorder.
Led by Nancy Thomas
Camp Renewal
January 3, 2009
Past campers attended a refresher course on skill-based parenting techniques.
Led by Don Williams, PsyD
“Camp Connection has provided me with the resources and support to change my life and the lives of my children. I wasn’t sure they could heal but now I know they can.”
Fost-Adopt Mom
| Supporting | Help One Child is dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting those willing to provide a home or services for foster children. |
Christmas Party - On December 20th, families of 156 children enjoyed dinner, crafts, games, pageant and Santa.
Easter Eggstravaganza - On April 11th, families of 36 children heard the Easter Story, created holiday crafts and reveled in an Easter egg hunt.
Mother’s Day Brunch - On May 9th, 27 moms enjoyed a delicious brunch and each other’s company while listening to foster and adoptive mom Kathi Reginato’s inspirational message.
Tuesday Night Supper Club - Started in San Mateo County’s Receiving Home in April 2009, this weekly suppertime event allows volunteers to teach foster teens cooking and relational skills.
FoFoPa (For Foster Parents) - An e-letter offering donated goods and services.
Dividends - A quarterly newsletter depicting the home ministry at work.
Prayer Team Emails - Weekly emails alert regional team leaders about family prayer requests and praises.
| Ministry Network | |
| Foster, Fost-Adopt, Kinship Familes | 426 |
| Parent Child Connection Support Group Families | 224 |
| Volunteers | 1021 |
| Volunteer Hours* | 7420 |
| *does not include in-home service hours |
|
| Churches | 852 |
| Foster and Adoption Agencies | 91 |
| Friends of Help One Child | 3767 |
Mark & JoAnne Morris, founders and board members, began Help One Child 15 years ago with just one foster family - their own. Now a decade and a half later, the two have nurtured the organization, and from one family it has grown to impact several thousand families! For their tireless efforts listening to families’ needs and guiding the organization, the Junior League of San Jose awarded them the 40th Anniversary Award at the League’s Volunteer Recognition Luncheon!
Cathy Lewis coordinates foster parent and volunteer recruitment programs at churches and schools in San Mateo County. Her background and experience in early child development forms a firm foundation for her development of programs that better meet the needs of foster children and their families. In her first year, Cathy has overseen new programs such as the Tuesday Night Supper Club, Kits 4 Kids and the launch of M-Power, a unique life skills program for children 6-13 years.
Trinity Presbyterian Church highlighted
the needs of teens who are provided the basics through the social service system, but do not enjoy many luxuries most teens take for granted. In May they collected special goods such as shower gel, house slippers and mp3 players. Along with the “Kits 4 Kids” items, they wrote cards of encouragement to show love to teens who rarely receive a tangible sign that anyone is thinking of them.