ChildShare

Child S.H.A.R.E. invites you to Race with a Reason in Los Angeles Marathon.  For the 16th year, Child S.H.A.R.E. will serve as an Official Charity of the LA Marathon and will proudly send a team of runners and walkers to the race.  The LA Marathon 5K will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at Dodger’s Stadium.  The full Marathon will occur the next day on Sunday, March 20 and will follow 2010’s sold out Stadium to the Sea.

There is no minimum fund raising amount required and Child S.H.A.R.E. will provide all Team members with personalized fund raising tools as well as training support.  Runners and walkers in the full LA Marathon will enjoy lounging in an executive suite at Dodgers Stadium to rest, stretch, enjoy breakfast and share in prayer before the start of the race.

Join Team Child S.H.A.R.E. and show your commitment to finding safe, loving families for abused children.  Each step taken in the Marathons and each dollar raised will help to transform the lives of abused children.

Learn more about joining Team Child S.H.A.R.E. and running or walking in the full 26.2 LA Marathon or the LA Marathon 5K by clicking here http://childshare.org/get-involved/events/marathon/.

The California Insurance Professionals (CAIP) presented Child S.H.A.R.E. with a $15,000 donation at their annual Holiday Cocktail Party at the Conga Room at LA Live on Wednesday, December 8, 2010.  The CAIP Holiday Party is known as one of the insurance industry’s “must attend” holiday festivities and the 2010 party was no exception.  The 2010 Holiday Party was the  most attended party in CAIP’s history, with over 260 guests.

CAIP Holiday Party Chair, Jeff Lynn noted, “CAIP is honored to partner with Child S.H.A.R.E. With this $15,000 donation, CAIP’s donations to Child S.H.A.R.E. over the last 10 years will exceed $100,000.”  This generous sum of contributions has provided summer family picnics for hundreds of foster families and has enabled Child S.H.A.R.E. to find safe, loving and stable homes for 34 abused children.

CAIP is a non-profit organization that was developed within the greater Southern California insurance community over 20 years ago.  CAIP’s Board of Directors is composed entirely of insurance professionals from the Southern California area, with current members from Markel, Brown & Riding, Aon, AmWins, FM Global, Travelers and other insurance industry leaders.  The mission of CAIP is “to promote a facility which provides opportunities for professional education along with social activities for the purpose of benefiting charities in Southern California.”

CAIP Board President, Cyndi Jung notes, “I am incredibly proud of all of our board members for working together to put on this great event and to raise money for such a wonderful cause.  As a group we have come a long way over the last few years and I expect CAIP to continue to grow and thus raise more funds to give to local charities.”

Child S.H.A.R.E. is collecting new unwrapped toys and stuffed animals for our 2010 Christmas Parties. Each year, all of the children that attend Child S.H.A.R.E. Christmas parties receive a Christmas gift of their own.

Some of the children who attend Child S.H.A.R.E.’s Christmas parties have not had the opportunity to experience the joy of Christmas before. In place of the warmth and love that traditionally fills a child’s life at Christmas, the children in the Child S.H.A.R.E. Program have endured abuse and neglect. Child S.H.A.R.E. loves to be a part of making this Christmas special for them.

If you would like to donate a toy to an abused child, please visit our Target Wish List and order a gift that will be automatically delivered to Child S.H.A.R.E. Thank you so much for partnering with us in bringing joy into children’s lives.

Click here to view the Target Wish List Link

With the holidays upon us and the delicious holiday standards of homemade cookies and mashed potatoes with gravy tempting us at every turn, November is an excellent time to carve out time to exercise.

Start with small, sweet steps.  Take a short run or walk, perhaps only a block long.  Slowly increase the distance of your run/walk each week.  Your body will build endurance and burn those extra, delicious holiday calories.

Let this holiday exercise be the catalyst to train for the 2011 LA Marathon or LA Marathon 5K.  As an Official Charity of the LA Marathon for the 16th year, Child S.H.A.R.E. is searching for runners and walkers to complete both races.

Child S.H.A.R.E. challenges you to join the Team and Race for a Reason.  As a member of Team Child S.H.A.R.E. you will help to find safe, stable and loving homes for abused children.

The LA Marathon 5K will be held on Saturday, March 19^th, 2011 at at 8:00am at Dodger’s Stadium.  The full Marathon will occur the next day at 7:24am on Sunday, March 20^th and will follow 2010’s sold out Stadium to the Sea route.

Team Child S.H.A.R.E. LA Marathon registration details, training tips and personalized fund raising tools are coming soon.

Come join other pastors in your community for a hosted breakfast and learn how you and your congregation can transform the lives of foster children waiting for loving families.

Date and Time: Friday, October 15, 9am-10:30am
Location: Bel Air Presbyterian Church
16221 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Please RSVP by October 1 to lmckinley@childshare.org or 818.649.8014

Child S.H.A.R.E. volunteers Jennifer Caruso and Diana Castellano will serve as guest bartenders at Damon’s, a popular restaurant and bar in downtown Glendale on Thursday, August 26th from 6-8pm.

A portion of the evening’s tips and all proceeds from the raffle items sold will be donated to Child S.H.A.R.E.

Mark your calendars and plan to come out and support Child S.H.A.R.E.  Questions?  Contact Amanda Turek at 818.649.8016 or at aturek@childshare.org.

Edmund Edelman Children’s Court was packed on the afternoon Friday, July 30^th, 2010.  Hundreds of parents, clad in their Sunday best lined up to enter the courthouse, eager to finalize the adoptions of already cherished members of their families.

At 2:00pm, in room 416, two year old Kimberly Ann became an official member of the Seaver family.  A long standing Child S.H.A.R.E. family, the Kate and Matthew Seaver have already adopted 2 biological brothers, Christian and Jeremiah from foster care.  The Seaver’s reopened their home to take in another child, Kimberly Ann Marie, when they learned that the biological mother of their sons had borne a third child.

As Referee Donna Levin read the formal legal charge of adoption to Kate and Matthew, there was not a dry eye in the courtroom packed with Seaver family and friends.  The teary eyes in the room quickly crinkled and heads fell back with laughter as the newest member of the Seaver family interrupted the judge with loud and happy exclamations.  Her young friend, a two year old boy sitting in the back corner of the room returned her remarks and soon the courtroom was filled with the irreverent yet delightful murmurings of two year olds.

Child S.H.A.R.E. joyfully celebrates the newest addition to the Seaver family and was honored to be present at the adoption ceremony.

Child S.H.A.R.E. and The Alliance for Children’s Rights are proud to announce upcoming seminars regarding Individual Education Plans (IEP).  The seminars are open to all Child S.H.A.R.E. families in Los Angeles County and will provide families with valuable resources.

Topics will include:

*Identifying potential disabilities

*Requesting records and assessments through your child’s IEP (individualized education plan)

*Legal remedies and important rights that foster children have in the state of California (AB490)

Seminars will be presented on the following dates & locations in Los Angeles County:
Monday, August 9th | 7:00-9:00 p.m.
The Sanctuary
26444 Friendly Valley Parkway
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
*RSVP by Wednesday, August 4th

Thursday, August 26th | 7:00-9:00 p.m.

First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena

3700 E. Sierra Madre Boulevard

Pasadena, CA 91107-1994
*RSVP by Friday, August 20th

NOTE: In order to provide the best training possible, seating is limited to 50 persons per seminar.

RSVP to: Andrew Henck

Director of Family Support
ahenck@childshare.org
818.649.8020

**Free childcare will be provided at each seminar. Please include names & ages of each child when you RSVP.

Like millions of Americans, this past weekend I took my daughters to see the soon-to-be children’s film classic Despicable Me. Hollywood and animated films in particular, regularly thread their plot lines with the issue of foster care and the plight of the orphan.  Aladdin, The Rescuers, The Blindside, Meet the Robinsons and of course Annie to name just a few.

Reflecting upon this delightful film, I was struck by a basic question.  Why do we, as a society, flock to films with such melancholy subject matter?  The protagonists of the aforementioned films are adorably round faced, jovial and yet slightly unkempt children, think Penny of The Rescuers… And they are all abused, abandoned or orphaned by their biological parents.  This is sad.  Why is this something we want to see?

I believe we are drawn to the stories of abused children like Penny, Annie and Michael Oher because we can rest assured that a happy ending awaits them at the end of the 120 minute shows.  Though desperate to be adopted at the start of the films, by the closing credits these characters will be welcomed into loving, even fabulously wealthy families.

As a seasoned advocate for foster children, I know that many American foster youth will not experience a Hollywood “happy ending” of adoption. In fact, the 20,000 youth who emancipate each year from the foster care system at the age of 18 leave with little support, few financial resources and no significant guidance by which they could hope to become successful.  Within 2 years, many of these teens will endure homelessness, incarceration and even death.  The hardships and heart wrenching experiences these foster youth survived as children do not disappear as they climb into the limousines of Daddy Warbucks.

As the Executive Director of Child S.H.A.R.E. my eye is critical and acute in noting the issues of child abuse and foster care in films.  And I ask that you to be cognizant of the issues as well.  As you watch Despicable Me, think to yourself “Might you be the next Daddy Warbucks or Tuohy’s?”  Could you make that Hollywood happy ending possible for a child?

As a part of Child S.H.A.R.E.’s support to our foster families, Welcome Gifts are delivered to all newly placed foster children.  Today, Welcome Gifts were delivered to two young girls, 7 month old Ana* and 2 year old Sara* (*names have been changed to maintain confidentiality).

Upon receiving the toys, blankets and necessities from Child S.H.A.R.E. Recruiter, Lauren McKinley the girls rejoiced, yelling over and over “Thank you, lady!”  Sara followed up her thanks by proudly serenading everyone in the room.  Sara’s song choice? “You are My Sunshine.”  Hearing that sweet voice sing with such joy, tears came to Lauren’s eyes as she reflected on how true that statement is of Sara.

Sara was initially placed with her Child S.H.A.R.E. foster Mom, Natalie* when she was 10 months old, when her biological mother was incarcerated. Sara was returned to her biological mother at 18 months of age, in that time her mother gave birth to another baby girl, Ana.

Shortly after she was returned to her biological mother, Sara was found walking the streets of Los Angeles at midnight, trailing behind her intoxicated mother.  A well intentioned driver passing on the street where Sara and her mother were walking, stopped to intervene.  After determining the mother was under the influence, the passerby scooped up the little Sara and took her to their home.  Upon arriving home, the well intentioned family called the police.  Sara’s mother was arrested for child endangerment and Sara, along with her baby sister Ana, were returned to Natalie.

Natalie is amazed at how rapidly Sara and Ana have bounced back from their recent abuse.  Sara loves caring for her baby sister.  Initially when she was placed with Natalie, baby Sara was aggressive and had numerous behavioral challenges.  In her time at a Child S.H.A.R.E. home Sara has become incredibly well adjusted.  As her foster mom attests, “it’s like she remembers the difference between what she went through and being here.”  Sara is finally in a place where she feels safe and loved.

Sara & Ana join three big brothers, who were also adopted from foster care, in their loving Child S.H.A.R.E. home.  Their foster mom Natalie, buoyed by the support of her mother, who is also an adoptive parent, showers them with love and attention.  These two extraordinary women are true servants, dedicating their lives to the abused children who come to their door, reeling from abuse and craving the love and stability of a family.  Child S.H.A.R.E. is honored to support them.