Support Foster Youth Going Back-to-School!
The Children’s Foundation of America’s (CFA) annual Back-to-School drive for foster youth is back! With the 2021-2022 school year around the corner and schools going back to in-person learning, CFA is determined to provide foster youth all the tools they need to succeed this year. CFA understands the disadvantage that foster youth are faced with and believe the lack of new school supplies should not be something they have to worry about when it comes to starting the new school year.
Foster youth are faced with inherent barriers to academic success such as parental neglect, emotional, physical and/or psychological issues, and/or inadequate adult support. Because of these barriers, foster youth fall victim to lower test scores, lack of motivation, and further mental health issues. Lack of school preparedness adds to the negative outcomes that these youth face.
According to the American Bar Association, “when a child is in the foster care or juvenile justice systems, the child often experiences instability in both the living and school environments. School has the potential to be a steadying force for good, providing stability and supports to promote learning.” Creating a stable learning environment for these youth starts with providing them the proper supplies so they have the foundation to reach academic success.
Consider joining our Back-to-School campaign to help prepare foster youth and provide them with a stable learning environment!
How You Can Help
CFA is collecting the following new and unused donations:
- Backpacks
- College/Wide ruled Paper
- Composition books
- Spiral Notebooks
- #2 Pencils
- Pencil Sharpeners
- Rulers
- Mechanical Pencils
- Erasers
- Highlighters
- Pens
- 3-Ring Binders
- Binder Dividers
Back-to-School donations can be dropped off at our warehouse Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at at our warehouse located at 1326 W. 9th St. Upland, CA 91786.
Purchase Items from Our Amazon Wish List
As an alternative, you can also purchase items of our Amazon Wish List here and ship directly to our warehouse for distribution.
Volunteer
If you’re interested in volunteering to compile back to school care packages, please contact bcalderon@trinityys.org or 909.426.0773 ext. 236.
Isabel Millward-Pena, Communications Specialist
Isabel contributes content for our social media, blog, newsletters and promotional materials. She recently earned a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University San Bernardino and is currently working on her master’s degree. Isabel began working with our team as an intern and, luckily for us, never left. Prior to her work at CFA, she was a substitute instructional aid and a supervisor at Starbucks. She has also volunteered as an aid at local elementary schools and notably achieved “Partner of the Quarter” at Starbucks in 2017.
425 Foster Youth Receive Spring Goodie Baskets
Thanks to the support of our business partners and volunteers, the Children’s Foundation of America provided 425 foster youth with Spring Goodie Baskets this year.
Volunteers from Anthesis and the community distributed all sorts of goodies donated by our business partners including Sysco Riverside, who donated hundreds of candy bars! Children in foster care, residential programs, at risk youth centers, and veterans homes for families were supported through this campaign.
This year, the Children’s Foundation of America was able to support five organizations with Spring Goodie Baskets including Trinity Youth Services, Upland Unified School District, Mt. Rubidoux Church Foster Resource Program, San Bernardino City Unified School District Equity & Targeted Student Achievement, and Liberty Village Beaumont.
From volunteering to donating, there are many ways to support children in need! Visit our Get Involved page to learn more.
Jenelle Phillips, Development Specialist
Jenelle oversees the day-to-day operations and staffing of the Foundation, which includes fundraising events, volunteer coordination, community outreach and donations. Above all, Jenelle’s focus is to identify and access resources in order to help children heal, learn and thrive. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University Fullerton and has become very involved in the community. She is active in her church, owns an art gallery, organizes the local art walk and is on the executive board of the downtown district’s marketing group.
A Fresh Start for Children in Need
“I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible.” – Oprah Winfrey
Dear Friends,
Spring is a time of rebirth; renewal; fresh starts. I recently came across the quote above and it made me think about the children and youth the Children’s Foundation of America supports. One thing these children have in common is the need for a fresh start. Children who have been the victims of abuse, neglect or other types of trauma realize from an early age that no one can travel back in time and undo the pain and suffering they have experienced. If it was possible, I would rev up the “way-back machine” and erase every horrible incident inflicted upon a child, as would you; as would anyone with a heart. Accepting the impossibility of correcting the past is made so much easier when coupled with the possibility of a better, brighter future.
The Children’s Foundation does everything it can to provide that possibility by ensuring trauma-affected kids have access to the items (such as school and art supplies, sports and game equipment, technology…), experiences (music and dance lessons, tutoring, special events….) and opportunities (summer camp tuition, college scholarships, transitional housing…) that will allow them to participate, learn, grow and succeed!
Your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more provides the little things that make a big difference. Please consider making a recurring monthly donation to sponsor a child’s ongoing possibilities. Helping children discover and develop their potential helps to change and expand their perception of what is possible. It allows them to imagine themselves achieving their goals and gives them a sense of purpose, which can lead to healthier behaviors, intentions, actions and lives.
While we cannot revise history, we can assure abused children that they did not cause or deserve what was done to them. We can remind them that their past does not define their future. We can encourage them to pursue their dreams and write their own stories. We can provide them with that much-needed fresh start. It takes very little to create positive change in a child’s life. Please join us, and together, we can help make seemingly impossible things possible.
With gratitude,
Cher Ofstedahl, Executive Director
Children’s Foundation of America
PO Box 1210, Claremont, CA 91711
800.KIDS.730
Parents’ Words of Encouragement to Children
Encouraging words can have a strong impact in a child’s life. Parents who encourage their children by using positive reinforcement are building their identity each day. Children are identifying their strengths with the help of meaningful words of honesty and descriptive details about their actions.
Benefits of Using Positive Reinforcement Words
- Improves self-motivation
- Improves self-confidence
- Tend to stay on tasks longer
- More likely to repeat behavior that earns praise
Using Meaningful Words of Honesty
Giving sincere words to your child can encourage certain behavior. Children are able to reflect and think about their own behavior when given praise and honesty.
For Example:
Don’t: You’re a genius!
Do: You came up with such good answers for that first question.
Don’t: You did very good!
Do: I like the way you came up with that idea on your own.
Using Descriptive Words
When you see positive actions coming from you child, point out a specific detail of their performance and describe what behavior led to good results; by using detailed words your child is able to recognize that you are paying attention and will keep them motivated to impress you.
For Example:
Don’t: That’s pretty!
Do: I like the way you are using different colors for your drawing.
Don’t: Good Job!
Do: That was kind of you to share your cookie.
Using encouraging words and recognizing your child’s efforts rather than their achievements supports their development and most importantly their self-esteem. Children will continue to gain passion and motivation with your support and encouragement.
Crystal Maciel, CFA Intern
Crystal is interning with the Children’s Foundation of America this spring as she completes her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Cal State San Bernardino. She has earned an associate’s degree in child development at Chaffey College and plans to continue her education with a mater’s degree in social work. Crystal’s career goals are to advocate for children, support families in need of assistance and to help children cope with problems in everyday life. Crystal’s work experience includes care of children toddler to 5 years of age and has worked for three years with children and adults with disabilities. In Crystal’s free time, she enjoys going to art galleries, sewing, gardening and painting.
3 Nature Art Projects for Kids
Exploring nature is a great way to get outside and create bonding experiences with friends and family. In this blog, we will learn to experience nature by utilizing the senses to create art.
Activity 1: Rock Painting
For this activity, we will use our sense of touch and sight. Materials needed are paint, paint brushes and rocks.
- This activity can take place from a picnic table to the floor.
- We suggest using newspaper underneath to catch paint spills.
- Once you have found several rocks to paint on, lay them out on your work space.
- Use the paint brushes and paint to begin painting.
Activity 2: Drawing Nature
This activity involves using the sense of sight, smell and sound to observe the world around us. Materials need to fill your backpack are craft paper, markers, crayons and other items that you might need to be capture nature.
- Find a comfortable spot to sit at the park and start drawing what comes to your attention. What are the things that inspire you from the nature around you?
- After the drawing is done, discuss why the scene was picked.
Activity 3: Leaf Painting
In this final activity, we will use the sense of touch to experience textures and sight to explore color. Materials needed for this project are paint, paint brushes, white paper and leaves.
- Go to your backyard or the park and find leaves that you think are unique.
- Choose the leaf you will paint with the color of your choice. You can even be more creative in mixing the colors together.
- Once you have painted the leaf, press the painted side onto the white paper. You will notice a better visual of how the leaf is formed.
Crystal Maciel, CFA Intern
Crystal is interning with the Children’s Foundation of America this spring as she completes her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Cal State San Bernardino. She has earned an associate’s degree in child development at Chaffey College and plans to continue her education with a mater’s degree in social work. Crystal’s career goals are to advocate for children, support families in need of assistance and to help children cope with problems in everyday life. Crystal’s work experience includes care of children toddler to 5 years of age and has worked for three years with children and adults with disabilities. In Crystal’s free time, she enjoys going to art galleries, sewing, gardening and painting.