CARE program offers help for Bay Area families

For more than a century, Sunny Hills has been a beacon of hope for families and youth with special needs. While we have served thousands of youth over the course of our history, each young person who comes to us has presented with a particular need; as their lives unfold, we find solutions to their struggles that are as unique as they are themselves.

For many families, finding the right solution can be challenging. Sunny Hills offers an array of programs specifically designed to meet families and their children where they are. That means we deliver help where it is needed most -- in homes, in schools, and in the communities where our young people live, play and learn.

Sunny Hills' CARE program has recently expanded its footprint to reach an even greater number of youth and families who seek the kind of individualized, home-based support we provide. In the coming year, we will expand our capacity to serve not only Marin County, but also Sonoma and Napa counties, San Francisco and the East Bay.

We are in the process of developing a new Web site that will help parents understand how we can help. Here's a glimpse of where we are headed:

Check back in late June to see how the CARE program could help a family you may know: www.SunnyHillsServices.org/CARE.

Community-based and family-focused. Sunny Hills has the ability to deliver care when and where its most needed.

San Anselmo Campus Update

In April, I shared with you the agency’s difficult decision to close Red Hill Academy. I’m pleased now to be able to share our agency’s plans about how we will utilize our San Anselmo campus going forward.

First, Sunny Hills has entered into an agreement with Oak Hill School to lease space on our campus beginning in July. Oak Hill School provides an integrated therapeutic education program for children and youth ages six to 22 with autism and other neurodevelopmentally based challenges; students, teachers and administrators for Oak Hill School will occupy the two school buildings on campus. There is a particularly synergistic relationship between our two organizations; in the late 1990s Sunny Hills served as the fiscal sponsor for Oak Hill School when a few dedicated parents came together and established a different kind of learning environment for children with special needs. Oak Hill has emerged as a leader in the field of special education and is planning on expanding its student body over the next several years.

The Marin Academic Center (MAC), Sunny Hills’ nonpublic school serving children with severe emotional and behavioral challenges, is also relocating to our San Anselmo campus this summer. MAC will utilize two cottages for classroom and individual meeting space, as well as for staff offices. MAC students will have the playground facilities, swimming pool and gymnasium; the students and staff at MAC are looking forward to settling in to their new, permanent home!

The Sunny Hills campus has served as a beacon of hope to thousands of vulnerable children and youth for more than a century. As we look to our future and the next stage of our development, I am honored to welcome Oak Hill School, whose vision and commitment to children with special needs so clearly embodies the spirit of this wonderful place, and our very own Marin Academic Center to this amazing place we are fortunate enough to call home.

Congratulations to the Sunny Hills Council!

The 8^th Annual Sunny Hills Council Gala, White Nights City Lights: Helping Children Reach For The Stars was held last Saturday at The Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco and was once again a spectacular evening and a successful fundraising event for our agency. A hearty thank you to each of the Council members who made the night so special, with particular thanks to Rhonda Shipley, this year’s Council President. Congratulations, and thank you!

A couple of “sneak peek” candid photos are below … click here for more photos!

State Budget Crisis and the Special Election

It is no secret that California is in the midst of a budget crisis. According to yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle, the state will have to borrow more than $20 billion dollars if legislators cannot close the multibillion-dollar deficit. Most analysts predict that this deficit will then worsen if voters reject the special election budget-related ballot measures on May 19^th.

According to the Chronicle article, “without sufficient cash, the state may … delay or defer scheduled payments to … service providers and vendors,” a group which includes Sunny Hills Services. The California Alliance of Child and Family Services (CACFS) recently sent a memo to member agencies about this potential crisis. An excerpt from that memo is below:

“A recently conducted Field poll shows that five of the six ballot measures scheduled for the May 19 special election are opposed by a majority of likely voters, a situation which, if it plays out, could leave state and local governments with no options except to make draconian cuts to government expenditures, including those for education, foster care, juvenile justice and children’s mental health …

Skepticism about the proposed initiatives extends to the state’s Democrats who, at their convention Sunday April 26, failed to endorse Proposition 1A which garnered the support of 58% of the delegates, 2% short of the 60% supermajority needed for it to succeed.

The party did endorse Propositions 1B, 1C and 1F, but stayed neutral on Propositions 1D and 1E. The California Alliance is opposed to 1D and E which would redirect funds from the Mental Health Services Act and First 5 to temporarily supplant state general fund support for core children’s services.

If the propositions don’t pass [there is] not much on the horizon in terms of a Plan B for the state budget … As in January and February when state cash flow was a critical issue, Alliance member agencies are strongly encouraged to talk with their contracting county departments to determine their plans should the propositions go down to defeat.”

Upcoming Fun-Raisers!

There is still time to get tickets to the 8th annual Sunny Hills Gala this weekend! White Nights, City Lights: Helping Children Reach For The Stars will take place on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. This is one party you won't want to miss! Click here for details and information about the event - you can register online for underwriting or tickets! We also have an exciting new raffle this year; the lucky winner gets either $2,500 in cash or a $5,000 discount on a Mercedes-Benz vehicle purchased at R.A.B. Motors. Tickets are only $50.00 and the winner does not need to be present to win! Raffle tickets can be purchased online through midnight Thursday, May 7, 2009- they will also be sold at the Four Seasons Hotel the night of the gala. Get your tickets here!

Does the springtime weather have you itching to get outside and practice your swing? Join other supporters of Sunny Hills Services and swing big for the kids! The 15th annual Bank of Marin Golf Tournament benefiting Sunny Hills will be held Monday, June 22nd; this event has become a summer tradition at Sunny Hills Services and is recognized as one of the finest golf tournaments in the North Bay. Since 1994, the tournament has raised more than $1 million to benefit Sunny Hills' programs serving vulnerable children and youth. Click here for more information or to reserve your foursome today!

May is National Foster Care Month

National Foster Care Month began in 1988 as an effort to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of foster parents and foster families around the country. In the 1990’s, National Foster Care Month evolved and brought into sharp focus the needs of the many older youth in foster care, particularly those on the verge of ‘aging out’ of the foster care system at the age of 18. With this focus and the strong leadership of several foster care advocacy groups, the passage of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act was eventually achieved, providing additional support to young people aging out of care.

There are currently over 496,000 children in foster care in the United States. Bay Area Youth Centers (BAYC), the East Bay division of Sunny Hills, works with youth ages 14-24 who are emancipating from the foster care system. BAYC’s programs are designed to support successful transitions to adulthood by helping young people to develop positive relationships, healthy lifestyles, independent living skills, and the achievement of educational goals. BAYC provides housing assistance, integrated mental health services and a healthy dose of adult encouragement to ensure these youth have the opportunity they deserve to reach their full potential.

I invite you to read about Annahlisa, a foster youth who has been helped by several of our BAYC programs. I hope that her story will inspire you to click here to find Foster Care Month events around the country that you can participate in!