By Town Crier Staff Report
Children are the most vulnerable members of society in times of need or family crisis. Sunday Friends, Help One Child and the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation are among the children-based charities that receive funds from the Town Crier Holiday Fund.
Sunday Friends is a non-profit organization of volunteers who conduct year-round programs for children living in area family shelters. “Sunday Friends coordinates and focuses activities to generate positive experiences with a focus on teamwork and healthy lifestyles,” said Kim Jackson, a volunteer from Los Altos.
This year, Sunday Friends provided more than 1,500 volunteers to serve 1,800 children living in family shelters. Most programs take place at the San Jose Family Shelter, which offers families in distress a safe place to stay for up to 90 days.
Established in 1997, Sunday Friends provides two weekly programs that teach children life and work skills.
Each Sunday afternoon, volunteers help shelter children, ages 2 to 17, do useful jobs and make contributions to the shelter and the community. The children’s jobs may include activities such as cooking healthy foods to share; cleaning up the grounds and gardening; helping other children read; and writing thank-you notes for donations.
On Wednesday evenings, volunteers spend two hours tutoring children who have fallen behind in school because of the instability of their lives. Volunteers assist children with schoolwork and writing skills, and help with art projects afterward.
Los Altos residents JoAnne and Mark Morris established Help One Child in 1997 to recruit foster parents and to provide community support for them and their foster children. The couple were inspired by their own experiences as foster parents to establish the organization, JoAnne Morris said.
Each year, the Morrises visit churches countywide, seeking families willing to take in a child and siblings. They also recruit others within a church community who are willing to provide additional support for a child by offering baby-sitting, mentoring, tutoring or transportation.
“Some foster children move 18-20 times,” Morris said. “At 18, they are emancipated, without the skills and emotional stability they need.” The goal of Help One Child is to prevent children from ending up in this situation. In addition, Help One Child supports foster families by providing parenting classes, social events and family camps in the summer.
Morris said Help One Child encourages adoption of foster children, especially those with special needs, whenever possible. The organization offers a support group led by a parenting specialist for these parents.
The East Palo Alto Kids Foundation gives teachers in the funding-starved Ravenswood School District money for classroom materials. The foundation, which began in 1993 under the direction of Palo Alto attorney Jacqueline Stewart, bypasses administrative red tape by giving checks directly to teachers in need.
According to Mary Noonan, foundation vice president and a former teacher herself, teachers can apply for two kinds of grants: an “enrichment” grant of $350 for field trips or books; and a “family participation” grant of $700 that pays for workshops and other needs.
The advantage of these grants, according to Noonan is: “Teachers don’t need to wait two months for a purchase order to be done. Red tape often stops us from getting what we need.”
Letters of appreciation from the kids and testimonials from the teachers reflects the successful impact of the foundation, Noonan said.
Projects funded under the foundation include a Collective Roots Garden Project at Belle Haven School, which has kids tending to gardens. The program promotes understanding of the process of bringing food to the table and the link between human and environmental health.
Other charities funded under the Town Crier Holiday Fund are: Bayshore Christian Ministries, which tutors kids in East Palo Alto; Mother Branch, which feeds the hungry in East Palo Alto; the Community Homeless Alliance Ministry, providing food and shelter for homeless families; Truck of Love, providing food and clothing for the homeless; Career Closet, offering clothing and career support for single moms; and the Community Services Agency’s dental program. All funded groups have a 501 (c)(3) tax status.
To contribute to the fund, send a check to Town Crier Holiday Fund 2001, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022. You may also contribute by phone with a credit card by calling Gail Vanderberg at the Town Crier office, 948-9000, ext. 309. Contributions are 100 percent tax deductible. Donations will be processed through Community Foundation Silicon Valley.
