Thank you to our donors who make hope a reality for abused and neglected children
This year we celebrate the powerful voice of our Advocates in supporting foster children and their families.
Grandparents Lily and Phil, mother Cynthia and children Larissa, Eric, Liliana, Julie and Analina are together, their case dismissed. This happy outcome is the result of their hard work and tremendous love for one another. Another key ingredient in their successful reunion was the support of devoted Advocates: Holly, Ashok, Angel and Jessica. This story is just one example of the positive impact of Child Advocates of Silicon Valley on our community.
When baby Analina tested positive for controlled substances at birth, she and her four siblings were removed from their mother’s care. Grandparents Phil and Lily moved to San Jose to care for all five children. Initially, the grandparents were resistant to Advocates: “I did not see how volunteers could help” stated Phil. Gradually, his perspective changed. “Now, I cannot say enough good about the Advocates. The time and attention of these volunteers, it comes from the heart.” After two and a half years of work and support, mother Cynthia was able to regain custody of her children. The family is now happy, healthy and together. “You are like angels. Our gratitude is boundless.”
Since our inception in 1986, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley has served over 15,000 children and supported over 10,000 volunteer Advocates. We continue our emphasis on innovative programming and collaboration with partners to continuously improve the Santa Clara County foster care system. Our focus on academic success, a critical factor in creating a future of possibilities and breaking the cycle of abuse, continues to result in positive outcomes for our children and their families.
As previewed in last year’s report, the agency embarked and is making progress on an ambitious plan to achieve our five year goal: Provide an Advocate for every foster child in Santa Clara County.
Your continued support is critical to the success of our agency. Thank you for your commitment to providing a highly trained, consistent, caring adult for our most vulnerable children.
With sincere appreciation,
James Otieno Karen ScusselChair, Board of Directors Executive Director
Dear Friend,MissionChild Advocates provides stability and hope to abused and neglected children by being a powerful voice in their lives
VisionEvery child has a positive view of the future and the opportunity to become a productive, healthy adult
ApproachStrength Based, Child Centered, Asset Building
ImpactThe Power of a Consistent, Caring Adult
Board of DirectorsLenny AlugasMichael ByrdShirley CantuJoe CousinsDavid EnemarkKevin GardnerMala JairamRaul MujicaJane OglesbyMichael O’LearyJames OtienoSridhar RamanathanMoe RubenzahlLinda SchiefelbeinHoward SlayenWalt ThinfenLorena TorresAlberto ValdezJose VargasKathryn Williams
A Powerful Voice
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
O�ce: Sobrato Center for Nonprofits, 509 Valley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 / Tel 408.416.0400www.BeMyAdvocate.org • [email protected] • Tax ID No. 77-0250773The compilers have carefully reviewed our donor names for the 2013 fiscal year (July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013). If you find an error, please accept our apologies and contact the Development O�ce so that we may correct our records.Design donated by Westminster Promotions. Photography donated by Now & Forever Studios.
$50,000+County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency
Judicial Council of California
Superior Court of Santa Clara County
Sleep Train Foster Kids
$20,000 - $49,999
AVT Productions
Liz and Michael Byrd
Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trusts
Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation
Moms Against Poverty
Myra Reinhard Family Foundation
Quest Foundation
SanDisk Community Sharing Program
Walters and Wolf Companies
$10,000 - $19,999
Teri and Lenny Alugas
ASA Computers, Inc.
Shelley and Steve Brown
Shirley and Richard Cantu
Cisco Systems Foundation
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Kwok Wah Lau and Jon Goulden
In-N-Out Burger Foundation
Kathy Jacobson and Chris Hyrne
Kappa Alpha Theta, Stanford Chapter
Lockheed Martin Employees' Foundation
Los Altos Town Crier Holiday Fund
Marjorie Mancuso
Jennifer and Scott Miller
Jane Oglesby and Cameron Esfahani
Maren and James Otieno
Project Linus
Linda and Les Schiefelbein
Karen Scussel and Curt Ri�e
Sue and Howard Slayen
Lisa and Matthew Sonsini
The Avant! Foundation
The Mercury News
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Thrive Foundation for Youth
Donald Van Nortwick
Westminster Promotions
Wol� Family Private Foundation
Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang
$5,000 - $9,999
Anonymous (2)
Lisa and Barry Cheskin
Coit Family Foundation
Steve Gomo
Eunice Jackson
Junior League of Palo Alto -Mid Peninsula, Inc.
Los Altos Rotary Endowment Fund
NXP Semiconductors
Omidyar Network
Vilma Kennedy Pallette
Palo Alto University
Palo Hills Foundation
Carrie and Greg Penner
Christy and Je� Richardson
Carol Robinson-Fahmi and Tarek Fahmi
Silicon Valley Product Group
Stella B. Gross Charitable Trust
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
David Tran
Viking River Cruises
Western Digital Foundation
Judy and J. David Williams
$2,500 - $4,999Gaylene and Rick Austin
Avnet Inc.
Lorraine and Vincent Baxter
Bold Data Technology Inc.
Barbara and Kevin Brooks
California Healthcare Foundation
Capital Group Private Client Services
eBay Foundation
Margie Edwards
Foothills Congregational Church
Forbes Mills Steakhouse
Kevin Gardner
Brenda Hammond
Paul Hammond
Alyson Illich
Mala Jairam and Baskaran Iyer
Claire and Larry Jinks
Holly and Karl Knapp
Edith Kuhlmann and Kirk Bowman
Leiro Electric
RJ Ligtenberg and Mr. Chris Ligtenberg
Lockheed Martin Communications
Markkula Foundation
Maxim Integrated Products
Elizabeth Morgan
Tashia and John Morgridge
Morrison & Foerster Foundation
National CASA Association
Je� Richards
Gina Saldanha and Sridhar Ramanathan
Eric Schumacher
Michelle Swenson and Stan Drobac
The Chambers Family Foundation
U.S Bank
Leslie Whitney and Joe Cousins
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation
$1,000 - $2,499
Apple Matching Gifts Program
Applied Materials, Inc.
Chef Peter Armellino
Arvind Bhargava
Chef Adam Bortolussi
Kim Brady
Chef Philippe Breneman
Linda Brennan
Dana and Larry Burns
Bynum Family Foundation
Sharon Bynum
C.M. Capital Foundation
Sandy Cademartori
Denise Ching
Comerica Bank-California
Sue Cristallo
Debbie and Chris Crouse
Tim Dauber
Kathy and Carl Davidson
Robert Doering
Barrie and Tod duBois
Joan and Alan Earhart
The Hon. Leonard Edwards
Farrington Historical Foundation
Janie and Chuck Adams
Elaine and Michael Fiorillo
Tami and Robin Freeze
Chef Jarad Gallagher
Kathleen Hanson and Steve Geisheker
Scott Giambastiani
Michele Goins
Rick Guevara
Tim Hanlock
Claire Hayes
Bev Helland
Hewlett Packard
Flora and Steven Ho�man
Independent Charities of America
Marlena Jacobs
Junior League of San Jose
Chef Eric King
Brian Korek
Chef Brad Kraten
Robin and Daniel Kostenbauder
Chef Jen Kwapinski
Debbie Lee and Ken Jackson
Jessica Liao and Walt Thinfen
Skip Lightfoot
Mary Beth Long and David Grunbaum
Betty Lo
Local Independent Charities
Connie and Bob Lurie
Chef Tim Luym
Jorge Martinez
Steve and Ann McCray
Mary and Michael McCusker
Phyllis and Wade Meyercord
Gladys Monroy and Larry Marks
Morgan Stanley Foundation
Gordon Mueller
Ruth and David Norman
Loretta and Ken Nussbacher
Oakland A's
Old World Spirits Distillery
Ann and Bud Oliver
Opus One Winery
Bhawna Patkar
Kathy and Steve Polzin
Denise and Michael Pope
Jan and Michael Praisner
QTS
Je� Reisdorf
Patricia and John Richardson
Robert Half International
Denise and Tom Robinson
Win Roney
Lori Ronning
Moe Rubenzahl
Jim Rubnitz
Greg Ryan
Chef Chris Schloss
Jackie Schmidt-Posner and Barry Posner
S.H. Cowell Foundation
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Sharks
Laura Seitel and Loy Martin
Sharks Foundation
Elizabeth Shen
Jennifer and Michael Shum
Nedra and Jim Shunk
Elizabeth and Roger Sippl
Sarah and Matt Slayen
Dan Spiegelman
Rebecca Staudenmaier
Brandy and Brad Stroh
Summa Peto Foundation
Teris
Thomas Fallon Photography
Whitney and Jane Thornton
Toyota of Sunnyvale
Krista Van Laan
Cheryl Vicary
Melanie Vinson
Judy and Chuck Waggoner
Andrew Welch
Brad Werner
Ann and The Hon. Ron Whyte
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
Chef Nancy Wokas
Chef Angelo Womack
Kathryn and Michael Woods
Jane Woodward and Kurt Ohms
Lori and David Wright
$500 - $999PK Agarwal
Jill Alvidrez
John Andrews
Jo and Barry Ariko
The Hon. Jacqueline Arroyo
Judy and Dean Bartee
Patricia Bennett
Penny Blake
Dana Brody-Brown
Janet Brownstone and Andrew Verhalen
Elaine and Richard Burgess
Angela Carter
Je� Cashen
Mary and Anthony Cefalu
Norma and Stuart Claassen
Donald Clark
Karen and The Hon. L. Michael Clark
Jennifer and Andrew Clarke
Christopher Cobey
G Coleman
Margo and Ray Combs
Melissa and James Courtney
Tom Dao
D'Ann Darling
Susan and Harry Dennis
Mary Ellen Eberhard and Steve Scussel
EMC Corporation
Lisa Ewing and Mark Turgeon
Thomas Feasby
Connie and Harvey Fox
Lynda and Stephen Fox
Kerry Francis and John Jimerson
Linda and Bill Giannini
Granite Financial
Vickie Grove and David Fair
Angela Guajardo
Anne and Lawrence Hambly
Linda and Ron Hammerness
Bill Hannemann
Nancy Hom
Vicci and Bill Hult
IBM Employee Charitable Contribution
Intel Volunteer Grant Program
Intero Real Estate
Connie and Eric Jorgensen
Deborah and Richard Justice
Katey Kennedy
Helene and Peter Koenig
Manssa and Eric La Brecque
Je� Lea
Russ Leavitt
Lettermen's Athletic and Social Club
Carolyn and Max Lettween
Christina Madden
Aly Makishima
Mass Mutual Financial Group
Michael Merrill Design Studio
Jo Anne and Nick Moore
Morgan Hill Community Foundation
Scott Mosher
Melanee Murphree and Gary Robertson
Myca Cellars
Holly Myers and Kirk Neely
Katherine Nicoletti
Elizabeth and Paul Nyberg
Suong Nguyen and Paul Baty
Randy and Stacey O'Hara
Cindy and Michael O'Leary
Jeannie and Jim Ottinger
Cheryl Petermann
Murray Rubenzahl
San Jose Saber Cats
Tania Scotti
John Sellers
Sereno Group Real Estate
Service by Medalion
Linda and Skip Shaw
Je� Snyder
South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium
Alan Spiegelman
Staley Family Foundation
Stanford Red Barn Leadership Program
Stanford Women's Basketball
Julie and Mitch Stermer
Elaine Sulzberger and David Oppenheimer
The Basin
The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge
Darlene Thorne
Lorena Torres
Shari VanLoo
Tammy Ventura
Vince Solutions
Renee and Anthony Voltaggio
Cindy and Jim Walling
Vickie and Carl Warden
Jumiana and Jan-Yu Weng
Tina White
Kathy and Bruce Williams
Mark Wilson
Andrew Woolard
When Phil received the call from the social worker about a Court Appointed Special Advocate for his granddaughter Larissa, he was skeptical. How could a perfect stranger help his family?
Advocate Holly worked with 14-year-old Larissa to help her better understand her feelings and envision a positive future for herself. She brought Larissa’s teachers, grandparents and mother together to develop a plan that would allow her to make up her missed high school credits. Now, Larissa is on track to graduate early, in December. She begins classes at community college in January.
When Phil saw Larissa’s progress, he requested an Advocate for his grandson, Eric. Eric’s Advocate Ashok played sports with him, taught him healthy eating habits, and became a positive male role model.
When the family was contacted about an Advocate for three-year-old Liliana, they did not think the shy girl would engage with a stranger. Surprisingly, Liliana immediately bonded with her Advocate Angel, enjoying trips to the park and the library. Soon, two-year-old Julie wanted an Advocate. Her Advocate Jessica supported Julie with her speech therapy.
At first the children’s mother, Cynthia, was uncomfortable with the thought of her children spending time with strangers. But, she saw how excitedly her little daughters talked about their Advocates, how Eric’s self-confidence increased and how her relationship with Larissa improved. “Advocates are great. You open doors, provide resources and create a positive e�ect on the entire family.”
A Family Restored: “Our gratitude is boundless”
www.BeMyAdvocate.org
Your Support Makes a Di�erence
Providing Hope, Promoting Stability
595Our 462 Advocates contributed 50,000 hours of direct support
Compared to just 30% for preschool age foster children in Santa Clara County.
I do not know where I
would be, where we
would be, if Holly and
the other Advocates
had not become part
of our lives.
– Larissa, age 17
Despite our a�liation with the courts, government
funding provides just 18% of our annual budget.
Since public funding allocations are always uncertain,
we count on the continued support of our generous
donors, foundations and corporations to be the
backbone of our successful program. We allocate
over 82% of our budget to services that directly
support the advocacy needs of foster children in
Silicon Valley.71%Age of Children Served
Ethnicity of Children8%
4%
8%
15%
63%
2%
20% 40% 40%
Statement of ActivitiesJuly 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013
$1,470,646
$1,437,917
$32,729
Children Served
Our 3-5 year old childrenenrolled in preschool
Income
Expenses
Net Income
Other
Latino
Caucasian
Bi-racial
Asian
African American
0-5 6-14 15+
91%Our Advocate youthwho complete their high school education
Recommended
