Children’s Institute is proud to introduce Danette McBride as our new Vice President of Community Innovations. Danette will be responsible for leading our community organizing initiatives around addressing trauma in South Los Angeles. Danette will directly oversee CII’s Innovations II, Neighborhood Schools, Project Fatherhood, Children Exposed to Gun Violence, Health Homes Program, and our Census preparation work.

Danette joins CII with a wide range of experience that spans more than 15 years in program management and community organizing. Notably, she has worked for the Office of Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas where she advanced policy and programs related to education, youth, and human services. In addition, she worked at Para Los Niños, Children Uniting Nations, Excel Family Intervention Programs, and the Dangerfield Institute for Urban Problems where she was responsible for life skills training classes, tutoring programs, mentoring programs, and youth advocacy boards empowering young adults and communities to become the “authors” of their own future.

As a South Los Angeles native, Danette found that education was her passport to a world of possibility, and an equalizer that creates opportunities for personal growth and economic mobility. Importantly, this value has informed her work both at community-based agencies and more recently at the Board of Supervisor’s office. She graduated from Tuskegee University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and received her Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Todd Sosna, Chief Program Officer at CII, said Danette is bringing a rare combination of knowledge, experience and passion for community organizing and social services that will be needed to successfully lead CII’s innovative efforts in South LA.

“We currently have a unique opportunity to deepen and expand our work, as part of our neighborhood schools and community engagement initiatives, to achieve real and enduring impact, and I am confident Ms. McBride is singularly well-suited for this critical role,” Dr. Sosna said.

CII’s annual Gears4Kids event partnered with 100 volunteers from some 20 architecture and design firms to teach kids how to build and ride a bike. At the end of the event, each child got to take home a new bike.

Haworth, the furniture and office space manufacturer, made the event possible by purchasing the bikes and tapping into their network of Los Angeles-based design firms. Each firm organized small teams and contributed to Gears4Kids by purchasing essential items like bike lights, bells, water bottle holders and locks.

April Blackadder, Director at Haworth, and Celeste Altimari, Account Executive, were on site with 15 Haworth staff who volunteered for the event. Altimari has been part of Gears4Kids since its inception and said it is always a wonderful event. Blackadder, who was attending her first Gears4Kids, said she understood why they continue to partner with CII to put on the event each year. 

“I would wake up early every Saturday to be part of something special like Gears4Kids,” Blackadder said. “Nothing makes us happier than to witness the smiles from the kids when they see their new bikes for the first time.”

This year’s event benefited children whose dads are part of CII’s Project Fatherhood program, which provides comprehensive parenting skills to men in caregiving roles and uses an innovative support group model where dads learn to be active participants in their children’s lives.

After the teams assembled the bikes, the kids were put through an obstacle course run by The Los Angeles County Bike Coalition (LACBC). Two officers from the LAPD led a presentation on rules for the road with safety tips while riding. Near the end of the event, an In-n-Out Burger truck handed out free meals to keep kids, families and volunteers energized.

Soleil Delgadillo, Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager at CII, coordinated the event with Kelsey Sebastian, Digital Market Manager at Haworth. Delgaillo said it was amazing to see so many different groups from the community come together to support children and families.

“Everyone got the opportunity to meet someone new and walk away with either a bike, a photo, or a meaningful experience,” she said. “And hopefully each person had a great time in the process.”

Gabrielle, a father in Project Fatherhood, worked with the volunteers to assemble a bike with his 7-year-old daughter
Marisela. Gabrielle has been involved with Project Fatherhood for three years and said he could tell the experience was something his daughter was going to remember and appreciate for a long time.

When asked what she thought about her new bike, Marisela kept it simple. “My new bike is awesome of course,” she said. “I loved pedaling it around.”

Thank you to everyone who made Gears4Kids possible: Peoplespace; SAA LA; Wirt; Wolcott; Gensler; HDR 1; HMC LA; HOK; HDR 2; Callison RTKL; JLL; Haworth; Klawiter; Bluescape; Ergtotron; AIS; H Hendy; Forge; LAPD; LACBC; In-n-Out Burger

For the 8^th year, Children’s Institute gathered experts in the field of childhood trauma, along with more than 600 attendees, to discuss new approaches around supporting children and families facing adversity across Los Angeles.

Keynote speakers Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith and Liz Huntley shared their unique experiences with the ways that trauma has profoundly affected their professional and personal lives respectively. The two anchored an array of speakers who ranged from experts in neurobiology and brain development to seasoned social workers with decades of experience working in the child welfare system.

More than 600 professional working in child welfare and social work attended the 2019 Trauma-Informed Care Conference.

Huntley kicked off the event with a very moving account of her childhood in Alabama, and her amazing resilience and professional success despite numerous traumas she experienced. She spoke of one caring kindergarten teacher who saw her potential, leading her eventually to become a lawyer and children’s advocate. 

“When a child is going through traumatic events, if that child has consistency in a nurturing, buffering environment, that can help offset the negative damage,” she said.

Keynote speakers Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith emphasized research and data to support her point that violence is a public health crisis.

Dr. Prothrow-Stith spoke about the different ways that violence is a public health threat that can have generational effects at the community level. As a nationally-recognized health leader, youth violence expert, physician and author, she shared research and data that called for early intervention along with new approaches to address the problem.

Dr. Prothrow-Stith, who graduated from Harvard Medical School and practices as a physician in inner-city Boston, called for early intervention to make real change.  

“We’ve got to think a little differently if we’re going to do some real prevention of this problem,” Dr. Prothrow-Stith said.

Ingrid E. Mürrle, Senior Clinical Specialist, NCTSN Training Center Clinical Manager, and PSB-CBT Program Director at CII, coordinated many aspects of this year’s conference and ensured all sessions aligned with The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. CII is a member of the network, which helps ensure child welfare professionals are trauma-informed.

The Trauma-Informed Care Conference inside a ballroom at the InterContinental in downtown Los Angeles.

She said the conference not only gives people new resources to incorporate into their daily work, but it also serves as an opportunity to provide inspiration and reenergize helping professionals who are very susceptible to burnout and compassion fatigue.

“This is great vehicle to bring people together who are doing similar work,” she said. “It is affirming to see so many like-minded professionals in one place where we can connect and reconnect.”

CII offers ongoing trainings throughout the year. Click here to learn more and register for upcoming trainings.

For the second year, Children’s Institute will hold a signature fundraising event designed to raise crucial support for children and families exposed to adversity and poverty in Los Angeles. The 2019 Cape & Gown Gala will take place on October 30 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica.

This year’s event will honor the important contributions of Channing Dungey, Vice President, Original Series, Netflix, and long-time supporters Bridget Gless Keller & Paul Keller.

In addition to her position at Netflix, Dungey is deeply committed to advocating for educational resources and life changing services on behalf of disadvantaged children and families in Los Angeles.

“CII has done a wonderful job bringing healing and opportunity to underserved children and families, a cause that is near and dear to me as a parent. I am humbled by their recognition and honored to champion their efforts in creating programs that bring meaningful change,” Dungey said.

Bridget Gless Keller and Paul Keller have been active supporters of CII’s mission for over a decade. Together, they are leading the charge to build the organization’s new, Frank Gehry-designed Watts Campus. Slated to break ground by the end of 2019, the new campus will house therapeutic programs and a variety of supports for children and families in the community.

“The impact that CII has on the lives of children in Los Angeles is extraordinary, and I can’t imagine what our city would be without it. And to bring the architecture of Frank Gehry to the children of Watts, to help create a timeless landmark for that community, is a profound honor,” Bridget Gless Keller said.

“Bridget and I learned compassion from our parents, we love Los Angeles, and we are committed to helping and mentoring kids. Those passions converge at CII, which is building a brighter future for LA’s children,” Paul Keller said.

The event will include a cocktail reception, seated dinner, awards and live auction hosted by Billy Harris. The revenue from table, ticket, advertising and auction sales will fund CII’s strategic plan initiatives for this fiscal year.

Last year’s inaugural gala honoring Beth & Bob Lowe and Frank, Berta & Sam Gehry was attended by 400 guests and raised over $1.3 million for CII.

For more information and to purchase a table or tribute ad, click here.