Community Spotlight: Twinspire

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We recently opened the doors of our Otis Booth campus, in the heart of Historic Filipinotown, to welcome our community partner organizations for a much-anticipated roundtable discussion. Hosted by our Community Relations team, this marked the first community roundtable at Otis Booth since the onset of the pandemic, with partners eager to come together and engage in person.

“There’s been a hunger to reimagine the collaborative spaces we enjoyed pre-pandemic—to welcome back community partners, old and new. It reminded us that there is so much power in simply sharing space, breaking bread, in discussing common experiences and opportunities for partnership in service to families. This was an exciting first step,” says Deborah Riddle, the Senior Community Relations Specialist at Children’s Institute.

The gathering reflected our North Star, which centers on four pillars: educational success, emotional well-being, economic mobility and lifelong health. These pillars ground us as we work in underserved communities and guide us in the relationships we build. And we know that our work cannot be done alone. True impact is achieved through collaboration, which is why we’re so proud of the strategic partnerships we’ve developed with organizations like Wesley Health, Saban Clinic, P.S. Arts and Twinspire.

As we sat down to discuss current challenges, opportunities and to better understand community needs, one thing was clear: while our missions aligned, each of the organizations brought a unique set of strengths and areas for growth to the table. This diversity in experience reinforced our belief that we are better together.

Among the voices at the table was Twinspire, an organization that has become near and dear to us. Not only are they our new partners, but they’ve also recently moved into our campus. Twinspire’s work is transformative, as they advocate for marginalized young adults and foster youth, equipping them with financial literacy and life skills. By empowering their youth to open doors to educational and career opportunities, they break down barriers and elevate voices that often go unheard.

What stands out most about Twinspire’s approach is their intentionality behind the relationships they build with their youth. Not an easy task. The leaders of the organization, often take the first step to connect with the youth on a deeper level by sharing in their own personal experiences as Black men who have navigated similar struggles. Angelo Agunae, Twinspire’s Program Director, shared, “I love the youth we serve, and I relate to them. I relate to their struggles, and I believe it is our duty to invest in youth and kids because when we do that, they become the people they’re supposed to be.”

Their shared experiences form the foundation of trust, allowing vulnerable stories to be told, real emotions to be felt and healing to begin. This relationship-building is just the first step to making their programs so successful and resonant, in topics including financial literacy, career development, social-emotional learning and social justice.

Tae Thompson, Twinspire’s co-founder and Executive Director, eloquently framed it during our discussion. He says, “It’s not about seeing individuals as independently sufficient but rather, as community sufficient.” This powerful mindset highlights the interconnectedness of our work, emphasizing that we all play a vital role in the development of the whole person within the larger community ecosystem.

We’re thrilled to continue our collaboration with Twinspire and as we embark on our new joint initiative supporting foster youth, LAUNCH, aimed at supporting system-involved youth, we can’t wait to share more about the impact we’ll create together. Stay tuned for exciting updates on this partnership!

2024 Gala Honoree: Erin Westerman

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We are excited about our four “Cape & Gown Gala” honorees, who will be celebrated at our upcoming fundraising gala on Sunday, December 8 at the Skirball Cultural Center. As advocates and supporters of underserved children, families and communities, our honorees were selected for their humanitarianism and impact to society.

Today, we will be sitting down to meet Erin Westerman, Co-President of the Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate to better understand her desire to give back. Hello Erin and welcome to Children’s Institute! Thank you for making time to meet with us. Can you start off by sharing a little about yourself?

I am a mother of two – I have a seven-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son. As the Co-President of the Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate, I oversee a team, and our job is to build and manufacture the movies that get put into theaters with the Lionsgate logo on it. That includes Hunger Games, John Wick, Saw and more. Plus, there’s a lot of other smaller, original movies that we make throughout the year.

My proudest accomplishment to date, outside of having my children, is how I impacted Lionsgate’s maternity leave policy. While I was negotiating my contract, I found out that our maternity leave policy was the state minimum. While this is not uncommon for corporations given that that’s what the government suggests as a starting place, having just had a child, I was super aware that it wasn’t enough time off.

I decided to put into my contract that the company change their policy to allow for longer maternity leave if I was going to accept the offer. What’s amazing about Lionsgate is that, when faced with the data that supports all the good that a longer maternity leave can have and how little it actually costs the company, they changed their policy to give birth mothers five months of full pay plus four months of pay for the non-birth parent.

I will always feel so good that I found myself in a position to hold up a mirror and see that I helped create real change for the people that work at Lionsgate. I would say this is both the reason that I work at Lionsgate and have worked there for almost a decade.

Our North Star consists of four pillars which include educational success, emotional well-being, economic mobility and lifelong health. What part of our North Star resonates with you?

I grew up in the south side of Chicago and I’m very aware that many of the kids that I grew up with didn’t have what I had, which were parents who had the capacity to provide opportunities for me – not just financially but also emotionally and with their time. My parents put a lot of effort into creating opportunities for me to feel whole, to be challenged and to see opportunities.

That may look different for others but the possibilities that exist for people to succeed are impacted by whether or not they have someone in their life who’s capable of doing that for them. Because of my childhood and because of where I grew up in Chicago, I’m hyper-aware that the biggest indicator of my success has been having parents who believed in me. I can now look back on a lot of the kids I grew up with who were no less smart, no less deserving but who have not found themselves to be as lucky as me. One person who believes in you can change their life.

What’s amazing about Children’s Institute is that they look at the whole child, the whole family and can create capacity for parents to create those opportunities by filling in the holes or pointing people in directions to provide resources that that child or family need.

If you had a message to share with those who are better off and have more resources, what would it be?

I think that, especially if you have children, you become very aware of how important it is to provide for your children. It’s something I feel all the time. Whenever my children need something, nothing will stop me from helping them. No amount of money, resources, or time would stop me from doing what I can for them. Unfortunately, a lot of mothers, fathers and caregivers are not able to do that.

Now, for a more lighthearted question. If you were granted one wish, for the people we serve, what would that be? And why?

That’s a hard question! Well, I wish that we were more child friendly. I think that there are countries in Europe where everybody lifts up families and children. And I think in a lot of places, children are seen as being a burden. Even as somebody with resources, I feel like it’s still hard to raise children.

So, my wish would be that we had a community that did more of that.

One last question! When we were looking at the dresses we collect and hand out for our annual Prom2Go event, I noticed you had a reaction to them. Can you share what you were feeling in the moment?

Oh yeah! I love that you have an event focused on prom, because often, things like prom are deemed as extra and unnecessary. But when I look back on my own high school experience, I remember prom being one of the most joyous experiences I had.

The idea that Children’s Institute would take seriously something in a high schooler’s life like prom and provide resources for that while knowing that a new dress matters gets me very emotional.

 

If you would like to give back to the community while enjoying an evening celebrating our honorees at our 6th Annual “Cape & Gown Gala”, you can purchase corporate sponsorships or individual & group tickets here. Our “Cape & Gown Gala” will take place on Sunday, December 8 from 5-8pm at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Proceeds to the gala will go towards the services and programs helping the underserved children and families in our community.

2024 Gala Honoree: Tim Disney

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We are excited to announce our four “Cape & Gown Gala” honorees who will be celebrated at our upcoming fundraising gala on Sunday, December 8 at the Skirball Cultural Center. As advocates and supporters of underserved children, families and communities, our honorees were selected for their humanitarianism and impact to society. Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Tim Disney, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist, to get to know him better and to hear about why he believes in giving back.

Thank you, Tim, for making time to meet with us. We are so grateful for you and all you do to champion the rights of the children and families we serve. Could you please start off by sharing about your illustrative career as a creative, filmmaker and also as a philanthropist? Please tell us about yourself.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a varied career or a variety of different careers – some in creative fields and I’ve been able to go devote a fair amount of time and attention to nonprofit work which has been extremely gratifying. Through that, I’ve met some truly incredible people like the folks here at Children’s Institute and that’s a part of my life that I’ve devoted more energy to as the years have gone by.

As for my involvement in philanthropy – well, I’d say I have an ambivalent relationship with the philanthropy idea. It’s something that’s, deeply part of our social structures in this country. I wish it wasn’t the case. I wish that we structured our government and society to take care of these core needs, families and children, rather than relying on the private sector to give or not give to support them but that’s not the way it’s structured right now.

So, I feel like, I am hesitant to use the word obligation, but it does feel imperative that folks who have the means support organizations such as Children’s Institute because otherwise these children and families would go without the help they need. At the same time, I think I have to keep in my mind, and we should all keep in our minds that it doesn’t have to be like this, and we ought to work for a more sustainable solution to these problems while also doing what needs to be done in the moment.

There’s something problematic about the implied hierarchy of donor and patron and the recipients of that and I don’t feel comfortable with that. I would call myself an enthusiastic and simultaneously, a reluctant philanthropist in that sense.

You’ve talked about kindness as a way out of a dark place. Could you expand on that and share what it means for you to be that source of light or kindness in dark places?

The ultimate human characteristic is others-directedness that exists along with the urge to look out for ourselves. We’re all battling in this middle ground – between both instincts that we all have. I find that, especially as the years have gone by, I try to be of service to other people and that my life is better when I serve others. It’s a counterintuitive idea that if I follow that principle, my life gets better but of course, that’s not my first instinct.

When I wake up in the morning, my first thought is, “how do I get what I need today?” That’s my first thought and probably everybody else’s first thought. Especially when things are challenging or scary, that’s the place that we go and so those are the moments where I really have to make an intentional, mental shift and be others-directed.

Now, for a more lighthearted question. Could you tell us about yourself and your contributions to California Institute of the Arts and SCI-Arc?

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) was created by Walt Disney – it came from an idea that he had towards the end of his life to create a college, that brought all the arts together in one place. This didn’t really exist at the time and he died before he was able to realize that dream. My grandfather who really was not an arts guy but because of his loyalty to his brother, Walt, he followed through on that idea to create CalArts in the early 70s. There’s a family connection to it – my father served on the board for many years and when I was about 30 years old, he said, I’m tired of doing this so why don’t you do it and that’s how I first got connected to it.

I was always aware of CalArts and I was an art history major myself, so I felt a strong connection. But it wasn’t until that moment that I became directly connected to it. I served on the board for 29 years and that was one of my most enriching experiences. I also served on the board of another college called the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) which reflects my connections to education and college.

Could you highlight a certain involvement you’ve had in education that you’re proud of?

I’d say that it would involve making it possible for folks without a lot of money to attend school. Art school is maybe the most expensive form of education. You can’t have large thousand student lectures – art requires small classrooms consisting of a highly qualified mentor teacher or artist and that classroom format is very expensive to deliver.

Additionally, art school requires all sorts of specialized equipment. As we field applications, we go based on portfolios rather than grades and scores as grades and scores are strongly correlated with socioeconomic status. By looking at portfolios or assessing people’s talent, you can kind of get away from the socioeconomic correlations that most colleges are looking for.

We think that we identify the kids as the most talented who also represent the general demographics. It’s evidence to me that when at birth, in the delivery room, when God is handing out gifts, he’s doing that equally. That, and all of the stuff that happens between then and the 11th grade where the kids are applying for college – that’s where the differentiation takes place for lack of opportunity, proper nutrition, resources, etc.

That’s why I’m very interested in Children’s Institute because they’re addressing those needs from the earliest phases where the pathways get set for kids and families and at the same time, the time when most help is needed. By the time students are in 11th grade and applying to college, lots of things happen. On one end, there are extraordinary kids who managed to do extremely well despite challenging circumstances early on but those are the exceptions.

If you can get involved in a family’s lives very early on, like what Children’s Institute is doing, you can set kids up for success – to reach their full, natural potential. I think it’s a tragedy in this country that we’re essentially squandering 60% of the human capital of the country by under-investing in very basic things including housing, education, health care and other basic needs.

Children’s Institute is a large organization for its type, but it serves a tiny fraction of the overall need. It’s very important that Children’s Institute succeeds because it sets a model that other people and organizations can follow.

What connects you to Children’s Institute and what is your message of encouragement you’d like to share with other donors?

Children’s Institute’s model appeals to me because it addresses the entire family system and the community, more broadly. It’s wonderful if organizations operate programs for children and address children’s needs because those are essential, but I don’t think that’s going to be successful unless you are also supporting families and communities at the same time. Unless you’re helping the whole family succeed, it’s not going to work or at least as well as it should.

I’m proud to be associated with Children’s Institute and the work they’re doing. I’m flattered and honored that I am an honoree. I would encourage other folks who have the means to support nonprofits such as Children’s Institute to support this organization. If you care about the health of society, in general, and you care about economic development, public safety, public health, and related issues, this is really where it all starts.

It starts with families, homes, children and education. All of the other things that we’re trying to address, including housing issues, are symptoms of what happens with families and children in the home. I believe in the model that Children’s Institute is using because they are addressing those issues in a holistic way and sticking with people and giving them the broad range of services that they need so that they can go out there and succeed.

And I think this kind of work has a multiplier effect. Families that are on the lower end of the economic spectrum that are able to launch their kids into life successfully – those kids go on and they have kids and they bring these values and these skill sets into their family’s lives, and it grows from there.

 

If you would like to give back to the community while enjoying an evening celebrating our honorees at our 6th Annual “Cape & Gown Gala”, you can purchase corporate sponsorships or individual & group tickets here. Our “Cape & Gown Gala” will take place on Sunday, December 8 from 5-8pm at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Proceeds to the gala will go towards the services and programs helping the underserved children and families in our community.

Deskside Chat with the Board: Mary Rohlich

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Thank you for making time to meet, Mary, and of course, thank you for joining Children’s Institute (CII) as a new board member. We’re excited to have you here and are eager to learn more about you. Could you start by sharing about yourself, including some of your professional and personal milestones?

I grew up in Iowa until I was 14 and then I moved to Massachusetts, including a couple years in Japan. I mention this because moving around throughout my childhood has impacted my life quite significantly.

I am now living in Los Angeles and have been here for over 20 years, so this is my home. Before my senior year of college at the University of Wisconsin Madison, I interned in LA to see if I wanted to pursue a career in the film industry. I did.

Being half-Japanese in Iowa, I didn’t get to see myself represented on screen. I want to show underrepresented communities on screen so they can see that there are people that look like them and encourage them to reach for that and find connection. Once I made the move, I started temping as a receptionist which grew into a role as a development assistant. From there, I worked my way up to working alongside a director. Over time, that director and I built a film and tv production company together.

Another major milestone was during my pregnancy. I was about to embark on major life changes, in more ways than one. I gave birth to my first and only daughter in 2017, while becoming an independent producer for the first time. After four years in that role, I transitioned to my current role as the Head of Purple Pebble Pictures. Looking back, it was a huge, daunting step for me to take into the unknown, but with my own personal changes came a desire to make my own big and bold moves, professionally.

Tell us about your day-to-day as the Head of Purple Pebble Productions.

As Head of TV and Film, my job is to build out the company through various projects that are all-encompassing. My work as a producer involves tv, film, narrative, unscripted – everything across the board. In my role, I collaborate with writers, actors and directors to get all the pieces of an idea together from inception all the way to the finished product.

I find myself having to read a lot – from books to scripts and everything else in between.

You mention you read a lot as a producer. Do you think all that reading connects back to your childhood in any way?

I think about that a lot, actually. While I grew up loving stories and watching shows and movies, I wouldn’t describe my childhood self as an avid reader. I do remember going to the video store as a child to rent movies and discovering new experiences through film. There were a few my dad showed me that made a lasting impact.

I love all forms of storytelling, but through my work, I must admit that I’m surprised about how much I am now reading as part of the job. And I love it!

That’s wonderful! What a beautiful connection you have from watching movies and enjoying storytelling as a child to what you currently do in the film industry. With such a colorful background, can you share about the thing that draws you to Children’s Institute’s North Star?

Opportunities and access are important avenues that allow a person to dream. What I love about Children’s Institute is that it gives people access to education and fundamental needs that all children deserve.

If you have the resources that Children’s Institute provides, from early childhood education to emotional wellbeing and beyond, people can get out of tough situations and find the freedom to go beyond, to discover and fulfill lifelong dreams. The ability to dream can seem out of reach to those who are too busy obtaining basic needs for survival, but Children’s Institute works in communities to provide access to these essential resources.

Going back to education, how do you think your education has paved the way to be where you are today? What opportunities did they create?

Both my parents were teachers – my mom was a math teacher and my father was a professor of East Asian languages and literature. As a child, education was big in my home, and because of that, I took my education very seriously. I enjoyed learning.

Something I’ve realized as an adult is my desire to learn for the sake of learning and not just for testing and benchmarking. What’s evolved in me is my hunger for knowledge and joining Children’s Institute is part of my own personal growth and desire for continual learning.

Could you share some of your future goals? And more specifically, what is it that gets you excited to start each day?

Professionally, I’m constantly excited about what I’m doing and what I’m working on. I love collaboration – as a producer, you can’t do your work alone. It requires working with other people and my joy comes from finding people that I connect with and telling the stories that I want to tell.

Ultimately, my dream is to work on projects that I love with the people that I love. If I can continue doing that and come home to be with my family, I’ve achieved my dream.

Is there a certain story or message that you’d like to share with others?

This is the thing that I think about every day – what is it that I want to say? I want to tell stories that have heart. Stories that connect with people because that’s what happens when I read and watch movies. I get sucked into stories and I want others to experience that as well.

I believe in human connection. The world can be very isolating, but we’re meant to be in community. The human experience, feeling connection, seeing yourself on screen – the way a character looks or even what they’re experiencing emotionally – those things are what’s really important for me.

And finally, for a light-hearted question, what’s your favorite movie and how has it impacted you?

This is not necessarily my “favorite” movie, (because even if I had to narrow my list down, it would be at least ten films long), but since this is for Children’s Institute, I’ll share my favorite kid’s movie which is the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie. I remember going to the theater to watch it, and I absolutely loved it. I’d say I was obsessed with it. I wore the t-shirts and recited lines from the movie with my brother – we both loved it together.

Into my twenties, I bonded with my now-husband through the movie. When we first met, we quoted that movie to each other without knowing if the other person knew the movie reference, only to find out that we both were obsessed with it!

The movie still impacts me. Right before the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie came out, my daughter and I watched the original together and she loved the fact that my family embraced that movie as a family-unit. You can call that our full-circle moment. It’s so fun for me to experience something like that with the two people I’m closest to.

Deskside Chat with the Board: Ariff Sidi

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We had the privilege of sitting down with one of our newest Board members, Ariff Sidi, former GM & Chief Product Officer at Edgecast, a division of Verizon Media. During our conversation, Sidi shared some of his major career accomplishments and his convictions as a father and how these experiences led him to join the Board at Children’s Institute.

Ariff, you’ve had quite an impressive career – from engineering to product management to media and tech! Could you walk us through your professional journey, highlighting some of your achievements?

I started off in software engineering at Qualcomm, having graduated from the University of California, San Diego. In the beginning, my work was hands-on, writing code. While it was intellectually challenging, it was also a bit removed from the consumer experience, and I wanted to create products that touched people’s lives more directly. That led me to Disney, where I began migrating from engineering to product management.

During my 12-year tenure at Disney, I built a variety of products and technology that people were using and enjoying daily, which I loved. I also played a central role in the development of ABC’s industry-first video streaming platform, which my team built in only 62 days, and kicked off an entire industry transformation that is still ongoing today! In the process, I filed 10 patents, won an Emmy award and two additional Emmy nominations. I also earned an MBA from UCLA during this time.

After my time at Disney, FOX and a couple of start-ups, I went on to become the Chief Product Officer at a division of Verizon During my time at Verizon, I led the business through two private equity transactions, after which I decided to take some time out to spend with my family.

 Wow, what an incredible impact you’ve made across multiple industries! It must’ve been a rollercoaster of an adventure to be part of an unprecedented transition from traditional media to streaming, and congrats to you!

Can you share about what motivated you to join Children’s Institute’s Board of Trustees?

Ultimately, being a father of two young kids in the same age range as Children’s Institute’s children is what motivated me to join and why Children’s Institute’s mission and work resonates with me personally.  I recognize that a stable and healthy childhood makes a huge difference in launching young people into successful and happy adults. If I were to think of my own kids in anything but the best conditions – not being cared for, not having access to education, feeling unsafe, not having the opportunities they currently have, not having their dad around, etc. – it’s heartbreaking.

Knowing that not all children are afforded these opportunities, and that Children’s Institute is pushing hard to change that is the source of my motivation to get involved. I’m hoping that I can use my skills as a technologist, business leader, and dad to support Children’s Institute and the great work it does.

That’s wonderful to hear and thank you for your incredibly big heart and desire to help the children of Los Angeles, particularly those who are consistently marginalized and underserved. Children’s Institute’s North Star states that all children and families can achieve educational success and emotional wellbeing to build lasting pathways to lifelong health and economic mobility. Can you share what specifically connects you to Children’s Institute’s North Star?

I want to start off by sharing a quote by Martin Luther King Jr, from his book, “Why We Can’t Wait.”

It is obvious that if a man is entered at the starting line of a race 300 years after another man, the first would have to perform some impossible feat in order to catch up.

While this quote is specifically about racial inequality and reflects the challenges that many African Americans face today, I think it is has quite a lot of relevance to the work of Children’s Institute. It is difficult to compete if your starting line is so far behind your peers. That’s why the work of Children’s Institute and its work in early childhood education and head start programs is so important. How one starts their lives impacts their future and their early years in childhood carry forward into adulthood. I believe in a fair playing field, for kids most of all.

Let’s give these kids a better start to ensure better outcomes in the future.

What a powerful motivator. It’s true that to make a lasting impact, it often starts with the early stages of childhood. That relates to a statement that was recently made by a fellow Board member, Sunil Gunderia, who said, “The most effective and efficient societal investments in education are those made in early childhood education.”

Now that you are a member of Children’s Institute’s Board, what is something you would like to accomplish in your work and advocacy through Children’s Institute?

There are three parts to what I’d like to accomplish as a Board member of Children’s Institute:

First, in an early meeting with Martine Singer and Catherine Atack, before I became a member of the Board, they had mentioned that Children’s Institute has been around for over a hundred years – since 1906, which is about the time LA Children’s Hospital was established. But a major difference is the level of public awareness between the two. I would like to help build awareness for Children’s Institute and its work through my efforts and connections.

Second, because of my background in tech, I hope to be helpful in guiding the use of technology to drive and improve efficiencies to contribute to better outcomes internally.

And third, also related to technology, but more specifically as it relates to its externally facing products. I hope to be helpful in guiding the use of technology to improve products and services delivered to CII’s children and families.

That’s wonderful! We’re so excited to have you onboard! On a personal level, can you share some of your hobbies?

I have a bunch of hobbies, most of which lean pretty technical. I enjoy photography; I also enjoy sailing and powerboating; I’ve always been big into cars and had an amateur racing license at one point; I do a lot of DIY from electrical to plumbing to carpentry to metal work; I do some content creation; and I’m building an AI home automation system. I’m probably forgetting something. One day I will get a private pilot license, but my wife has forbidden me to do that while we have young kids!

Are there any other interesting facts about yourself?

I mentioned I had several patents from my time at Disney. There’s a high likelihood, probably a certainty, that you have come across and experienced one of my patents if you’ve ever watched a streamed video with ads in it. If you’ve noticed the countdown timer during an ad or how you can’t skip the ads, you’ve come into contact with one of my patents!

Thank you so much for your time, Ariff. It was a pleasure getting to know you and your desire to make a positive impact on the lives of children. Welcome to Children’s Institute!

(more…)

Tis the Season for our Winter Festival Toy Drive-Thrus!

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This month, Children’s Institute held our Winter Festival Toy Drive-Thrus for the third year in a row. Our staff was filled with the holiday spirit as we gathered together to give toys to our wonderful families at our Long Beach, Wilmington, Otis Booth, Watts, Compton campuses! Across our different festivals, we had appearances from Elsa, Olaf, Snoopy, and even the Grinch!

We are incredibly grateful for all of our sponsors and community partners who made this possible: Filmtoys, Mattel, JAKKS Pacific, Inc, Project Pop Drop, Dodgers, Mayor Garcetti’s office and a host of individual donors. Because of them, we were able to give away thousands of toys, hundreds of grocery bags, and hundreds of baby necessities such as diapers.

Total Toys: 3500 +
Yummy Bags: 750 +
Baby Diapers: 250+
Children Clothing: 300+

We would also like to thank all our staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to prepare distribute, and organize each event. Our families were the shining stars of all our Winter Festival activities!

We wish our community a happy, safe, and healthy holidays this season!

Promoting Healthy Alternatives to LA’s Food Deserts

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In early February, Children’s Institute held a Family Health Fair in South Los Angeles with the goal of promoting simple ways to live a healthier life to the children and families CII serves. The event sought to expand access to preventative health care while making activities like visiting the dentist or eating plant-based meals more palatable.

Held at CII’s Figueroa Center and sponsored by the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation, the fair brought together 21 community organizations that spanned different health and wellness fields. Community partners like UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic, Benevolence Health Center Inc., and Dignity Health, offered free screenings for dental, vision and blood pressure. Zumba and yoga courses were held throughout the day and wellness tools like electric tooth brushes and fitness trackers were raffled off.

As the day progressed, the importance of regular medical and dental checkups was discussed, but many attendees, volunteers and community organizers kept coming back to one area that was crucial to preventative health and wellness – a balanced diet.

CII works to reduce food deserts in South LAVegan tamales were served by Claudia Lopez and her restaurant Mama’s International Tamales.

Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII, said South LA offers few options when it comes to healthy eating. She said fast food restaurants are often the only option in these neighborhoods and the impact takes a toll on families living in food deserts.

“If you drive around this community, you are going to be hard pressed to find a grocery store that has fresh food,” she said. “We have a lot of children coming into our program struggling with obesity.”

Large swaths of South LA are considered food deserts. The term, created in the 1990s, describes urban areas that lack grocery stores where residents can buy fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. The United States Department of Agriculture has released multiple studies showing that there are large parts of South LA where fast food or processed food are the only available options.

Ongoing studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point to a clear connection between negative long-term health effects in areas where fresh food is limited. As a result, higher rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure have been reported in these areas.

If you drive around this community, you are going to be hard pressed to find a grocery store that has fresh food.

– Justin Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII

Angel Gaines, Site Supervisor for Compton Early Head Start, said she personally struggled with high blood pressure. She grew up in South LA food deserts and didn’t start eating healthy until after join CII and learning about maintaining a balanced diet.

Gaines said an important part of working with children and families is encouraging a healthy lifestyle that includes fresh food. As Gaines promoted physical activity by leading Zumba and yoga courses at the Family Health Fair, she said families are often unaware of the potential negative consequences when they eat only processed foods.

“When we have high blood pressure or diabetes, it is usually caused by what we are eating,” she said.

Olga, who has been attending CII programs since her daughter Sophia was 3 months old, said she appreciated how CII promotes cost-effective ways to make healthy meals while living in food deserts. She said she was able to cook food that is healthy without abandoning family recipes tied to her own Hispanic heritage.

“It opens up a door for people who may not want just raw vegetables,” she said. “Tamales are part of our culture, but they can be vegetarian or vegan.”

Claudia Lopez took this philosophy and turned it into a business. Her restaurant, Mama’s International Tamales, was at the Family Health Fair serving vegan tamales with vegetarian sides.

CII shares alternatives to food deserts in South LAStaff from CII’s Early Childhood Education display healthy alternatives to chips and candy as after school snacks. 

“I felt our community needed more health-based food options,” she said. “It is easy to substitute healthier ingredients like jack fruit or stop cooking with lard.”

Lopez views her restaurant, located in MacArthur Park, as an opportunity to educate people on how cultural foods like tamales can stay delicious while also being healthy. She said people often try her tamales and say they are shocked it was vegan.

Edgar, a parent visiting the Family Health Fair with his three children, said he would have never guessed the food from Mama’s International Tamales were vegan. He said he was drawn to the tamales aroma at the food booth after only being at the fair for a few minutes.

As a parent, Aguila has noticed a positive shift toward healthier eating. He said it is easy as a parent in South LA to get into a routine of eating too much fast food. He was thankful to see cost effective balanced eating promoted by CII and other community organizations.

“We raised our kids on McDonald’s for years, but now we’re more into cooking at home with kale, arugula and cauliflower,” he said. “Eating well is a big factor in growing up healthy and not getting sick.”

As many pointed out at the event, long-term success for South LA is continuing to expand the number of healthy food options while keeping costs low.

The average household income for neighborhoods in this area range between $33,000-$45,000 according to data published by the LA Times. Spending $10-$15 for a quick and healthy meal, which is often the cost in Santa Monica or West Hollywood, is not within the budgets of most residents in South LA.

Lakisha May, a field marketer for fast food startup Everytable, was offering up an example on how businesses can better serve residents of South LA food deserts and stay profitable. May said Everytable has a sliding scale for menu items. In South LA, Everytable items cost less than at their restaurants in other parts of the city where average incomes are higher.

For South LA to eat healthier, having affordable options will be crucial.

“It is different for people with less resources,” May said.

Thank you to event support from: Herbalife Nutrition Foundation; Mama’s International Tamales; CII Intensive Programs; LA Public Library; CII PowerUp!; CII Project Fatherhood; Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC; CII PABC; CII PFF, P&A; UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic; Eyeglass Store of OC; CII ERSEA; Benevolence Health Centers, Inc.; CII ECS; Dignity Health; Susan G. Komen; California WIC; Fun Dental 4 Kids; AltaMed.

Building Skills One Robot at a Time

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Students from Chaminade College Prep brought robotics back to CII’s PowerUp! after-school program last week in what will be a monthly program at the Otis Booth Campus. The series aims to expand involvement of fourth through seventh graders in STEAM subjects by partnering with eager high school robotic students ready to share their knowledge.

The PowerUp! program at CII works with children facing adversity in Los Angeles by providing curriculum and activities that will enable them to succeed in school, at home and in the community. When the students from Chaminade’s robotics team, called Eagle Engineering, visited PowerUp! in the fall to present about robotics competitions, the group saw potential for a longer-term partnership. This would include PowerUp! kids learning to build and code their own robots.

Through two fundraisers, Eagle Engineering raised enough money to start a robotics program at PowerUp!. They purchased kits for two different robots that came with software to program commands for the machines. With the purchases, the group committed to leading monthly classes for the remainder of the school year.

Chaminade and Childrens InstituteA student from Chaminade College Prep goes over direction with a CII client as they work to assemble the robotic kit.

At their first meeting, many of the kids had little to no experience writing program code for robot commands, but by the end of the class, the kids were celebrating as their newly built robots mastered new activities like wheeling around the room or picking up a water bottle with a mechanical arm.

Christina Gideon, Senior at Chaminade College Prep and Vice President of Business Operations with Eagle Engineering, said he appreciated the opportunity to share his experience in robotics with a younger generation.

“I like working with the kids and seeing where they need to learn more,” Gideon said. “It is definitely awesome to see how much they already know,” he said.

Two kids benefiting from Gideon’s guidance were fourth grader Hector and seventh grader Katheryn. After figuring out how to program movements on the robotic arm, Hector and Katheryn paused for a moment to figure out how to write code for the remote control.

There will be millions more jobs created in this field and we currently don’t have enough people for them.

-Tommy Smeltzer, Robotic Program Director at Chaminade College Prep

“It is kind of hard and frustrating,” Hector said.

Katheryn looked to Eagle Engineering Business Manager Yiwen Zhao who was standing nearby. He pointed to a section of the code that might be tripping the kids up. Hector and Kathryn swapped ideas and eventually typed in some code that worked.

Other students from Eagle Engineering helped guide the kids through physically assembling the robotic parts. At two tables, the kids spent time screwing together pieces and testing wheels.

Kaylee, a sixth grader, took a break from assembling the robots with fifth grader Matthew. Kaylee said she was having fun while building new skills she would use later in school. She said her code being used to make the robot move around the room was her favorite part.

“I enjoyed the whole thing because I learned new stuff about computer science,” she said.

Chaminade Prep CII RoboticsVice President of Eagle Engineering Christina Gideon looks over CII clients as they write code for the robots.

Robotics Program Director Tommy Smeltzer said students are motivated to partner with kids at CII. They believe they are making an investment in bringing more diversity to STEAM fields. He said any of these kids could pursue a career in a STEAM field.

“We can’t continue to fill important roles in STEAM if we are not pulling from a balanced swath of our population,” he said. “There will be millions more jobs created in this field and we currently don’t have enough people for them.”

In the last decade, there has been a growing emphasis on STEAM courses and careers. According to Pew Research Center, STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics, has seen a 79% increase in job growth since 1990. The career field is expected to grow steadily over the next decade. That same Pew study also found that on average, STEAM careers make 26% more than similarly educated non-STEAM careers.

Nawal Salim, Experiential Learning Manager at CII who oversees PowerUp! programming, said a robotics partnership was a natural fit. As an after-school program that works with kids facing adversity and toxic stress in Los Angeles, the program helps to grow self-esteem while supporting kids as they cope with trauma.

We’re trying to keep kids motivated academically and find value in learning.

-Nawal Salim, Experiential Learning Manager at CII

In addition to robotics, the program has given kids access to lessons in yoga, electronic music production and ballet. While fun for the kids, each has a strong educational component.

“We’re trying to keep kids motivated academically and find value in learning,” she said. “They may not see the importance of math as a subject, but can understand its purpose while building a robot.”

While pleased with what will be accomplished with the robotics program, Salim said she is looking forward to future additions to PowerUp! that will bring other new experiences to the kids in the program.

Father-Daughter Tea is Steeped in Fun

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Project Fatherhood welcomed 35 families to CII’s Otis Booth campus on a rainy Saturday in February for the 7th annual Father-Daughter Tea. The princess-themed party included tea cup painting, manicures, frame decorating and tiaras.

The event celebrates the unique relationship between fathers and daughters, and is one of a dozen special programs that CII’s Project Fatherhood organizes each year.

The Junior League of Los Angeles has been a long-time sponsor of the Father-Daughter Tea. This year, the group sent 30 volunteers and donated the tea sets and picture frames.

Noemi Vasquez, Care Coordinator at Project Fatherhood and lead organizer of the event, said the Father-Daughter Tea is one of the most popular events each year.

“From the moment the girls get that tiara you see them feel special,” Vasquez said. “It’s amazing to watch the reactions of daughters being celebrated while also looking up to their fathers.”

Victor lost his dad at a young age while growing up in a gang-affiliated part of Los Angeles, and never thought he could have a close, supportive relationship with his own children. He said going to the event with his two daughters is like a dream come true.

“My 5-year-old daughter was so excited that she asked me to go out with her to buy a dress,” Victor said. “Just knowing that she will always remember special times like this makes me feel happy and blessed to be a dad.”

Jessie was also at the event with his five daughters. Taking a break from doing crafts, he said he appreciated Project Fatherhood and what the program has brought to his life. He said it was clear why this event, and Project Fatherhood as a whole, was so important to his own relationship with his kids.

“Project Fatherhood taught me to never give up on my children and to never let them down no matter how rough life gets,” he said. “I just love being a dad.”

Just knowing that she will always remember special times like this makes me feel happy and blessed to be a dad.

-Victor, Father enrolled in CII’s Project Fatherhood

Tracy Klein, Chair of the Done in a Day Committee for the Junior League of Los Angeles, said the group has been a long-time partner of CII and loves supporting the event.

“It is always one of the most anticipated Done in a Day events for our member volunteers, bringing us as much joy in participating as we hoped it brought the fathers and daughters who take part,” Klein said.

For Keith Parker, Director of Project Fatherhood, the event is an opportunity to advance the program’s goal of improving the connection between fathers and their daughters. Parker, who joined CII in November to oversee Project Fatherhood, strongly believes in the event.

“Father-Daughter Tea is an opportunity for fathers to spend time with their daughters and work on ways to communicate with each other better,” he said.

Children's Institute Father Daughter TeaVolunteers from the Junior League of Los Angeles carry around trays of desserts to fathers and daughters as they enjoy the event.

While the Father-Daughter Tea is full of fun activities, the core purpose of the event is to educate and encourage dads to be involved in the lives of their children. This philosophy is central to the mission of the Project Fatherhood program at CII.

Started in 1996 by Dr. Hershel K. Swinger, Project Fatherhood ensures fathers who grow up facing adversity are given the tools, support and education to succeed when caring for their own children. Dr. Swinger believed fathers sometimes face barriers and challenges that can prevent them from fulfilling their parental duties. He wanted to create a space where fathers could openly share their love.

In the program, fathers gain access to a group support system, therapeutic activities, and discussions around healthier decision making in relationships.

At the time of the program’s creation, roughly 50 percent of children growing up in poverty lived with only their mother. Often, children who grow up in homes without fathers repeat the cycle with their own family.

A father poses with his daughter as they take a break from festivities at CII’s Father-Daughter Tea.

Edward Berumen, Senior Clinical Supervisor at Project Fatherhood, said Dr. Swinger saw the effects on children when a father is no longer present. With the right support, Dr. Swinger believed in Project Fatherhood’s ability to break the generational cycle of absent fathers. They could help them be present in their own child’s success.

“Fathers play an essential role in families and contribute to a child’s success in school and greater self-esteem,” said Edward Berumen, Program Supervisor, Project Fatherhood. “The focus of Project Fatherhood is to provide a space where fathers can openly share and affirm the love they have for their children.”

Over its 20-plus years, the program has worked with 15,000 fathers and 23,000 children across Los Angeles County.

Berumen said they also hold upwards of 12 events each year that give fathers time to bond with their kids. While the Father-Daughter Tea is all about the leading ladies in their lives, Project Fatherhood hosts softball games, group hikes and movie nights that aren’t gender specific.

“Each event is designed with activities that dads can replicate when they spend time with their kids at home,” Berumen said.

Children’s Institute’s Top Moments of 2018

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This month, we took a moment to pause and look back at a few highlights from Children’s Institute this past year. In 2018, we adopted an ambitious strategic plan that will double the number of children and families we serve over the next 10 years. As part of this strategic plan, we spent last year expanding services focused on supporting children and families facing adversity across Los Angeles. This included launching a new initiative in Watts supporting children and families exposed to gun violence. We also looked for ways to bring new experiences to kids in our programs like attending a theatre performance, camping or building their first bike.

Like previous years, our successes in 2018 were powered by the strong support of our greater LA community. Events were supported, attended and hosted by amazing volunteers and in-kind items were donated by local CII friends and businesses. The donors who fund crucial CII services continued to support our organization with a record number of gifts. We ended the year on a high note by raising almost $1 million at our inaugural Cape & Gown Gala on November 14 when we honored child advocates Beth & Bob Lowe along with Frank, Berta and Sam Gehry.

We’ve already started working to make an even bigger impact in 2019, and we’ll keep you updated along the way.

Supplied for Success

We celebrated our four year-old Head Start graduates with a back-to-school event ensuring a successful transition to kindergarten. The children received backpacks filled with school supplies provided by Age of Learning.

“It has always been our goal to achieve school readiness for our children and their families. The backpack donation ensures our children starting kindergarten have all the essentials,” says Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start, CII.

The Healing Power of the Arts

Youth from our Individualized Transitional Skills Program  and Santee Education Complex were treated to a performance of Daniel Beaty’s “emergency” at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The one-man show featured poetry, music and humor as Beaty played an array of characters coping with the effects of trauma. Read more about the event.

Supporting Children Exposed to Gun Violence

We launched a new initiative in partnership with the LA City Attorney’s Office and LAPD to support children in Watts who have been exposed to gun violence. The REACH TEAM ensures children and families in Watts receive appropriate and timely crisis intervention and support services through Children’s Institute and partner organizations. Read more about the partnership.

Gears for Kids

Our annual Gears for Kids event went off without a hitch thanks to our partners at Haworth.  Partners from 24 major design firms built bikes with kids from our Power-Up after-school program. Each kid got to take their bike home at the end of the day. In-N-Out Burger sent a food truck keeping our kids and volunteers energized.

Happy Campers

We held our 8th annual Camp Booth retreat at Booth Ranches in Fresno where kids got to spend time in nature and build camaraderie. Youth got to see a movie under the stars, interact with horses and make s’mores. Camp Booth was hosted by former board member and longtime supporter Loren Booth.

UCLA Career Day Opens Horizons for Youth

Our Power Up after-school program youth joined us for our first College & Career Day. The event was hosted by the UCLA Latino Alumni Association. Kids created resumes and figured out the skills they will need to make their dream jobs a reality. UCLA students and alumni also spoke to the kids about their unique college and career paths.

Cape & Gown Gala Raises $1.3 million for Services

Children’s Institute welcomed 400 guests to the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica to honor Beth & Bob Lowe and Frank, Berta and Sam Gehry at the first ever Cape & Gown Gala. The event raised close to $1 million for Children’s Institute’s programs. Read more about this successful event.

Early Head Start Expands to Compton

CII opened its first Early Head Start Program in Compton. Serving 140 infants and toddlers, the program provides crucial services to set kids up for future success. To celebrate the grand opening, CII invited kids, families and community members to an event with food and music.

A New Home in Long Beach

The day after we celebrated the new Compton Early Head Start, CII headed further south to celebrate the grand opening of our Long Beach center. The award-winning 20,000 square foot hub was designed by DSH // architecture.

Winter Family Festival Spreads Holiday Cheer

In December, we hosted our annual Winter Family Festival. The event opened our Otis Booth Campus to more than 2,500 children and families. The day included special holiday moments for kids including storytelling, arts and crafts and cupcake decorating. There was also an obstacle course and lots of giveaways for children and families who take part in CII’s programs.

Working as a Team

More than 30 CII staff members finished up the year by completing in the rigorous LASpartan Race. With several stunning displays of teamwork, the group pushed the limits as they climbed over barriers and swung through rope courses to finish as a team. Those who compete in Spartan races demonstrate a camaraderie towards other participants, embrace the challenge of the unknown and set out to prove they can accomplish difficult things. Mission accomplished.

Want to learn more about CII?

Read our 2018 Annual Report and Impact Report.

Make a difference in the lives of children and families exposed to adversity and poverty by making an end-of-year donation this holiday season.