The fair will provide comfort and security to children affected by trauma

Jackson Family Human Services will be hosting its first annual Care Fair on December 17, 2022. The fair will go from 10 am-2 pm at the Redlands Community Center Gymnasium, which located at 111 W Lugonia Ave, Redlands, CA. This event is free and open to the public and will feature hot chocolate, cookies, photos with Santa, and gifts for children. The care fair will help bring comfort and security to children going through or who have experienced trauma.

The Care Fair will benefit the Resiliency Institute for Childhood Adversity (RICA) clinic of Loma Linda. The RICA Clinic was designed to address community needs for child abuse. The clinic is a collaboration of many local agencies working together to provide forensic interviews and evidentiary medical examinations to evaluate child abuse allegations. This coordinated approach doesn’t require an abused child to recount their experiences to several agencies in numerous interviews. The RICA Clinic is the first stop for these young children who are often in shock. Blankets, plush toys, clothing, and backpacks are grounding and provide a sense of security and comfort. Any donations of these items made to Jackson Family Human Services will go towards The RICA Clinic to help continue their efforts in supporting these young children.

Donations can be made at the following dropoff locations:

• Jackson Family Human Services Victorville – 15490 Civic Drive Victorville, CA 92392, Suite 206
• Jackson Family Human Services Apple Valley – 18522 Outer Hwy 18 N Apple Valley, CA 92307, Suite 208
• Behavior Genius – 1500 S Haven Ave Ste 250, Ontario, CA 91761
• Cafe Organix – 420 E Hospitality Ln Suite A10, San Bernardino, CA 92408
• Alliance Human Services – 818 N Mountain Ave Suite 206, Upland, CA 91786

“We are proud to help fulfill a big wish list item for the team at the Resiliency Institute of Childhood Adversity (RICA) at Loma Linda Hospital – thousands of fleece blankets and plush toys! It seems like a simple thing, but this is what brings comfort to children who come to RICA through the forensic investigation process as a result of traumatic experiences that may include child abuse, witnessing acts of violence, maltreatment, or other forms of trauma,” said Harry Jackson, CEO of Jackson Family Human Services. 

He added, “In addition to RICA, the CareFair will also provide toys, school supplies, clothing, and new gift items to several partner organizations in the greater San Bernardino community.”

For more information, visit carefair2022.com

Bipartisan Group of Riversiders Give CARE Court Stamp of Approval

How much longer can we humanely avert our eyes, ignoring the mentally incapacitated people languishing on our streets?  In a recent poll conducted by Suffolk University, 90% of respondents believed that the U.S. is facing a “full-blown mental health crisis”, and in a California Health Policy Survey, Californians’ identified their top priority policy as ‘ensuring people with severe mental health disorders can get treatment” (2020).   

Californians have an opportunity to address this seemingly bottomless crisis. The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Act (CARE), also known as Senate Bill 1338, empowers family members, first responders, and behavioral health providers with an avenue to petition a civil court on behalf of a loved one or community member that is incapable of caring for themselves. This potentially allows families and local communities the ability to initiate a CARE plan to provide behavioral health care, including medication, housing, and other services, to adults with psychotic disorders and people who lack medical decision-making capacity. A critically important part of the plan is the appointment of both a public defender and a personal advocate to help guide participants and ensure individual rights are protected.  

Californians across the political spectrum agree that it is time to make a bold commitment to transforming our broken mental health system to help our state’s most vulnerable residents and we have an opportunity to do so now. Arguably, California has not seen meaningful mental health reforms since 1972, partially because we continue to allow a quest for perfection to negate a commitment to incremental progress.

As diverse members of Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s Bipartisan Forum, we urge you to join us in supporting this legislation.  Please contact your state representative this week (https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov) to urge a yes vote on SB 1338.

In October 2021, Riverside’s Mayor, Patricia Lock Dawson, convened a group of 14 community members with differing political ideologies to help drive solutions for the crises amongst those in homeless situations with serious mental health conditions. The group felt passionate that state-level mental health reforms were needed, including tools that would allow families to compel their family members with psychotic and addiction disorders into treatment.  The CARE Court legislation (SB 1338) is a step forward in this direction. 

Members of Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s Bipartisan Forum are: Dr. Cheryl-Marie Osborne Hansberger, Chani Beeman, Steve Johnson, Ana Miramontes, Rico Alderette, Tisa Rodriguez, Chuck Avila, Sheila Kay Riley, Ruben Ayala, Janice Rooths, Keith Sklarsky, Ana Lee, Dr. Regina Patton-Stell

Grants will be used to strengthen work that prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) announced that 40 nonprofits received $589,500 in grants through its Community Impact Fund, designed to support and expand the capacity and effectiveness of organizations working to advance racial, gender, and economic equity for residents in the Inland Empire.

In keeping with the Foundation’s focus on grantmaking through an equity lens, grants from the Community Impact Fund will be used to strengthen work that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Unrestricted grants between $5,000 and $20,000 were given for general operating costs and to support efforts that enable an organization to carry out its mission effectively. To be eligible for a grant, each organization had to demonstrate a commitment to practicing and institutionalizing diversity, equity and inclusion in governance, staffing, organization practices, and collaborative relationships.

The 2021/2022 Community Impact Fund grantees are:

• A Coming Of Age Foster Family Agency
• Academy for Grassroots Organizations
• Assistance League of San Bernardino
• Bear Valley Community Healthcare District Foundation
• Bezerk Productions
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire
• Boys & Girls Club Of The Hi-Desert
• Boys & Girls Club of the San Gorgonio Pass
• Breast Cancer Solutions
• Brightest Star Inc.
• Camp of Champions A & M, Inc.
• Caravanserai Project
• Cathedral City Senior Center
• Child Advocates Of San Bernardino County
• Consortium for Early Learning Services
• Cove Communities Senior Association
• Desert Rose Trauma Recovery
• Empower You Edutainment
• Faith in Action of San Gorgonio Pass
• Feed My Flock Ministries
• First Christian Church of Ontario, CA
• First Tee-Coachella Valley
• Fox Riverside Theater Foundation
• Friends of the Desert Mountains
• Garner Holt Foundation
• Giving 365 Inc.
• Gracious Heart Resource Family Agency
• Inland Empire Community Collaborative, Inc.
• Inland Equity Community Land Trust
• Janet Goeske Foundation
• Making Hope Happen Foundation
• Mountain Counseling & Training, Inc.
• Operation New Hope
• Ophelia’s Jump Productions
• People’s Collective for Environmental Justice
• Positive Young People Inc.
• The Arts Area
• The Empowerment Center
• The Hole in the Wall Inc.
• Voices for Children

“So many of our students are first generation college graduates and the majority are BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and people of color], but I saw a disparity in where the money was going,” said John Machado, art history professor at Chaffey College and founder of The Arts Area, a CIF grantee. “What I was seeing was that a lot of these students were giving up on their dream.”

The CIF grant will support arts programs that encourage diverse, equitable and inclusive arts opportunities. This includes Curious Publishing’s BIPOC fund which will cover the costs of printing books for five artists.

Celia Cudiamat, Senior Vice President of Grants and Community Impact, said, “Practicing equity and inclusion requires commitment, diligence, intentionality, and patience over a sustained period of time. This is a joint, on-going journey for IECF as well and we look forward to learning from our grantees over the coming year.”

IECF accepts competitive grant proposals from nonprofit organizations who work to make a difference in the lives of Riverside and San Bernardino County residents throughout the year. Nonprofits interested in applying in 2023 can check the IECF website for guidelines and giving periods.

The 2023 grant schedule and instructions on how to apply will be available in February 2023.

The CIF is funded by generous donations to IECF in support of unrestricted giving. The CIF allows IECF to respond to emerging needs and build the capacity of nonprofits in the IE. Individuals who wish to invest in the Community Impact Fund, or to a community cause or issue that is particularly meaningful to them, can contact IECF to see how their donation might make the biggest impact. For assistance, contact Brie Griset Smith, Senior Vice President of Charitable Giving at 951-241-7777, ext. 111.

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