Fall Vistas newsletter 2014

STARVISTA Nurture. Guide. Transform. Fall 2014

Kids Kamp- A Summer to Remember

On a breezy and warm Saturday in September, StarVista opened the gates on its inaugural Vista Day, a “coming out” event designed to promote wellness and raise community awareness of the breadth of services that StarVista has to o�er. The event drew an estimated 150 parents, children, community members, and friends.

Held in City Hall Park in San Carlos, adjacent to StarVista’s main o�ce, the event featured activities such as Zumba classes, Walgreens health screenings, and a sushi demonstration by acclaimed sushi chef Toshi Sakuma. Children enjoyed face painting, Henna, a bounce house, carnival-style games, and had a particularly good time dousing our volunteers in our water balloon pitching booth.

The event was organized over the course of 8 months by a commit-tee of motivated StarVista sta� from programs throughout the agency. Sta� secured the space and food trucks, planned games and activities, and marketed the event throughout the county. An amazing 45 sta� members volunteered their Saturday to run the event.

StarVista would like to thank former Executive Director Pete Nann-arone, who served as the Vista Day Chair. We would also like to thank our very special sponsors: The Girdlestone Family, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, A+ Japanese Auto Repair, Provident Credit Union, Maloney & Associates LLC, Jackson & Miller Attorneys at Law, Rotary Club of San Carlos, the Nannarone Family, Kidfully, and the Whitley Family.

Check out StarVista’s Facebook page for photos of the Vista Day fun.

Kids Kamp 2014 took place this summer at Camp Cazadero, nestled in the hills amongst redwood forests and alongside the Russian River in beautiful Sonoma County. The children, from StarVista’s Children’s Place program for young boys and girls whose parents have substance abuse issues, were able to have fun and relax away from the pressures of school and

family life. For �ve days and nights the children enjoyed many fun activities including swimming several times a day, nature walks, a ropes course, baseball, basketball, craft activities, and board games. The campers were housed in cabins with sta� and junior counselors, and the meals were cooked from scratch with locally sourced ingredients.

Each day ended with a camp�re under the stars, with s’mores and hot chocolate, a music circle, and scary story telling. Jerry Moe, the founder of the Children’s Place program, facilitated a presentation around addiction, a highlight of the camp experi-ence. Kids Kamp culminated with an entertaining talent show put on by each cabin on the last night of camp, including story-telling, singing, dancing and acting. There were tears, laughter, challenges, new friendships made, and a whole lot of fun had by everyone at Kids Kamp 2014. It is an experience the children keep with them the whole year, and many children are already looking forward to next year’s camp experience.

Success Story: First Chance

Foundation Spotlight: Sobrato Family Foundation

Meet the Board

Save the date! Starting Line Breakfast: March 27, 2015

First Annual Vista Day

By Jennifer Pierson, Learning Together Program Manager

By Merle Saber, The Children’s Place Program Director

Home at last for homeless youthWhat a di�erence a few months make. Last spring, StarVista received stunning news that the federal government was making substantial cuts to funding for transitional living programs. For Daybreak, StarVis-ta’s home for homeless youth, this translated to a loss of nearly half of the operating budget. As a result, the program could not a�ord to sta� the residence 24 hours a day and Daybreak closed from 8am to

5pm. The youth left the house early in the morning and returned at dusk, essentially turning the only home for homeless youth in San Mateo County into a shelter. Questions mounted about the viabili-ty of Daybreak beyond this year.

When the youth heard about the threatened closure, they responded with ideas of things they could do to save money. They suggested hosting a car wash, cutting the subscription to cable TV, and even taking shorter showers. Daybreak had provided these youth with the �rst semblance of stability that they had experi-enced in some time, and they wanted to do what they could to help keep the doors open.

Thirty-two year old Natalie* was sobbing, had bumps and bruises all over her body and clumps of hair missing when police escorted her to StarVista’s First Chance o�ce after responding to a domestic violence call. First Chance generally serves as an alternative to jail for those arrested for driving under the in�uence, but local police know that it also serves as a domestic dispute respite service for people in unsafe living situations.

Natalie met with a First Chance counselor and described a long history of physical and emotional abuse over her eight-year marriage. Her husband regularly forbid her to contact any of their friends or family for help and told her that if she ever left him, he would kill her dog.

It was clear to the counselor that it was not safe for Natalie to return home. The counselor o�ered referrals to domestic violence shelters and also asked if Natalie had

trusted family members who could provide a place to stay. The only family member Natalie could turn to was a sister in Denmark* who had often o�ered to send her money so that she could escape from the horri�c domestic violence and live with her in Denmark. After talking with the caring counselor, Natalie �nally felt strong enough

After talking with the caring counselor, Natalie �nally felt strong enough to leave her abusive relationship.

A chance at life without fear

As news of the funding de�cit became public, the community came together in remarkable ways. San Mateo County Manager, John Maltbie, championed an e�ort to secure county funding. Daybreak founders Assemblyman Rich Gordon and Carol Welsh Gray and community leaders from the Junior League announced the launch of the Daybreak Family campaign. Then, just last month, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, approved a $100,000 matching grant to support Daybreak. The e�orts of these individuals, together with extensive media cover-age, resulted in an outpouring of support from individuals in the community that yielded enough donations to bene�t from the entire matching grant.

What started as a tremendous blow to a vital community resource has become a wonderful re�ection of the value of Daybreak and the kindness and generosity of so many within our County and beyond. For the youth at Daybreak, this has been a powerful lesson that people in our community truly care. Because of people like you, the youth at Daybreak will now be able to go back home.

For information on becoming a member of the Daybreak Family, please go to www.star-vista.org/daybreakfamily.

They suggested hosting a car wash, cutting the subscription to cable TV, and even taking shorter showers.

to leave her abusive relationship. Because her husband had taken away her phone and was monitoring her Facebook page, Natalie had no way to reach her sister.

The counselor came up with an idea to create an alternate Facebook page to search for Natalie’s sister and they were able to send her a message. Less than a few hours later, Natalie’s sister replied that she would buy Natalie’s plane ticket to Denmark that very day and Natalie could stay with her once she arrived. The counselor arranged for a police escort to her home where she was able to retrieve all necessary belongings without fear of being harmed by her husband. Afterward, the o�cers took her to the San Francisco airport to await her �ight to Denmark.

Over the course of just a few hours at First Chance, Natalie’s life was transformed. First Chance is not simply a place to sober up but also a safe haven, an intervention center, and a place where miracles can happen (and often do).

*Client names and identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality

Imagine answering the phone and listen-ing to the caller tell you that he just lost his only child and was ready to commit suicide. Launched in 1966, StarVista’s Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center (CISPC) is the only 24-hour suicide and crisis hotline in San Mateo County. Run primarily by volunteers who are supervised by clinical sta�, services

include the online teen chat room, onyourmind.net; a drug and alcohol helpline; as well as a parent support line. From July 2013 to June 2014, CISPC received over 15,000 calls and 570,000 website hits.

Stacy Gebhardt is one of the dedicated volunteers. After a successful career in retail marketing that required long hours and extensive travel, Stacy took a brief hiatus from the corporate world. She learned about StarVista’s Crisis Center and committed to the inten-sive training required of all volunteers. Initial nerves and uncertainty subsided as the calls streamed in, sometimes almost nonstop over her weekly 4 hour shifts. Five years later, Stacy enjoys her volunteer work so much she also volunteers her time speaking to groups about the importance of the Crisis Center.

Callers come from all walks of life, and span the age range. When Stacy begins her shift, she never knows whether that �rst call will be from a 6 year-old afraid for her alcoholic mother or a recently widowed husband who is having di�culty coping to life without his wife of 65 years. Stacy says, “The bottom line is they just want to be heard.”

Although Stacy considers herself very even keeled, some calls are more di�cult for her than others, particularly those from children and veterans. Nonetheless, she is always buoyed by the fact that they are calling, which is a very signi�cant �rst step.

According to Stacy, the most important attributes for crisis line

volunteers are "good listening skills; the ability to relate with each individual; and the ability to maintain calm in stressful situations." She adds, “Being able to react immediately by contacting the appropriate support services in emergency situations, and having a good understanding of the resources available to callers are also key.” Conversely, some situations emphasize the importance of a sense of humor. Stacy recalls one call that ended with laughter and expressions of gratitude.

Stacy says that she often receives follow-up calls, some thank-ing her for her help, and others to check in with news of a new job or a healthy relationship, or just that they are having a good day. To Stacy, it is calls like these that have turned a hiatus in her career into something much, much more.

By Eric Valladares, Healthy Homes Program Manager

For more than 35 years, CISPC has been the only 24-hour suicide and crisis hotline in San Mateo County.

Sta� and Volunteers answered over 15,000 calls to the crisis line in one year

The onyourmind.net website received 570,000 hits

CISPC is both a critical �rst point of contact for people in need of referrals to social services and a last resort for people on the brink of suicide to reach out for help.

Facts about Crisis the Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center (CISPC):

Community says Si Se Puede (Yes, We Can!) overcome domestic violence

¡Si Se Puede! (Yes, We Can!) recently brought together San Mateo County law enforcement, victim advocates, mental health thera-pists, social workers, and immigrant rights specialists with those in the immigrant Latino community who have been a�ected by domestic violence. Through collaboration between Catholic Charities, StarVista, and other agencies in the community, attend-ees learned about their rights and the importance of obtaining help. They were also informed of the many resources available to support them, including Healthy Homes, StarVista’s home visiting program that provides case management and mental health services to families that have been a�ected by domestic violence.

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Stacy Gebhardt

Although Stacy considers herselfvery even keeled, some calls are more di�cult for her than others, particularly those from children and veterans.

The Sobrato Family Foundation (SFF) has been one of StarVista’s largest and most loyal donors, providing multi-year cash grants for general operating support. The Sobrato Family is committed to building a strong and vibrant Silicon Valley community through business and philanthropic leadership. Sobrato’s cumulative community investments total $263M since 1996.

Sobrato Family Foundation funds organizations through strategic grantmaking and general operating support. The importance of general operating support cannot be overstated. StarVista, like many other nonpro�ts, uses the �exible nature to pursue unforeseen opportunities, adapt to the times and adjust programmatic priorities as needed. Forward-thinking organizations that award such grants recognize the long-term commitment needed to solve complex and di�cult issues that many nonpro�ts and foundations are grappling with and the importance of creating healthy and e�ective nonpro�ts.

According to the National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy (NCRP): “unfortunately, there continues to be a severe shortage of these types of grants at a time when grantees need as much core

operating money as possible both to help cope with funding cutbacks and to help o�set the increased demands for services. NCRP has been calling for foundations to increase their �exible, multi-year general support grantmaking as one way to help nonpro�ts build their capacity to serve marginalized communities.”

"It is crucial that our community addresses economic disparity, and the hopelessness it creates," said Sobrato Family Foundation CEO Rick Williams. "Far too many people in our community see the wealth generated and the opportunities created in the Valley as unattainable. That's why Sobrato Philanthropies supports strategies designed to create opportunities, and help individuals grow the skills needed to take advantage of these opportunities when they're presented."

Kavitha Sreeharsha, SFF's new Program O�cer for Healthy People & Places said, "Sobrato Philanthropies is committed to providing unrestricted funding to the region's critical service organizations upon which so many of our residents depend." Ms. Sreeharsha continued, "It is clear that the gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' in the Valley is growing. Using a range of grantmaking strategies, we've begun identifying and supporting e�ective pathways out of poverty for the economically disenfranchised."

StarVista is extremely grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for their generous support. The Foundation will match each new or increased gift to StarVista this year. Please take advantage of this opportunity to double the impact of your donation and help us meet our match!

For more information, visit http://www.sobrato.com/cumulative-giving/ andhttp://www.sobrato.com/sobrato-philanthropies/overview

Sobrato Family Foundation helps strengthen communities

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. You can be part of the movement by supporting StarVista! Please visit www.star-vista.org for more information.

Join us for #GivingTuesday! Fall Wish List

We accept donations during o�ce hours (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) at our main o�ce, located at 610 Elm Street, Suite 212, in San Carlos. For large items, StarVista can schedule a sta� member to pick up the items from you.

To view more items on our wish list, please visit us at www.star-vista.org.

Art suppliesBackpacksBath towels (new)BlanketsChildren’s board gamesDoll housesGardening supplies

Laptop computersLegosPlay DohPots & pans (new)SamTrans bus tokensSleeping bagsTarget gift cards

Seth Schalet Executive Director Paci�c Art League

I joined StarVista’s Board because the work and impact their programs have on the people is life-changing. After hearing the stories from those that bene�ted directly

from StarVista’s work, meeting the people and community partners that work with StarVista and experiencing the passion and gratitude for StarVista, the decision to join couldn’t have been easier. I am proud to be a�liated with such a great team of people.

Meet our Board: What inspires you to invest in StarVista?Kristin Sun, CFP Wealth ManagerSand Hill Global Advisors

The programs StarVista provides make such a huge di�erence in the lives of San Mateo County’s youth. There is no other organization that o�ers the same depth of

care and concern for these children and young adults. Seeing the huge impact StarVista makes in the lives of its clients motivates me to do my part in making StarVista as a whole a success.

Alison Proctor, CPAPrincipalSeiler LLPI’ve lived in San Mateo County my entire life. When I learned about how many programs StarVista provides and the impact that they make on our community, I knew right away

that this is the organization where I wanted to invest my time and e�orts. I’m inspired by the entire StarVista team and their enthusiasm and commitment to provide quality services to all children, teens and adults.

Donna CummingDirector of MarketingO’Connor Hospital

I strongly believe in the great work that StarVista does for youth and families in the county, serving as a voice for the voiceless, particularly for foster youth. Additionally,

through my involvement with the Youth Development Initiative, I have seen �rst-hand the passion that our youth have, not only for helping those less fortunate, but also as advocates for all youth.

StarVista recently engaged the Harvard Business School Commu-nity Partners (HBSCP) on a six-month pro-bono consulting project to create a strategic plan for the organization. Community Partners recruits volunteers, who are alumni of the Harvard Business School, to deliver business consulting services. The HBSCP objective is to create recommendations for actionable changes built upon developing an understanding of positive positioning opportunities and implementation challenges.

The A�ordable Care Act (ACA) and a changing, competitive funding �eld were the catalysts for the StarVista / HBSCP project, and goals included preserving high-impact results for StarVista’s clients, community, partners and funders, while ensuring a continued sustainable business model.

We used the SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the organization and current landscape in the human services area to create the strategic plan. We interviewed 24 of StarVista’s key funders, partners, sta� and leaders to gain insights and provide data. As an outstanding partner, The County of San Mateo was incredibly supportive, and their insights were critically important to this project. We also attended several of StarVista’s events including The Starting Line Breakfast and

StarVista looks to the future with the HBS Community Partners

Meet the Community Evening at Carolands Mansion. We heard the success stories of graduates of SV’s programs and saw �rst hand the impact they have on people’s lives.

A key to successful nonpro�ts is taking the time to be strategic in planning and execution of their vision and mission. We are excited to have been a part of that process with StarVista. It was a challenging and rewarding experience for the HBSCP team. Ultimately, we presented the project �ndings and were deeply impressed by the respect and trust that sta� and community leaders have for the organization. StarVista is a “shining star” in the community, and we’re grateful to have had a chance to help advance its life changing and valuable work.

By Brandy Spier, Havard Business School Community Partners Team Member

HBSCP Team Members

Steve Shray Karen Alden

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSAN MATEO, CA

PERMIT 727610 Elm Street, Suite 212

San Carlos, CA 94070

(650) 591-9623

www.star-vista.org

S A V E T H E D A T E !

FRIDAY MARCH 27, 20157:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City

For more information, please visit us at www.star-vista.org