Hiding beneath a heavy black sweatshirt, the hoodie pulled tightly over her head, Ana arrived for her first day at Edgewood’s therapeutic school.

At just 15 years old, she seemed lost. She had failed at her last two schools, and had withdrawn deeper and deeper into isolation, alienation, and her own inner world of terror and shadows. By coming to Edgewood she was able to benefit from academic support, therapy sessions, and small classroom sizes—stability and structure that were lacking at her previous schools and what she needed to succeed on a daily basis.

After several months attending Edgewood Non-Public School, Ana’s confidence soared. Relationships grew stronger and, more and more, her fear was contained. Edgewood staff and teachers listened to her every word, and tried to understand her silence. They surrounded her with a safe environment, filled with warmth, care, and trustworthy people waiting when she reached out.

Now in the company of nurturing staff, Ana took the chance to reveal herself. She started to express her feelings—what she

liked and disliked. Best of all, when she had a rough day Edgewood staff understood.

She flourished under this attention. Soon, the girl who had been a silent bundle hiding under a sweatshirt was making jokes, highlighting her hair, and discovering a talent for poetry.

Every year Edgewood celebrates its children and youth at Achievement Day. At last year’s Achievement Day, Ana read two of her favorite poems in front of an audience of over 100 people. She delivered her two pieces with sharp articulation and perfect pacing. She was rewarded when the audience leapt to their feet with applause. Ana exited the stage proud and filled with triumph that she was able to share her love, emotion, and art.

Ana left Edgewood with the tools to succeed. She enjoys time with family, supports her siblings, and is looking for a summer job. Finally, she has hope.

Brighter FuturesNews from Edgewood Center for Children and Families

Story of Hope: Achievement Day

letter from the ceoI am often asked, “What is Edgewood?” I can give long, detailed explanations of each of our programs, but sometimes I like to simplify things.

I tell people to imagine Edgewood rescuing children drowning in a river. But, 20 years ago we started asking, “Who is pushing those kids in?”

Many people don’t realize that 75% of our efforts are focused upstream, recognizing and impacting those turning points that can be pivotal moments of success or failure for these children.

We do this through our bedrocks of Education, Family Support, and Behavioral Health.

In this issue of Brighter Futures we want to share a couple of stories about our services. You’ll read about Edgewood Non-Public School and our advocacy efforts.

The river is deep and wide, but with your continued support, more and more Bay Area children and families are on safe and higher ground.

Sincerely,

Nancy H. Rubin CEO

San Francisco Kinship Grandmother, Willmere Arterberry, attended the annual Mother’s Day tea. The tea is held for participants of Edgewood’s San Francisco Kinship Services. Volunteers and staff served tea and crumpets at Thrive House. Every caregiver was invited to wear her fanciest hat.

With the help of a generous grant from the Junior League of San Francisco, the Edgewood San Francisco Food Bank opened its doors in June to an excited crowd. The goal of the program is to provide groceries to over 130 families weekly. Find out more.

Visit Edgewood.org.

WWW.EDGEWOOD.ORG FALL 2010

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Ultimate Hero ($20,000+)

Friends of Edgewood

Super Hero ($10,000+)

The Chill Foundation

Verizon

WDFA Marketing

Hero ($5,000+)

British Motor Car Distributors, Ltd.

Cecily Cameron and Derek Schrier, EGG Foundation

Dana and Bob Emery

The McKenzie Foundation of San Francisco

Susan and Bill Oberndorf

Mark and Laura Yockey

Guardian ($2,000+)

Dr. James Anthony and Kris Anthony

Anna and Gregg Brockway

CAL Insurance & Associates, Inc.

Martha and Paul Chamberlain

Paul B. Holm, Jr.

Elizabeth Leep

Carol and Lenny Lieberman

Mary Ann and Bill Margaretten

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Jeff and Kim Qvale

Kathy and Chris Swindle

Wells Fargo

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation

donors and events

The Edgewood Auxiliary hosted its 44th Annual Edgewood Fair “Rock the Casbah” on May 4 and 5 at the Presidio’s Golden Gate Club. This venerable San Francisco tradition is a lavish two-day fundraiser. The Fair featured both a fabulous evening affair with a VIP reception, gourmet food and drinks, as well as a shopping bazaar and luncheon. Thank you to this year’s sponsors and the Edgewood Auxiliary for raising over $400,000 for Edgewood’s programs.

Thanks to Edgewood donors and the Art Recreation Therapeutic Services (ARTS) Program, this past year Edgewood Non-Public School was able to join a sports league with six other non-public schools, playing softball and basketball.

The children involved chose the Eagle as their mascot. While scoring points and winning games are important to everyone, the Eagles learned even more important lessons about competition and sportsmanship. The Eagles inaugural baseball season turned into a 6-0 record, finishing in 1st place in the league, and winning the NPS Sports League tournament. Read a highlight from the final game as told by Coach Noam Scott:

The Dragons were hard hitting, fast running, but the Eagles jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Dragons looked to respond with their own flames, but the Eagles taut defense had other ideas. During the 9th inning a hot-shot grounder bounced over 2nd base player A.’s glove, up came T. with the ball and a foot on 2nd base for the out, and a rocket-like throw to home plate for another tag out by brick wall catcher B. for the game-winning double play.

Final Score: Eagles 8 – Dragons 3.

To read more about the season, please visit edgewood.org/news/notes-from-the-diamond/notes-from-the-diamond.html.

notes from the diamond

For many of us, physical pain is a fleeting experience. We call our doctor or Google an answer to our medical questions. But for many people, pain is a constant sensa-tion, and they don’t know how to get rid of it. What if you had little or no formal education? What if English was your second language? What if you were in your 90’s and didn’t know how to use a computer?

Thanks to a three-year grant from the Sequoia Healthcare District, our HealthyKin Community Nurses are able to provide Chronic Disease Self-Management Work-shops in English and Spanish to help parents and grandparent caregivers take better care of themselves, as well as the children for whom they provide. The workshops provide answers and guidance on how to manage pain and reduce the negative impacts of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hyper-tension.

Upon graduating the program, caregivers feel more confident in their abilities to man-age their own well-being. “I have learned how to live with my diabetes, recogniz-ing symptoms, measuring my levels, etc.,” remarked one graduate from Redwood City. “With the help of my instructors, I have learned how to manage a chronic illness, which I will need to do for the rest of my life.”

Beyond providing caregiver workshops, we also support the children and teens within each household to ensure the health and well-being of the entire family unit. Our nurses provide in-home health consultations, give advice, and make referrals in an environ-ment that is comfortable for the family. We provide health education, exercise, and nutri-tion classes for youth in our San Bruno Youth Drop-In Center, where they are able to have fun learning among peers.

By providing non-judgmental, culturally competent, and respectful health services for caregivers and youth, HealthyKin builds knowledge and healthy practices that can be passed on from generation to generation.

healthykin: an education beyond books

Fair co-chair Janet Lautenberger and guest speaker, Christine Carter, author of “Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents.”

To view more photos from the Edgewood Fair, please visit edgewood.org/fair2010a.html.3

An abstract painting from the Edgewood Non-Public School Art Show. The event showcased art from elementary, middle and high school students.

levi strauss & co. community day44 volunteers from Levi Strauss & Co. came to campus on May 5 and awarded Edgewood $12,000. Volunteers set up “Pop-up Shops” in Halleck and Stow Cottages, providing a “shopping” experience for all campus residents. Residential children picked out a pair of Levi’s® jeans and a t-shirt. Volunteers also built picnic benches and tables, made cards for Kinship kids, and gardened. Robert Hanson, President, Levi Strauss Americas, participated in all of the activities.

SAN FRANCISCO CAMPUS

1801 VICENTE STREET

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116

TEL: 415.681.3211

EDGEWOOD SAN MATEO

957 INDUSTRIAL ROAD, SUITE B

SAN CARLOS, CA 94070

TEL: 800.496.3019

EDGEWOOD SAN BRUNO

YOUTH DROP-IN CENTER

931 SAN BRUNO AVENUE, SUITE 1

SAN BRUNO, CA 94066

415.375.7626

The mission of Edgewood Center for Children and Families is to strengthen children, youth, families, and their communities through service, training, advocacy, and research.

WWW.EDGEWOOD.ORG

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

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CA

PERMIT NO. 7055

inside this issue

Letter from the CEO

Story of Hope

Advocacy

Joanna Ratcliff Ballou

Edgewood Fair

Notes from the Diamond

HealthyKin

inside brighter futures

upcoming event

To learn about more about volunteer opportunities, please visit edgewood.org/getinvolved/volunteer.

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