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Jen BrokawSince I first told Jen about the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center she’s been a staunch advocate for our work and for child safety. Jen recently joined our Board of Directors so I wanted to ask her a few question so we can all get to know her a bit better. Here’s what she had to say.

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I love the holidays. There are lights and cheer on every corner of San Francisco. Visitors come to town, school’s out, and family is all around. Whether it’s entertaining guests or getting cooped up energy out, here are some of my favorite ways to spend the day.

Best part, all are free.
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Vivian packed her belongings and two kids into the car and she left. She was done with him pushing her around. She’d had enough of the yelling, the threats, the slaps, and worse. Mostly, she was done telling her 8-year-old daughter Emma and 7-year-old son Ethan that everything was fine.

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What is the Children’s Playroom?

The Children’s Playroom here at the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center provides therapeutic play and support groups for kids as well as childcare to parents accessing services on site. We work to ensure that each child visiting the Playroom has an experience that is most supportive of their social and emotional growth. Indeed, that is our focus here in the Playroom, to help children learn and practice their social and emotional skills that will help them be successful in other areas of their lives.  The Playroom supports 440+ kids for a total of 3,600+ visits a year.

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Lois PavlowLois Pavlov is San Francisco’s child abuse prevention pioneer.

As a long-time community leader and children’s advocate, Lois worked tirelessly to create a better, stronger child abuse prevention program in our city.

Lois believed that by bringing the disparate prevention and family service organizations together, under one roof, the children of the San Francisco would be safer. To this end, Lois spearheaded a collaboration between Kathy Baxter of the Child Abuse Council and Patsy Jones of the TALK Line Family Support Center to join forces and resources. Lois went on to found the Child Abuse Prevention Society which raised funds to support this effort and purchase a building to house this work and this mission.

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Lois PavlowLois Pavlov is San Francisco’s child abuse prevention pioneer.

As a long-time community leader and children’s advocate, Lois worked tirelessly to create a better, stronger child abuse prevention program in our city.

Lois believed that by bringing the disparate prevention and family service organizations together, under one roof, the children of the San Francisco would be safer. To this end, Lois spearheaded a collaboration between Kathy Baxter of the Child Abuse Council and Patsy Jones of the TALK Line Family Support Center to join forces and resources. Lois went on to found the Child Abuse Prevention Society which raised funds to support this effort and purchase a building to house this work and this mission.

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This article is cross-posted from Olive Grove.

Maria was in second grade when her grandfather was arrested for forcing her to have sex with him almost daily in a bathroom at a neighborhood playground. After enduring months of abuse, she was brave enough to tell her teacher. Her teacher called child protective service and a social worker came to talk with Maria. She was then taken to the police station where she told her story again; then to the hospital where a doctor examined her and she told her story once more. Then, the district attorney interviewed her; then a therapist; then a case manager; the list continues. Maria told her story 10 times to 10 different adults. Each time, she was forced to re-live this real-life nightmare. Each time, Maria revealed less of her story, making it difficult to gather evidence needed to prosecute her grandfather.

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Juanita was addicted to alcohol and drugs and in an abusive relationship that was harmful to her and her two children. She was desperate to get her life back on track and be the best parent she could to her two children. When Juanita first came to the Prevention Center, she wasn’t sure what to expect — she felt scared and alone and she knew that she needed help.

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Notable News

Children are settling into their classes in schools across the Bay Area and BART and Muni are jam-packed with riders recently returned from vacation.  At the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center, summer of 2015—the hottest on record—was one of the busiest.

The impact of increasing economic disparity in San Francisco took a toll on the families we serve —95% of whom are low-income. For those who can’t afford summer camps, or find scarce spots in free programs, summers can be made all the harder by long unstructured days with young children. Families who depend on vital concrete services—like free lunch programs—normally provided by public schools can find already tight budgets stretched to the breaking point.

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On Friday, August 28th, 25 cyclists will begin a 100-mile ride from the front door of our family support center in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco up to the Russian River. Saturday will be a day to rest, recover and enjoy a kayaking trip down the Russian River. Sunday is the return trip to San Francisco. In all, each rider will cover about 200-miles as their way to support the Prevention Center and our work.

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TALK Line