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To me, safe and sound is my mother’s voice. Her constant vigilance about my health and wellbeing. It’s her saying to me as I hurriedly rush out the front door of my childhood home (because I’ve stayed late into the night when I only planned for a quick family dinner) “text me when you get home safe and sound.” It’s her constant mantra, and is so familiar that I don’t even know if I actually hear her say it or if it’s overpowered by the many memories.
Of course, by the time I get home and finish unpacking the car of the leftovers my parents have strong-armed me to take (to “make sure I eat a good meal the next day”) and the bubbly water my mom sends home with me (as if I’m unable to shop for it myself), I’ve often forgotten to text her that I’m home. Shortly thereafter, I get the all familiar “home yet?”. Although annoyed at myself for forgetting (and depending on my mood, at my mother for her incessant need to know where I am and that I’m okay), I text her back.
I had the privilege of witnessing this identical behavior from my grandmother, who thrust her love and affection upon my mother. My mom, well into in her 70’s, would still respond to my grandmother’s safety inquiries. For example, everytime my mother would fly, my grandma would get four preemptive phone calls — once prior to each departure and once upon each landing. I suppose after 70 years, you learn the system. Here’s hoping one day I’m as clockwork as my mom, and stop forgetting the “made it home okay” text.
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As we were beginning to transition our name from the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center to Safe & Sound, I was curious to know what that phrase meant to others. I had heard various staff members’ thoughts, but we are all a part of the same mindset — in that we believe in the safety and protection of children so much so that we chose to make it our day job.
In an effort to learn more, I grabbed a colleague and headed out to Union Square. We spent a couple of hours discussing “safe and sound” with anyone who cared to talk to us, which included everyone from a San Francisco native, to a Marin local whose life work was caring for women at a domestic violence shelter, to three young male visitors from Dallas, to a bike messenger, to a variety of people from around the globe. Although it seemed to us that many of their lives were divergent, many of them shared the same sentiment.
Here’s some of what we heard:
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As we head into this new year, I ask you, what does safe and sound mean to you?
(Let us know in the comment box below)
Dear Safe & Sound Community,
We have lost a true friend. Mayor Edwin M. Lee was an incredible champion for children and families. He advocated for the health and safety of all children, in every neighborhood of our city.
He cared deeply about the environment children grow up in and was passionate about ending violence within homes and neighborhoods. Mayor Lee stood against hatred and with San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents. He truly understood and promoted our shared belief in the community’s collective responsibility to protect children.
We will never forget his steadfast support as we undertook to create San Francisco’s Children’s Advocacy Center — a place for children who have been abused to find justice and begin to heal. We could not have hoped for a better ally than Mayor Lee. He encouraged us every step of the way and San Francisco’s children are better off for it.
His legacy is one of tolerance, compassion, and true partnership.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and our entire San Francisco community.
With gratitude & sadness,
Katie Albright, Executive Director
Safe & Sound
Every year, Safe & Sound hosts our annual Holiday Toy Store and Meal Program. This beloved program gives parents the opportunity to select free gifts for their children in our Holiday “Toy Store” and gift cards to families for holiday meals.
This tradition is essential for parents during this stressful time of year. At Safe & Sound about 90% of families we serve are low income, and about 20% are homeless. The stress of the holidays along with those of daily life make families even more vulnerable to abuse.
This year, we are harnessing the power of #GivingTuesday to provide this important program with the supplies needed to bring a little light to families during this festive time of year. You can support this longstanding Safe & Sound tradition in one of two ways:
We are so grateful for your help in bringing joy into the lives of our children and families this holiday season!
With her newborn son cradled in her arms and 4-year-old daughter by her side, Maya walked into Safe & Sound’s family support center unsure of her family’s future. Maya’s husband was out of work, and with a newborn, Maya wasn’t able to work just yet. The family had shelter in public housing, but they were barely getting by — they needed food, personal health items, and hope.
Active in many causes throughout San Francisco, Connie had a special place in her heart of Safe & Sound (formerly the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center). Serving as an original member of the Child Abuse Prevention Society Auxiliary, she supported many of the frontline volunteer programs that serve our most vulnerable families.
The Holiday Toy Program was one of her favorites, and she was much beloved for the wonderful reading she did for children at our annual holiday parties. She along with her husband Ernie generously supported fundraising events throughout the years. She faithfully attending the Annual Blue Ribbon Luncheon until a few years ago when declining health prevented her from doing so.
Connie’s vibrancy and love for life were contagious and she will be deeply missed by our community and by those who were fortunate enough to know her.
From the San Francisco Chronicle
Connie Perino Goggio
September 19, 1924 – November 10, 2017
Connie passed away quietly and peacefully surrounded by friends and family. She was born in Arnold, Pennsylvania to Steve and Grace Cipolla and is preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Dom Perino, her brothers, Buddy, and Ronald.
Connie was sweetness itself and without exception loved by everyone she met.
She met her husband Ernest Goggio in 1978 and were married in 1980. Her life has been an exciting, happy and meaningful one. In her early years growing up in Pennsylvania she had many close friends and did very well in everything she took on: her school work, her social life and her early endeavors in singing, acting and especially her dancing. She sang on public radio, and did a weekly live radio talk show.
On September 28 we announced the winners of our first-ever Pinwheel Photo Contest, which launched this summer! We’re so grateful to all of the participants — both those who submitted and those who voted — for helping us make our inaugural contest a great success!
The theme of our contest was Generations. This theme is core to our work to end child abuse, as we believe in working across generations to empower children, empower parents, and support families. We focus intentionally on two generations to address the needs of both children and their caregivers, and ultimately break generational cycles of violence.
We were honored to host these photographs in our contest, and thank everyone for sharing their unique take on the theme.
The winners were selected by our three-judge panel of expert photographers who are friends of Safe & Sound: Natasha Dolby, Jesse Eisenhardt, and Nancy Farese.
Grand Prize & People’s Choice Award: David Avidor (http://instagram.com/davidavidor)
Comments from our judges:
The fact these brothers look alike draws you in almost like a time-lapse effect. Nice idea to place the children between rungs of a ladder, physically representing their sizes, and also metaphorically showing life as an upward climb. Excellent use of the frame to tell a story of generations – you learn from the expressions of each child, sparking curiosity about who they are and what they will become.
Second Prize: Anna Matz (http://blog.anna-matz.de)
Comments from our judges:
Interesting foreground focus and incorporation of animals and place as part of family unit. Great use of black and white tonality. The lineup of family and animals feels natural and draws the eye dynamically.
Third Prize: Herman Chan (http://hermanchanphotography.com)
Comments from our judges:
Softly lit with a beautiful and natural color scheme. Perfectly composed with a shallow depth of field to keep the eye focused on the subjects.
Photos from the event were displayed at Safe & Sound’s Pinwheel Party on Thursday, September 28, 2017 at Monarch in SoMa. The cocktail party hosted 150 philanthropists for an evening of cocktails, food, and dancing in celebration of children’s advocacy in the Bay Area. This event raised nearly $50,000 in support of Safe & Sound’s mission to end child abuse and reduce its devastating impact in the San Francisco and greater Bay Area. Check out photos from the event and follow us there, on Instagram, or Twitter for more events to come.
Earlier this month, I let you know that the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center would be changing its name. Today, I am proud to announce that we are officially Safe & Sound.
For more than 44 years, we’ve been at the forefront of child abuse prevention. During these decades, our organization — in partnership with you and others — has made remarkable strides in protecting our city’s children and advocating for their safety. Yet, every day we are reminded of how much more there is to do if we’re going to achieve our goal of ending child abuse in San Francisco and reducing it in surrounding communities.
As we work towards this end, we felt one thing held us back from fully embracing this audacious goal — our name. Therefore, on September 26, the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center became Safe & Sound.
Each and every day we work to create a society where children are safe, families are strong, and communities are sound.
Our journey to a new name took more than a year and a great deal of thought. As you can imagine, it was not easy giving up our cherished name, but we felt it was the right and necessary decision.
Safe & Sound allows us to unify our work. Today, we are many things — and names — to so many different people (such as San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center, TALK Line Family Support Center, Kids’ Turn, Child Abuse Council, SafeStart, and more). By presenting our programs under a single name, we will significantly enhance the community’s ability to identify our organization and seek our services.
Safe & Sound allows us to focus on safety. Though our mission is focused on child abuse prevention, our work is focused on creating a future without it. We work to create joyous childhoods where child abuse is no longer a concept.
Safe & Sound allows us to expand our impact. Over four decades we have woven child-focused policies and programs into the fabric of San Francisco. As we look to the future we will continue to reach far beyond the borders of San Francisco, scaling our model and sharing our successes to support the safety and well-being of children and their families everywhere.
On a very practical level we encountered several challenges with the name San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center. It’s a mouthful, causing people to stumble through it and often forget the very key word of “prevention.” And, the term “abuse” carries a stigma deterring the very families who need our services the most from seeking our support.
Make no mistake, our mission, our work, our programs, and our people remain the same.
Stay tuned. Over the coming month, we’ll be sharing with you our future initiatives as we work towards this reality. For now, take a look at how big this problem really is, how we’re planning to reduce and ultimately end child abuse, and the work we do everyday to protect children in our community.
I first met Melinda while volunteering at our children’s school. We immediately clicked. I have always been in awe of her ability to throw herself wholeheartedly into her career, her family, and her work in the community. She’s not only a fantastic mother, but an astute business woman and a staunch advocate for children and parents. I am so excited to have Melinda as the chair of our board. I have no doubt that under her helm we’ll be better, stronger, and can make great strides toward our goal of ending child abuse in San Francisco. Meet Melinda.
About a month ago at our annual Blue Ribbon Luncheon, I shared our vision with the 600+ supporters and advocates who filled Grand Ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Together, we not only raised more funds than ever ($750,000+) to support the work of the Prevention Center, but the energy around our mission of preventing child abuse and our goal of ending it in our city was palpable. It was a truly special day.
To all who joined us on May 12, thank you. To our chairs Wayne Osborne and Jill Woodman, and to our auction hosts David Glickman and Richard Pio Roda, thank you. To our keynote, Wes Moore your words will forever inspire me and call me to not just compassion but action — thank you. To each and every one of you, thank you for joining us in this work.
For those who were not able to be in the room with us, I would like to share with you my remarks — why it is I believe we can end child abuse. You can read them right here.
It’s Child Abuse Prevention Month: time to stand up and step out. Join us online and in-person at San Francisco City Hall (April 4 @ 11AM) to show your support for the children of San Francisco. Every child deserves a safe and happy childhood; yet, our city continues to have one of the highest rates of child abuse in the Bay Area. While the widening economic divide in the City puts more children at risk for abuse, child abuse crosses all zip codes, socio-economic levels, ethnicities, and family structures.