Last year, just before the school year started, Mia’s family joined us at our Community Night Dinner. Mia’s family had been going through a tough time, and her mother, with tears in her eyes, confided that she couldn’t afford new school supplies for Mia. Safe & Sound jumped into action and provided Mia with a new backpack filled with all the essentials, and her face lit up with pure joy. She hugged the backpack tightly, like a treasure chest, and said, “Now I can go to school like everyone else.” For Mia and her family, that backpack was more than just supplies—it was hope, and a chance to start the school year on equal footing with her peers.
As we enjoy the beautiful start of summer, you can help Safe & Sound prepare for our annual Back-to-School drive for the upcoming school year. We are determined to support all the children and families we serve, especially those in vulnerable situations. The anticipation of a new school year, filled with learnings and friendships, often comes with significant stress for some families. Rising costs, financial constraints, and emotional strains make it difficult for many parents to afford essential school supplies for their children.
Imagine the joy of starting a new school year with a brand new backpack and new supplies, or the excitement in a child’s eyes on the first day back seeing friends. Our annual Back-to-School Drive provides all the essential items that a kid would need – a backpack with school supplies. This drive brings joy to nearly 250 kids each year, helping them start the school year with confidence and excitement.
Your generous donation allows us to purchase the school items that a child would need to attend a school. You can also donate by buying supplies directly from our Amazon wish list! Your support will bring smiles and hope to so many children in our community.
Your help is vital to our mission of ensuring families have access to the resources they need for a strong start to the school year. By reducing the financial burden and stress on parents, we can work together to prevent child abuse, neglect, and trauma, paving the way for a successful academic year. Thank you for considering partnering with us on this essential campaign.
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
The Prevention Center is a special place to so many families. It’s a safe base, a refuge for support and learning. It’s also special for the folks that work here; we have some real gems. Molly is, and has always been, one of those gems. Molly is not only our go-to resource for parenting education, she’s also a trusted source of support and friendship to us staff members throughout each week.The clients rave about her parenting groups, and much of the Prevention Center’s success with parents has to do with Molly’s engaging and supportive style. I’ve learned so much working with Molly over the years, and I feel blessed to call her a colleague.
Each summer the kids are out of school, the fog (usually) rolls in along with thousands of tourists, and we all begin the hunt for fun new ways to spend our days. Luckily, in the Bay Area, there is no shortage of activities to get out the wiggles and induce the giggles. Here’s a list of my favorite free summertime activities (and a few I haven’t yet tried but hope to check off my list this summer).
In the heart of an often over-looked (or unfortunately stereotyped) neighborhood, a school — a community — thrives. Tenderloin Community School (TCS) is at the forefront of education thanks to the teachers, social workers, and caretakers who fiercely care not just for the students but for their entire family. It’s school’s like TCS and social workers like Michael doing their part to keep kids safe, that will ultimately help us end child abuse in San Francisco. Here’s Michael.
This article is cross-posted from Huffington Post, read the original here.
Over the past few weeks a barrage of articles, blog posts, and conversations have been posted, recorded, and published about the Super Bowl and sex trafficking. Some say that the “Super Bowl [is a] hotbed for human trafficking” while others rebut, saying there’s no evidence to prove it. Regardless of this debate, one thing is certain: the Bay Area community is thinking and talking about human trafficking — and that’s a good thing.
It’s a good thing because we know that this evil exists, but it’s only a hum in the background — of our minds, our society — which we all ignore. We rationalize by saying, it’s not our children, our community, or our problem. Thankfully the Super Bowl has brought it to the forefront of our consciousness, and it can’t be ignored any longer.
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How many children should live in harm’s way?
We had to ask ourselves this very question last year as we undertook to create a five year Strategic Agenda. Our mission was, and will continue to be, to prevent child abuse and reduce its devastating impact, but it was finally time to determine a number we would hold ourselves accountable to in the coming years — will we leave behind 50 percent of San Francisco’s children, or 25, or 10.
Since 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.
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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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.