We had a lot to celebrate at our Annual Company Picnic…great weather and some tasty tacos, but more importantly of course our annual Value Award and Betty Jean Scholarship recipients! Kudos to this year’s recipients and our over 400 dedicated team members for their important efforts each day! 

To join our team, view our current openings.

 

 

Our Academy students were recently treated to a fun day of science thanks to our amazing corporate partner, Takeda California (TCAL). Beginning with a tour of their new state-of-the-art facility, our students were able to go inside their laboratories, learn about cutting edge technology in research and development, and enjoy some pretty cool science experiments. Thank you to the wonderful employees at TCAL for spending time with our youth and helping to engage the next generation of scientists! 

If your place of work is interested in making a difference in our community, we invite you to explore our corporate partnership opportunities.

 

4,000 pairs of socks were personally delivered by the California Sock Company to our main campus all in the spirit of creating JOY for the youth we serve!

We are very thankful to California Sock Company for their partnership and passion to our mission. Our children and teens will be wearing some cool socks this summer due to their generosity!

If your company would like to create JOY for children in need, we invite you to view our current JoyMakers opportunities.

We appreciate our amazing team members!

Victor Martinez, Facilities Manager, has worked for the Center for 4 years and during this time has contributed significantly to our efforts! You can always count on Victor to lend a helping hand with open spirits and a warm smile.

We thank Victor and our entire facilities team for maintaining our therapeutic and nurturing environments across San Diego County. Due to their instrumental efforts, families are able to feel safe, heal from their experiences, and become hopeful of a more joyful life!

Therapeutic support can come in many forms including from furry friends, such as Harley, who graces North County Academy (NCA) in Carlsbad with his playful hop and irresistible cute face! Learn more about Harley and the impact he has on Center youth below.

Fun Facts About Harley, 1 ½ year-old Goldendoodle

• A teddy bear face! People always comment that Harley looks like a stuffed animal teddy bear or Chewbacca from Star Wars.
• Harley is smart, a little too smart! When Harley doesn’t get his way on something, he will turn his back to you and pout. Then, if Harley doesn’t think you notice him, he will get up, turn again and make a louder pouty noise so that he makes sure someone notices him!

How Harley Arrived at NCA

“I didn’t want to socialize with anyone when I came to NCA. But, after I started working with Harley, I became more social and didn’t feel afraid talking to other students.” – Center Youth

Harley is owned by Talin Yesaie, our amazing NCA Program Manager. Harley passed his good citizenship test on December 17, 2017 and has been on our Carlsbad program site ever since. The original plan was not to bring Harley so young, but after bringing Harley for a day to meet the students, they fell in love with him and asked for him every day.

How Harley Helps Center Youth

“When I’m not ready to share with my therapist, I can tell Harley what I’m feeling and he won’t say anything. It makes me feel relieved and takes a lot of the weight off my shoulders.” – Center Youth

Harley is loved by many students that he has his own calendar! Harley is requested either as a reward, or when a student is in distress or unresponsive. During therapy sessions, Harley teaches students about energy, body language, and how our brains respond under stress.

Students will sit with Harley when they are feeling anxious, sad, lonely, or when they are talking in therapy, especially when they are discussing past trauma. There are also times when students will sit with Harley without speaking to anyone and just pet him, brush his hair or lay with him in order to feel soothed. Staff also enjoys spending time with Harley and it has completely changed the mood of the school. Harley helps to de-stress everyone!

In addition to providing therapeutic support and unconditional love to current NCA students, Harley also joins tours for prospective families and helps when students are hesitant to attend, which they are usually won over after meeting Harley. Harley leads the last part of tours when NCA team members show families our therapy offices and explain more about our offered school-based therapeutic services.

Harley’s Impact

“It boosts my self-confidence in working with Harley and seeing the results of the change. I’m really good with animals and working with Harley has opened me to other areas where I am good at too. I just didn’t realize it before because I didn’t feel confident about myself.” – Center Youth

Jim was a 4th grader who was terrified of Harley when he first came onto campus and would not come near him, but would also request to spend time with him. Jim would sit with Harley in the room and keep his distance. He would throw treats and toys at Harley from afar. As the weeks went by, Jim began to get closer and engage more with Harley. Eventually they were able to be near each other. Jim could pet Harley and now has zero fear of dogs and enjoys running around the playground with him.

It’s officially the first full week of summer, which means our summer camps are in action!

Katie Morrill, Program Director of our Family Wellness Center, was on KUSI News to share about our fun camps for children in grades 1-6. For more information and to register your child, click here. 

Thank you to our community partner, National Foundation for Autism Research, for their support of our camps!

 

Last night will be an unforgettable experience for one of our teens who was invited by Chef Brian Malarkey and Chef Joe Magnanelli to help prep for the menu preview of Animae – the highly anticipated Asian inspired restaurant that will open in Downtown San Diego!

Moments like these are true examples of how our youth are experiencing the joys of childhood and a sense of hope for a brighter future regardless of their struggles. We’re fortunate for people in our community who make such life-changing impact on our youth, such as Chef Malarkey and Chef Magnanelli. Not only were they generous in creating an experience of joy for our teen, but they also donated proceeds from an auction item to our Culinary Program!

A big thank you to the Chefs, everyone from Animae and Herb & Wood, and our very own Tina Reyes-Magnanelli, who oversees our Culinary and Life Skills programs.

We’re very thankful to Bank of America for the various ways they support our efforts throughout the year!

They recently awarded a $12,500 grant to support our Successful Transitions Program, which helps teens in our care to successfully transition into adulthood. Teens receive education and coaching, a personalized plan for success, and opportunities to apply critical life skills. Such skills include opening a bank account, creating a resume, applying for a job, preparing quick and healthy meals, taking public transportation and more.

We appreciate Bank of America for their long-standing partnership, and all that they do in our community to advance economic mobility! 

Photos are in from our celebration, “Cherishing the Joys of Childhood”, under the phenomenal leadership of Honorary Chairs, Linda and Mel Katz! To view photos, click here.

Thank you to our event sponsors and committee, donors and friends, team members and youth who contributed to our record-breaking accomplishment of raising $400,000 net.

Our generous event sponsors: San Diego Gas and Electric, The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, McGriff Insurance Services, Southwest Airlines, City National Bank, Bank of America, Manpower San Diego, Dowling & Yahnke, HUB International Limited, Risk Placement Services Inc., The Stiefel Behner Charitable Fund, Umpqua Bank, Moss Adams, and Union Bank.