It was a perfect summer day for our Annual Company Picnic! Team members from our 8 program sites across the County, and their family members, came together this afternoon to enjoy a delicious lunch and fun activities.

Value Awards were also given to 6 team members who each demonstrate one of our company values. Congratulations not only to our Value Award winners, but every team member who was nominated, and as a whole, our over 350 employees who contribute tremendously to our mission and vision every day.  

We also want to congratulate 3 Center team members who received a Betty Jean Woodaman Memorial Scholarship Fund award to help further their education (undergraduate or graduate) in areas related to the services we provide. We have tremendous appreciation for Woody Woodaman, a former Center employee, who presented each recipient with their financial scholarship in memory of his late wife, Betty Jean Woodaman. Betty worked in our Nursing Department, and we are grateful for her legacy in addition to Woody’s impact.

This day of celebration and the memories that were created wouldn’t have been possible without our fantastic Employee Appreciation Committee (EAC), who organized and coordinated this fun event.  To see pictures from our gathering, please click here.  

If you’re interested in joining our team, we invite you to visit our careers page for current opportunities. 

We passed one of our many government agency’s financial audits with flying colors!

A perfect audit result was given for all our fiscal years from 2012 through 2016.

We’re thankful for our fabulous accounting team who prepare for this important process in such a professional and deliberate way, and who also ensure on a daily basis that the Center maintains its positive financial position!

Grazie and Buon Viaggio (translation: Thank You & Good Journey!) to one of our dear Center team members, Lori Barnes, who is heading to Italy for a new adventure!

We had a fun Italian-themed party for Lori that included a roast (upon Lori’s request!) and words of appreciation from fellow colleagues.

Our President & CEO, Dr. Moisés Barón, also shared his appreciation and presented Lori with a plaque acknowledging her important contributions over the past 14 years.

Lori joined the Center in April 2004 as our Special Events & Volunteer Coordinator, and grew within the organization to become our Senior Director of Campus Programs. We will miss Lori greatly, but wish her the very best in Italy! 

Employees from Grant Thornton San Diego returned to our main campus in Linda Vista for their annual volunteer project!  This wonderful group refurbished the garden and patio areas for our Academy, and also donated paints, supplies and flowers. 

The garden is now a beautiful setting for our over 100 students and team members to enjoy, and the patios will be fun, therapeutic play-areas that match our school colors!  

To learn about our current volunteer opportunities, please click here.

A special thank you to the Iris Auxiliary for their continued support of our mission.  

This year, through their generosity and efforts, the Iris Auxiliary donated $27,000 to the Center.   As this wonderful group enters their 39th year of helping children and teens served through our program services, we are very grateful to them and their continued support to provide the “extras” to help youth have the same experiences that other children enjoy.  

For more information and to become a member of the Iris Auxiliary, please click this link.

We’re fortunate to have a team of over 350 employees who are professional, passionate and incredible changemakers!  One of our amazing team members, Adia, was recently recognized by the Children Youth and Families System of Care (CYFSOC) Training Academy with their annual Advancing Principles Award. 

This award is given annually to direct service providers who exemplify CYFSOC principles in their day-to-day work. We’re happy to congratulate Adia on this recognition, in addition to her life-changing efforts as a Clinical Manager in our WrapWorks program.

Here are some words that were said about Adia as recipient of this year’s award:

“Adia’s strengths-based and trauma informed approach is compassionate and from the heart. She is able to see the strengths in any family or situation no matter the circumstances or challenges. She brings a fresh perspective that goes beyond her years of experience and comes from an empathetic sense of humanity. She is an encyclopedia of resources and her out-of-the-box ideas inspire us all. Through her words and actions a vision for a brighter future is clear – one that integrates the diversity of a family’s culture and values, that empowers family voice and choice and that seeks to ensure a joyful quality of life as a basic human right.”

Over 10 youth receiving services through our Community Engagement Program recently competed in sports playoff and championship games, and many of them won their big game!  We’re very proud of our kiddos and thankful to everyone who came out to cheer them on!

Our Community Engagement Program is a unique therapeutic tool we provide children and teens receiving residential services on our main campus. We help youth identify areas of interest that will help them feel successful and engaged in the community. Such activities can include joining a sports league, attending art classes, doing community service, interacting with animals, visiting local libraries for activities, horseback riding and much more.

The goal is to ultimately have them choose an activity on their own that has structure, brings them passion, and allows them to learn a new skill that can be continued on after they successfully leave the Center.

Bank of America has been a long-standing partner of the Center, and we’re thrilled to announce they have awarded us a $7,500 grant to support workforce development activities through our Successful Transitions Program!

Bank of America’s focus to building thriving communities and advancing economic mobility will help us provide opportunities for transition age youth (ages 15-21) to explore jobs, internships, career coaching and more.

We’re very grateful for Bank of America’s dedication toward our efforts in helping teens discover their passions and create dreams for a brighter future!

Our Special Families Foster Care Program hosted an appreciation picnic for foster parents who open their loving and nurturing homes to the foster children and teens we serve. Over 25 foster parents, foster youth and Center team members had a blast enjoying a BBQ lunch and activities at De Anza Cove Park!

Events like these are important for us to host in order to show appreciation for the amazing contributions of our foster parents, and to build a supportive community among families and foster parents in our program. Our events also allow an opportunity for the foster youth we serve to have fun and be kids, and create positive memories that can help promote their success.

We’re thankful to everyone who came out, and the immense dedication of our foster parents who work hard to be a part of children’s lives even after they become placed with an adoptive or foster parent.

For more information on how you can become a foster parent, please click here. A team member will be happy to answer any of your questions and share more about our comprehensive program.

It was a wonderful evening of honoring each of our SDCC Academy students and graduates for their amazing accomplishments this past school year!

Our ceremony had a special touch this year as a great friend of the Center, Tommy Sablan, delivered the commencement speech. Everyone was inspired by Tommy’s story and words of encouragement to our 9 middle and 3 high school graduates. And not only that, everyone was blown away by Tommy’s generosity in working with Taylor Guitars to give each of our high school graduates a brand new guitar!

It was indeed a special ceremony that also ended on a sweet note as we honored our Director of Education & Principal, Ms. Mac, for her invaluable leadership and contributions over the past 9 years.  Although Ms. Mac is retiring from her position this summer, she will continue to be involved in our important efforts of creating change and hope for the children and teens we serve.

Thank you to everyone who attended our ceremony, including the families and friends of our students.  A special thank you as well to our SDCC Academy team for the remarkable guidance they provide our students, Tommy Sablan and Taylor Guitars, and our generous donors who make this success possible.

To see pictures from the ceremony, please click here.