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Edition:
Sacred Work: Protecting Children
Executive Director's
Message
Wine & Dine Benefit
Rewrites History
Outstanding SCA staffers receive Judge Roger Warren Awards
SCA Celebrates 17 years
of service
Child Welfare Fund
Will Amy be able to call
her brother today?
Did you know? |
Outstanding SCA Staffers
Receive Judge Roger
Warren Awards
 At
SCA’s May benefit, the
agency presented
attorney Christie Giusti
and staff member Annette
Herr with the annual
Judge Roger Warren
Award. This award is
given to an attorney or
staff member who has
evidenced deep
dedication to the
children served at SCA
and who continues to
exemplify the mission of
the agency. To help
friends of SCA learn a
little more about one of
our honorees, we asked
Annette Herr to share a
bit about herself: “My
mother was a teacher for
mentally and physically
challenged children and,
as a teenager, I would
assist her with the
children on field trips
and entertain them with
puppet shows. As a young
adult I worked in a
preschool. After
marriage, we started a
family of four and
regularly participated
in all the activities
children love. My house
was always full of my
children and their
friends and I loved it!
Shortly after moving to
Sacramento in 1995, I
began working in
after-school programs at
a variety of schools in
the San Juan School
District where I brought
my passion for and
experience in arts and
crafts to the children
every day. In 1999 when
after-school programs
were being cut, I
decided to make a career
change. I didn't know
exactly which direction
to go in but I did know
that whatever I did, it
had to be with or for
children. I soon found
my home at Sacramento
Child Advocates, Inc.
(SCA) and have loved
every minute of the nine
years I have been here.
My philosophy is, “there
by the grace of God go
I”. I was fortunate to
be born into a happy,
stable home with
nurturing parents and
friends. Children have
no choice as to what
type of family they are
born into and those who
are in dysfunctional
homes need all our help
more than ever.
To me, every person on
staff at SCA has a
special job that
connected together is
what makes this agency
work as a powerful
whole: clerical, social
workers, attorneys,
management and
fund-raising. While
working with Native
Americans, Benjamin
Franklin took a valuable
lesson from them in how
one person alone is not
as strong or as powerful
as many working
together. The Indian
tribes taught him that
though one arrow can
break, many arrows bound
together are strong and
cannot be broken. I
guess I never forgot
that example and it is
how I view my role and
that of everyone else
here at SCA. We are a
team and I am proud to
be a part of it.”
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Sac "Child
Advocacy"
Celebrates
17
Years
of Service
Prior to 1992,
children who
were taken from
their homes
because of
allegations of
child abuse,
neglect and
abandonment had
no platform for
direct legal
representation,
and there was no
one to make
recommendations
to the court on
the child's
behalf. Before
the vision and
implementation
of the concept
"child
advocacy,"
Sacramento's
county counsel
and social
workers made
recommendations
to the court
based on home
evaluations and
parent
interviews.
 In
August of 1991,
Judge Roger
Warren, a trial
court judge with
over twenty
years on the
bench, developed
a non-profit
organization for
child advocacy.
This
organization was
founded to
address the
long-standing
concern that
children who
have been
removed from
their homes need
direct legal
representation.
SCA acts as the
advocate,
the voice,
for abused and
neglected
children who
have been placed
in the foster
care system.
Affirming the
need for direct
legal
representation,
the Superior
Court of
Sacramento
established a
Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU)
with SCA in 1992
to be
the
designated
court-appointed
legal agency for
every child who
enters the
dependency
system in our
county.
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Child Welfare
Fund: Helping
Children in
Extraordinary
Situations Live
Ordinary Lives
The Child
Welfare Fund
provides the
“little extras”
that foster
families are not
afforded through
the stipend
received from
the County.
The purpose of
the Child
Welfare Fund is
to provide
dependent youth
with the same
luxuries and
amenities of
non-dependent
youth. Often
time’s lack of
funds keeps
foster youth
from
experiencing
life’s pleasures
such as
participating in
after school
sports and art
programs, and
summer camps.
The main goal of
SCA’s
supplementary
program is to
provide foster
youth with the
financial
support that
will allow them
to have the
ordinary
experiences of a
child for
knowledge and
growth.
Spirit of Youth
Award Created
The Spirit of
Youth Award
will be given
annually by SCA
to recognize and
celebrate a
young adult,
under the age of
19, who has
become a
positive role
model for others
and has
succeeded in
spite of
difficult odds.
This youth has
performed
outstanding
and/or
extraordinary
service for
their community,
family and/or
SCA.
Two
$500.00 cash
awards will be
presented at an
awards ceremony
at a student’s
school at the
end of the
school year.
These annual
awards represent
SCA reaching
into our
community to
recognize
deserving youth.
Thank you for
your support
which allows SCA
to offer these
awards.
Click here for
more information
& nomination
details.
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