EBAC News

1/1/2008 Become A Volunteer Today!

You can help children and families in the East Bay cope through personal loss and family trauma. Contact us to find out how. Volunteer at EBAC

12/17/2007 2007 CAP Ball Overview

Click here to view the 2007 CAP Ball Overview."

7/5/2007 2007 11th Annual Heart and Soul Event Overview

Click here to view the 2007 Heart and Soul Overview.

7/5/2007 CAP Masquerade Ball Huge Success

Click here to view the CAP Masquerade Ball review

6/14/2006 TNS is now accepting 2007-2008 enrollments

EBAC's Therapeutic Nursery School (TNS) has openings, and is currently accepting referrals, for the 2007-2008 school year!

The program is FREE; children must be receiving Alameda County full-scope Medi-Cal. Parents/Caretakers must be able to provide for transportation and are expected to play an active role in the program. Contact Head Clinician Brooke Sopko or Program Director Julia Westly at (510)655-4896.

6/7/2006 Hawthorne Family Resource Center Received United Way Award

Hawthorne Family Resource Center Receives United Way of the Bay Area 2006 Community Collaboration Award for Excellence in Family Support Services.

Read more about EBAC’s top-performing Bay Area collaborative that exemplifies the best practices and values of partnership and community impact, with the ultimate goal of
poverty prevention (Click Here (pdf)).

Hawthorne In The News (Oakland Tribune (pdf))

Click here to visit the Hawthorne Family Resource Center

6/6/2006 Announcing the new book by EBAC Friend Lori Hope

Announcing the new book by EBAC Friend Lori Hope
Help Me Live - 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know

Lori Hope, a longtime EBAC friend is the author of the new book, Help Me Live: 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know. Hope, a cancer survivor herself, has produced more than 20 documentaries for which she has won dozens of awards, including two Emmy Awards.

A few years ago, Hope produced, How I Coped When Mommy Died, with her adopted son Brett Hardy Blake. Blake was a client of EBAC's PediatriCare program, now known as EBAC's Circle of Care Grief and Illness Support Program. The film was introduced to a live audience at Oakland's Grand Lake Theater, and raised more than $25,000 for EBAC. The film was broadcast on KQED TV, is used by clinicians throughout the U.S. and was featured on the Oprah Show in 2003.

Hope is currently managing editor of
Bay Area BusinessWoman newspaper, has been published in Newsweek, and her essays have been broadcast on radio stations nationwide.
Click here to order Help Me Live: 20Things People with Cancer Want You to Know.

A portion of the proceeds from your purchase will be used to support EBAC's Circle of Care Grief and Illness Support Program for children and families living with illnees or coping with loss.
$15.00 ISBN 1-58761-212-7

6/4/2006 If You Suspect Child Abuse…

Be Calm
Your response to the assault will make a big impact on how the child feels about it. Getting upset in front of the child will only make him feel worse about the assault. Share your feelings of concern honestly and calmly.

Believe
Questioning their honesty will make them feel doubted and unsupported. It may even cause them to stop talking. Give children credit and support for telling you.

Listen
Try to get the facts of the incident. Do not push them to do or say more then they are ready to. You or someone else will have time to get the facts later. Assure children that what happened was not their fault and that the offender has a problem and needs help.

Tell children directly and openly how you plan to handle the situation. Ask them what they would like you to do about it, and also what they would like to do themselves. Respect their wishes as much as possible. At this time, it is important that the child begins to regain some sense of control over the situation.

A factor in talking to preschool-age children about abuse is that they are not direct in telling their stories. It takes careful listening and patience. Let the child tell the whole story. Don’t interpret what you are being told, but you can ask questions for clarification. Often the story will involve monsters, animals, or other non-human characters. For most small children, reality is too hard to accept; and they use fantasy to interpret or define what is happening to them. Frequently, a story involves a nightmare; and often, the child will tell you it is a repetitive nightmare, one that happens every night or almost every night.

Be willing to talk with abused children about the assault. They need to talk about it in order to regain control and dispel their feelings of fear, anger, confusion, and victimization.

Get Appropriate Help
For any type of child molestation or abuse by a relative, call the Child Protective Service agency and/or police in your area.

For any type of assault by someone outside the family, call the Child Protective Service agency and/or police in the area.

For any type of sexual assault, call your local rape crisis center for a trained counselor to help you decide what to do and to give you emotional support.

See that the child gets appropriate medical attention if there is any possibility of physical injury, pregnancy, venereal disease, etc.

Parents must find a place to vent their feelings. Remember, this is not an easy process and parents deserve support too!

Above all, let the child know that he is believed, cared for, and protected.

RESOURCES FOR CHILD ABUSE INTERVENTION

Children and Family Services
To report abuse: 510.259.1800

Alameda County Children and Family Services, Community Liaison
510.780.8737

Alameda County Child Abuse Prevention Council
510-780-8989

Parental Stress Services
800.829.3777

Children’s Hospital, Oakland

Teen Clinic: 510.428.3387
Child Protection Center: 510.428.3742
Family Guidance Center: 510.428.3100