Happy new year to our Kinship Center family of supporters! Thanks to the commitment and generosity of our community, we continue to provide vital supports to the children and families we serve. Although our ability to connect directly with the community has been affected by COVID-19, our staff have not stopped providing services to the community—those services just look a bit different, and are delivered a bit differently.
There are currently 36 children in our foster care program being cared for in the loving homes of our amazing foster families.
Last year, Kinship Center finalized 42 adoptions.
The Family Ties program is currently serving 198 families and 344 children.
Our Wraparound program is currently serving 22 children.
Our Wraparound and Mobile Crisis Response Team programs enable our staff to immediately respond to the community, providing direct support to children and families who need it most. As one of our Bilingual Child and Family Clinicians puts it, “I have the ability to connect very personally with these families, giving me the ability to fulfill my personal and professional goals of giving back to the community that I call home.”
We have launched a support group for Family Ties families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. This group provides emotional support and empathy to our families who have gone through such a tragedy. By sharing their stories with each other, families know they are not alone and they always have someone to reach out to.
We continue to be amazed by the resilience of the children and families we serve and the dedication of our supporters who help us ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable and loving family. Thank you again to all of our amazing supporters for your generosity and advocacy. We wouldn’t be able to do the important work that we do without you.
Supporting Kin Caregivers
Miranda, a member of Kinship Center’s Family Ties program, is a grandmother who, with the help of our Family Ties staff, has taken legal guardianship of her five grandchildren. Like many relatives, Miranda did not anticipate becoming a full-time parent to her five grandchildren. With the support of the Family Ties team, she has been able to face many unexpected challenges and overcome adversity, all the while providing unconditional love and care to her grandchildren.
“I love my grandchildren with all my heart. They are not just my grandchildren, but I see them as my own children. Although this journey has been extremely difficult, it has been incredibly rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am so grateful that I have Kinship Center to help me through this difficult time.”
If you or somebody you know are raising kin children and need support, we can always be reached at (831) 455-9965.
Welcoming Our New Leadership Board Chair, Nicki Pasculli, and Vice Chair, Hiram Yanez!
Nicki has served on the Leadership Board since 2017. During this time she has been instrumental in the success of our fundraising campaigns. Her experience and dedication will continue to guide our efforts in supporting and promoting Kinship Center’s mission. Nicki is also a Kinship Center adoptive mother with three amazing children!
Hiram has always strived to engrain himself in his community, with the goal of bettering the place that he calls home. He’s volunteered for First Night Monterey, the Santa Cruz County Food Bank, the United Way Stuff the Bus campaign, as well as serving on the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association’s Marketing and Events Committees.
Thank you, Nicki and Hiram, for dedicating so much time and energy in helping Kinship Center better the lives of children and families on the Central Coast!
A Testament to Kinship Center’s Lasting Impact on Children
“About a month ago, I bought new plants and shrubs for the yard. I started gardening and about halfway through, I had to stop to run an errand. When I got back home, my son was in the yard, the planting was done and things looked better than I could have done them myself. I told him how beautiful it was and said that I knew cooking was his passion but did not know that gardening was too. I asked him where he learned how to do all of it. He said, “At Kinship Camp, they taught us how to garden and said that whenever we were feeling stressed or anxious it would help.” After all of these years (he’s 22 now), he still remembers the love and lessons of Kinship Center—this is why I am forever grateful to them”
-Nicki Pasculli, Kinship Center adoptive mother and New Leadership Board Chair.
Kinship Center’s Child and Family Clinic uses sensory therapy, such as gardening, cooking, and art projects, because they are so effective and have such a lasting impact. Although we’ve had to change our sensory therapy methods due to COVID-19, our creative therapists have continued to engage the children they work with through methods including virtual dancing, cooking, and storytelling. Although this approach has its limitations, the impact of our therapeutic efforts have proven to prevail.
Kinship Center is honored to be a selected charity of the Coastal Roots Hospitality—an organization comprised of well-know local restaurants Montrio, Rio Grill, and Tarpy’s—Pick it Up, Pay it Forward campaign! During the months of March and April, 10% of all proceeds from take-out orders from any of these restaurants will go directly to Kinship Center! This is an excellent way to support our local restaurants while simultaneously supporting Kinship Center’s critical community services. Note, this only applies to orders that are picked up, so skip the delivery and make the trip to pick up some of the best food you can find on the Central Coast.
