FCP Blogs


12/9/2021


Meet Ann Jopling, FCP Welcomes a New Member to the Steering Committee


"We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes." -Fred Rogers

Ann Jopling was raised in Pasadena, where she has lived for most of her adult life. She was married at All Saints Church in 1972 and later moved to Altadena, where she attended St. Mark's Church and actively participated in the school and church community there during her children's school-aged years. When she moved back to Pasadena in 2004, she returned to All Saints, which she says, "Has always felt like ‘home.'" She has three amazing adult sons: Clint Cleveland lives in the Bay Area (as does her granddaughter Lucie Cleveland); Blake Jopling lives in Carmel Valley; and Miles Jopling lives locally in Pasadena.

Recently retired, Ann was employed in the mental health field since 1988. Initially, she worked as a psychotherapist in a community counseling center, later as a Children's Social Worker for the Department of Children and Family Services. For the last twenty-odd years she served as a clinician in Family Court in Los Angeles. Ann says, "What drew me to the Foster Care Project were experiences I had as a DCFS social worker, where I witnessed how children were affected by removal from their parents' care. I saw how families could benefit from the DCFS recommendations which helped the family solve the issue that created the need for intervention. I also saw how important it is for children in foster care to have access to opportunities for enrichment experiences like sports or art and music."

FCP Steering Committee member Rosemary Hyde has known Ann for more than a decade. Rosemary describes her friend and former Family Court colleague as, "Smart, conscientious, energetic, and well-equipped to put people quickly at ease." She adds, "Annie and her wealth of experience will enrich our program."

We are excited to welcome Ann Jopling to the Foster Care Project. We look forward to her ideas, expertise, and involvement as we work together to enhance the lives of children and families in our community.


12/1/2021


Foster Care Project Reaffirms: "You Can Count on Us in Times of Crisis"


As 2021 unfolds, we are heartened by the strides made in reducing the impact of Covid-19, but challenges continue, and the need for resources for our families remains high. Despite ongoing restrictions on outreach, Foster Care Project has been able to assist our three “adopted” DCFS caseworkers, respond to the needs of our families, and advocate for legislative improvement in the foster care system. We offer heartfelt thanks to our FCP supporters who continue to respond with commitment, helping to protect and transform the lives of our children. Here are some of the achievements made in the first half of this year:

79: Number of “Valentine’s bags” put together by the Adopt a Child Abuse Caseworker (ACAC) team and made possible by generous donors, who provided hygiene items, art supplies, toys, candy, and more.

123: Number of Easter baskets created with help from our FCP supporters, who supplied a variety of age- appropriate items for our infants, children, teens, and young adults. A special shout-out to Brownie Troop 70791, who donated 13 stuffed animals, toys, games, snacks, puzzles, and hygiene items.

5,800: Number of dollars donated by supporters for FCP’s annual Back-to-School Shopping Spree, which enabled our DCFS caseworkers to supervise purchases of shoes and clothing at Target for 30 children. Due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns, we were unable to involve our volunteer “personal shoppers” to assist the children, but we look forward to resuming the volunteer portion of this very popular activity next year.

75: Number of personalized backpacks received for children and youth on the caseloads of our DCFS caseworkers. Backpacks were stuffed with a plethora of school supplies, as well as hygiene items. Personalized goodies reflected such disparate themes as unicorns, rainbows, Dodgers, superheroes, music, sports, cars, and more.

3: Number of ACAC mentorships maintained in the first half of 2021 (with a college student, a young mother, and an 11-year- old boy) despite the restrictions engendered by the pandemic.

82: Number of tangible donations received from January through June 2021 (with an estimated value of $9,870), enabling the ACAC program to make targeted deliveries of diapers, groceries, gift cards, toys, books, clothing, handmade quilts, art supplies, and hygiene items to our children and families.

19: Number of legislative bills in Sacramento supported by FCP (via letter writing and phone campaigns) to improve and protect quality of life for at-risk young people. Examples of supported issues include: expanding community college campus-based support for students in foster care; funding housing programs to assist former foster and probation youth; and creating a “blind removal” strategy to reduce racial disparities in decision- making about whether to separate children from their families.


10/29/2021


In Memoriam

The Art of Caring: Jay Belloli (1944-2021)

By Anne Riffenburgh

Once again, Jay Belloli had worked his organizational magic: the Foster Care Project's 2018 Art Show exhibit bustled with energy as visitors examined the professionally displayed artwork and engaged with the young participants, many of whom were eagerly discussing their work and basking in the glow of recognition. Still, Jay was worried. It was 11:00 a.m. and most of the artwork had sold, with the exception of one piece—a quirky pencil drawing of a cartoon character. The teen creator of the piece hovered nearby, bottom lip trembling; tears not far away. Jay noticed. Acting quickly, he approached one of the attendees and explained the situation. Could she help?

This interaction was quintessential Jay—his attentiveness, empathy, decisiveness, and profound kindness fully on display, an integral part of his being.

Jay Belloli's love of art, commitment to social justice, and attention to the needs of others was apparent early on. In 1970, while studying art history at UC Berkeley, he created the iconic anti-war poster, "Amerika is Devouring Its Children"in protest of the U.S. bombing of Cambodia. In his long career as an art and astronomy curator, Jay developed numerous art collections, advised and encouraged budding artists (as well as more seasoned ones), and coordinated many contemporary art books. A luminous figure in the art world nationally, as well as locally, Jay served for 20 years as exhibitions director for Pasadena's Armory Center for the Arts.

Jay was a valued part of the All Saints Community. For more than two decades, he brought his can-do energy and joyful spirit to many facets of church life. Jay participated as a member of the Foster Care Project from 2010 -2021 and served as its Chair in 2013. Jay never wavered in his commitment to improve the lives of vulnerable children. He established and organized nine annual Art Shows to showcase the vibrant, original work of children and teens in foster care, many of whom were survivors of trauma. Jay understood that art can serve as a powerful avenue of expression and healing, a way to tell a story or convey an emotion when mere words are not enough.

And what of that piece of art at the 2018 Art Show that failed to sell? Well, within moments of Jay's entreaty, the attendee had pulled out her credit card and purchased the piece. Then she sought out the young artist, who chatted happily about her love of art and drawing. Jay stood nearby, beaming.

The next time life calls out to you--"Can you help?”—you might recall the example of this warm and generous man, who never hesitated to serve or to gently press others into service. A fitting tribute might be the response, "Why, yes. Yes, I can."

And somewhere Jay will be beaming.


10/21/2021


Randall Trice Pays It Forward "As an African-American male and former foster youth, I wasn't supposed to amount to anything in life." –Randall Trice

Few things are more satisfying than believing in oneself and making dreams come true. Proving the naysayers wrong is the icing on the cake. In 2020, Randall Trice received his Master of Social Work degree from Azusa Pacific University. Today, this 31-year-old father of two is employed by The People Concern and works with the homeless population in Los Angeles County, providing mental health services. He is also the founder and executive director of Shoes4Grades, which offers new shoes to children as an incentive "to excel in school, enjoy the learning experience, and become life-long learners." The innovative non-profit allows any K-12 student to receive a pair of shoes when their cumulative grade point average improves by 5% or they maintain a 3.50 GPA.

Randall's experiences have shaped the man he is today and spurred his commitment to help others thrive. Of his early life, he has written:

"As a young child growing up in poverty, my goal was only to survive. Surviving in the streets that catered to my mother's addictions. Surviving in the neighborhood that builds you strong enough to threaten anyone who disses you, yet breaks your spirit and re- minds you that dreaming of opportunity is a fool's game. Born into a system that manifests failure, questions your existence, and implies success is short-lived for people like you [us], if it comes at all. Succeeding was never my goal; preparing for a possible opportunity was."

The road to finding those opportunities was not an easy one. Randall's bio, which appears on the Shoes4Grades webpage, contains this summary of his childhood and obstacles he faced:

"Randall entered the foster care system at age nine, when his brother was born addicted to crack cocaine. He lived with seven other children in the care of an overwhelmed grandmother. He was burdened by the stigma that emanates from the label "foster" and bullied for wearing hand- me-down clothing and shoes, cast off by older boys in the home. Randall struggled to find the motivation to do well academically. He had enough self- awareness to know that, if he wanted his life to be different, he needed to start thinking differently. He started taking school more seriously to break the pattern of being just another foster kid who would never amount to anything. He was determined to prove those who doubted him wrong..."

At age 18, Randall began participating in Youth Moving On ( YMO), a transitional program for youth leaving foster care. There he met Beth Gertmenian, a longtime Foster Care Project member who had started a mentoring program at YMO. The two quickly established a rapport. In a 2019 interview, Randall noted, "Beth has been a strong supporter and motivator for me since I was a young man at YMO. She saw the potential I had of gaining a greater future and living a successful life before I even dreamed about [such] a life... I am not only lucky but grateful to have met someone like Beth, who cares enough about my future to invest their time and love into my success." Despite his success, Randall Trice remains humble. And he remembers. He remembers the boy he once was. He remembers the pain and indignity of growing up as a foster youth in pov- erty. He remembers what it's like to feel "less-than." He has channeled that remembrance into wanting something more for this generation of children, many of whom face struggles similar to his own. By establishing Shoes4Grades, Randall has made an investment in the promise and potential of these young people. He hopes the students will work hard to earn the shoes and build the confidence that comes from doing well academically. He hopes the men- toring piece of the program will provide opportunities for them to blossom in the light of a caring adult.

Foster Care Project salutes Randall Trice for his commitment to paying it forward. We applaud his efforts to build bright and better futures for the children in our midst.

"I am here to show you that with self- determination and believing in yourself, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Dream big and trust in the process." --Randall Trice, Founder of Shoes4Grades

Photo: Jeff Cay