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Finding hope in unexpected places by Jeff vonKaenel
j e ffv @ne w s re v i e w . c o m
Last week, in Ventura, I met with The I am writing this column on Easter ARC of Ventura County, which has been Sunday 2019. Today, in churches all across providing services for people with mental Sacramento and, for that matter, all over disabilities for 65 years. A young man told the world, ministers are delivering a special us that his disability had often made message on love and hope. him feel inferior, but that his thoughts I heard such a sermon at Trinity and feelings were taken seriously while Episcopal Church. The core message working at ARC. It was a joy to see the was that where there is love, there is faces around the table light up as they also hope—hope that things can and listened to his story. will get better. In Riverside last week, I met with Over the last several years, I have Riverside County Department of been regularly hearing a similar Child Support Services, which message in unexpected locaarranges to have separated tions—gray, functional parents pay for child government offices. support. Agencies like Gathered around a Where there is this are conducting conference table, I will love, there is also some of the most meet with a dozen or hope—hope that important anti-poverty so government employwork in the country. ees, to brainstorm things can and will As I heard from each the content for their get better. person around the table, upcoming eight-page they all were so proud of publication. how their work is helping The N&R Publications families, especially the kids. division has produced more N&R Publications has produced than 450 publications for government publications on suicide prevention, and nonprofit agencies. At our prelimiMedi-Cal, food stamps, veterans nary meeting, we ask them many quesservices, recycling, mosquito control, tions to understand what they are doing education and more. At so many of and why, to get to the heart and soul of these organizations, we find a core what they are doing. group of people who care and bring When we worked with Sacramento love to their work. County Child Protective Services, we Meeting these people has given me produced a publication about the departhope—that we can make things better, that ment’s innovative “resource families” with love and determination we can provide concept, in which CPS recruits foster better services, more housing, improved parents who will work together with the schools and that we can safeguard the biological parents for the benefit of the environment. I have spent more than 1,000 children. Because most foster children hours packaging up the love of human eventually go back to biological parents beings who happen to be government and or family members, the primary goal of nonprofit staff into eight-page publications. the resource family is to provide love It has made me a believer. and support to the child going through I believe that we can solve problems. a rough time. Talking with the CPS And that this process begins with love. Ω staff, it was clear how much they cared for the kids. They were happy for the kids’ successes and took their setbacks hard. Without love, and without hope, Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority there would be no reason to do such a owner of the News & Review. challenging job.
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