Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to k MET fourteen ninety am ABC News Radio
in the Southern California Business Report with the Vett Walker,
a show dedicated to highlighting successful Southern California businesses and
the people behind there.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome and thank you for joining Southern California Business Report
on ABC News and talks k MET fourteen ninety AM,
ninety eight point one APPM and KMAT TV. I'm e
Vett Walker, live blasting our signal from the center of
Southern California, serving a population of over twenty five million.
Get us crystal clear and on demand by downloading the
free live streaming app on Google Play and the Apple
(00:41):
App Store. As always, a huge shout out to the
team Mitch, Bill and Sean I love you guys, and
tour special advisory committee that can be found at www
dot scbr talk dot com Forward Slash Advisory Committee. Click
on the link and learn about the amazing leaders doing
(01:04):
the work and of course speaking of leaders. On today,
Election Day, which also I celebrate five years conducting a
program on the air which I'm absolutely proud of and
thrilled to introduce. From surviving cycles of poverty and abuse
to becoming a beacon of hope. Caesar Navarete has devoted
(01:25):
over twenty years to transforming lives in the Inland Empire.
As President and CEO of Children's Fund, he breaks destructive
cycles through compassion and partnership, providing opportunity and hope for
vulnerable youth and families. Previously, Caesar led Court appointed Special
Advocates or CASA of San Bernardino County and climbed the
(01:48):
ranks at Family Service Association. Guided by mentors and his
own resilient spirit, Caesar has built a legacy of empowerment
rooted in personal experience. His journey proved start with mentorship, compassion,
and unwavering resolve true change is possible. Caesar holds degrees
(02:08):
in Criminal Justice and public administration from California University, California
State University of Sam Bernardino CSUSB, GO Coyotes. Thank you
so much for being with us today, Caesar.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Thank you Avin. I'm so happy to be here just
to share information, but glad to be here with you
and congratulation in your anniversary. Five years.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's great, Yes, five years sharing and uplifting the stories
of those that are making a true impact in our community,
which is why I'm absolutely thrilled to highlight you. And
we'll start with the first topic, which is you know
your journey story. That's what I like to start off
my guests with, just to give us a little perspective
and some insight as to your journey. So, Caesar, growing up,
(02:53):
what experiences or role models first awakened your awareness of childhood,
vulnerability and social responsibility?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And that's a hard story to tell. I think it's
been years where I've gone comfortable and used my own
personal story to empower others. I think looking at my
own childhood and the challenges that I face, first generation
go to college, struggling family, immigrants from Mexico and not
(03:25):
knowing any different right, having the struggles of barriers with language,
with finding job opportunities, and those are stressors that all
of our families face today, and so we were no different.
Those stresses led over to our home and our life.
And my father was alcoholic than drug addicted and abusive,
and so the challenge there was how do how does
(03:49):
this family? How does my mom find support?
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
And my mom found strength in our community. She was
able to find resources and I had no idea. Who
didn't realize what we were doing? Or where we were going.
All I knew is my mom is going to take
us to stand in this line and get a box
of food. Right every week we would get fresh bread,
get some can goods and eggs and milk, and send
(04:15):
line get a box of food. Every single week. For
the holidays, we were stand in another line to get
gifts for the holidays. So that was always exciting for
me opening up a brand new present, even during summer
break and getting ready for the school year, standing another
line to get a brand new pair of clothing. And
so at that moment in time, I never realized that
(04:36):
I am a product of nonprofit sector. I'm a product
of the generosity of volunteers of organizations who go out
of the way to really help children and families who
are struggling. And so today, looking back at all those
those challenges and struggles, I'm very fortunate and blessed to
be in the position I'm in today to get back
(04:57):
knowing that if I didn't get that support, I wouldn't
be here today. So being in this role in position
allows me the opportunity to connect with those little Caesars
and those little young ladies and young men who are
going to grow up to be important leaders or community.
So so my gold will is just to give them
some hope to look in somebody out there that does
(05:20):
care about them, and there's opportunities. I have both internal
scars and scars on my body of the abuse that
that went on, but overall now used that as as
a as a strength. I think I always tell a
story when I talk to a lot of our youth nowadays,
that our anger frustration only takes us so far. So
(05:44):
I know growing up, I was angry. I was going
the wrong direction. I was frustrated, getting into fights and
just doing things that that a child shouldn't be doing.
And it was because I was angry all the time.
But I used that anger frustration, uh, and that led
me to college. And I went to college really because
(06:04):
I wanted to learn about the criminal justice system to
understand how my father kept getting out of jail. So
I was a little naive at the time. That was
my motivation is too, I have to learn, you know,
the law, I have to run the system and figure
out why this man keeps getting out of jail. And
during that process is where I had a lot of growth.
I was an opportunity to be an avid tutor and
(06:27):
shared my story in the classroom through art. I like
to draw and paint and told them about my background
and then what I'm doing today at that time was
I was in college getting ready to graduate. And that's
when I noticed the power of my words. When I
noticed that the kids that I was working with were
in middle school here in San Manadino, at King Middle
(06:49):
School in Shanning Hills Middle School. They asked me questions
and they gravitated towards me, and after my talk, a
couple of them and I remember one my name, his
name was Friends School, was pouring his heart out and
was crying and told me that he's going through the
same thing and that seeing me up there inspired him
(07:11):
to go to school, continue to go to school and
get a job. And right then and there, everything changed.
And I always tell the youth that we work with
that you know, hate can only take you so far.
It's it's hope that you need. Right. Hope is the
I think, probably the strongest emotion that we can have
because it helps carrying you through tough times. So during
(07:34):
my time in college, I was angry and I used frustration.
I used fear and anger to get me all the
way to college, but that can only get you so far.
When I started living for others, that's when when things
changed and I was happy. I saw I can make
a difference in a change, and I continue that direction.
I all my roles and throughout my starting career in
(07:58):
college have always been and the nonprofit sector. And again
I never really thought about it, but looking back, I
was a summer camp counselor, I was an after school
program coordinator. I worked at a community center, so I
never had a retailed job. I think the only job
I had was a six flags match Mountain once for
about a year and a half. But everything after that
was all related to helping our kids and our youth
(08:21):
achieve their goals. So I am a living testament to
not just the services that are available, but also the
generosity of volunteers and donors when they really never know
what the outcome is. Right we give, We volunteer in
the hopes that we will make a difference and we
will never know. I wish I could go back and
(08:42):
think all those individuals that really helped both who I
am today, to let them know that their support was
appreciated and to keep moving forward, keep doing the same
thing because although you will never know, that impact makes
a big difference. For me, I went years into that
little light bulb clar my head and I said, oh, okay,
I get it now. This is this is my call
(09:04):
and this is what I need to do. So I
use all of my experiences as a source of strength
to be able to help the next generation.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Such a powerful testimony and journey to arriving to where
you are today, where you're able to transform so many lives.
But first, Caesar, tell us about that first light that
shone up and illuminated your mind and your heart to say, wow,
I can really you know, attach myself and I resonate
(09:33):
with this change that I'm able to make, this positive change,
transforming this frustration, this anger, and this sphere into hope
and light and encouragement for others. Can you take us
back to that moment? Can you do you remember when
it was and what that was?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
It was it was literally on that presentation that I
did for the Avid students because I froze and I
did see my life lash before. It's funny looking back,
got it. I did see it where everything that I
went through kind of led me to this point, and
I saw that I was helping this youth who could
(10:10):
well have been myself at that time, and I saw
the power both but if I didn't step in and intervene,
that he was going to go in the raw direction.
So right then and there, I made a commitment to
myself that I would use my voice and my experience
to help wherever I could. And so after that, I
became a guest speaker in several classes, which I didn't
(10:34):
think about or didn't even consider as an optional opportunity,
because the teacher for the classroom then referred me over
to the next classroom, the next grade, and next grade,
and so interesting. I ended up doing a couple of
rounds with different middle schools. And it's nothing that I
expected to do or I wanted to do, but I
felt compelled to do it. And even to this day,
I still get nervous talking about my story, of sharing
(10:56):
my story, but when I'm around kids, it's different. With
the mountain around them, I feel very comfortable sharing my
story to when I'm sharing it with the general like
here I am today sharing it here to the public,
and that's that's that's a little challenging, just because I
don't just like our kids, I don't. We don't want
to be seen as vulnerable or needing help. We want
to be seen as individuals that we just need a
(11:20):
little bit of guidance and support. I think one of
the youth that I worked with recently said at the
best is where where she used to be referenced as
the starfish. If we all know that story about the starfish,
where where you know starfish, there's thousands of starfish on
the beach, and there's one child that's taking on starfish
(11:42):
and throwing it back and throwing it back and throw
one child at a time. And so what this girl
wanted to be referred to as was not a starfish
because she didn't want to be saved. She rather thought
herself as a plant. A plant then needs a little
bit of light, you know, a little bit of a
little bit of water, a little bit a bit of
guidance so that her vine can grow up strong and
(12:04):
not to the floor. And so hearing her say that
again resonated with me, because that really is what a
lot of our families and our kids need today, is
that they need that support in different aspects when they're
struggling because they need that guidance. They need a little
bit of sunlight. They need love, support, opportunity, hope, everything
to come through. So that's something that when I heard
(12:26):
her say, that really resonated with me, and I use
that to this day to share it with our kids
so they can see things in a different perspective that
all of our kids have that opportunity, they just need
a little bit of support.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Absolutely, what a beautiful story of that cultivation right where
it's not that you're throwing them to be rescued, but
just giving them that little extra support to cultivate and
encourage and to bear witness to something that can happen
when somebody offers just a little bit of support, a
little bit of care, and a little bit of hope.
And I have to say, Caesar, that vulnerability, in my mind,
(13:01):
and I'm sure in many people's minds, takes a lot
of courage, right, and it shows a very deep compassion
and framework for your philosophy and how it is you
are moving forward in your work and serving these kids
throughout San Manandino County, which by the way, is the
largest county in the country by square miles and only growing.
(13:24):
So you definitely have your work cut out for you, Caesar.
With that said, Caesar, let's talk about when you first
learned about the Children's Fun And It's it's kind of
obvious to see what drew you to its mission, but
what first inspired you to pursue this position now as
President and CEO of the Children's Fun.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
So, in Cebu County, I served as executive director for
cost of corpor Special Advocates for about eight years the
position became available and open, and I've actually I saw
two different seas during my tenure at CASSA. So I
had partnered with Children's Fund on several different occasions. What
appealed to me about Children's Fund was that Children's Fund
(14:10):
works with all kids. So when I was at CASA,
I was working only with kids in foster care and
they needed support definitely. And I saw myself in the
rise because at any point in time, I could have been
removed from home and be placed in foster care. But
because I think looking back, I was quiet, reserved and
a good student, I think I went under the radar.
(14:32):
But I had all the signs right. I had the bumps,
I had the bruises, the bad hygiene, the clothes that
didn't fit everything that you see are there are red flags.
I had them, but because I was quiet and a
good student, I was overlooked. So I saw an opportunity
for our to work with our kids and help in
any way that I can't And then, knowing what Children's
(14:55):
Fund does working with all kids, I saw an opportunity
where I can do a little bit of prevention work
also do some work with those kids who I like
to call them invisible like myself, who at any point
in time can be removed from home, whether it's because
of abuse and neglect, or can be a part of
the general justice system as well needing additional support. So
(15:17):
looking back at that opportunity, I really jumped on it
thinking that here's an opportunity to work. I can do
more good, and that's all I was thinking about, where
can I do more good? And so what made it
that much easier for me to transition over was because
working and being the CEO Children's Fund still allowed me
(15:38):
to work with kids in foster care, still allowed me
to work with Kasa, and so that was a really
for me because that's a publish that's near and dear
to my heart that I didn't want to forget. So
to this day we have great partial CASA. I continue
to work with a lot of our children in foster care.
We have programs dedicated just to kids in foster care,
but now I also have programs dedicated to kids, integal justice,
(16:02):
kids that are homeless, kids that are just experiencing poverty
or be some neglecting. And that's the part that gets
me excited to work with them and see their potential.
Pretty much unlock the potential is Michael, I see a
lot of tremendous opportunities for our kids so that they
see value themselves and continue to grow and want to
(16:25):
do more and hopefully give back.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
You know what I love about this platform is being
able to share and amplify the voice and the message.
But something you just said, I think you know deserves
a once over again, and that is the red flags,
the red flags that you can highlight. Can you share
some of those red flags within youth that adults in
(16:49):
everyday lives, aside from mandated reporters like teachers or physicians
or other people within the community, just everyday people can
learn and glean from when you know, in acting with
their neighbors, with their children's friends, what are some of
these red flags that we need to look out for
that tell us you know, this child, this youth needs help.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Aside from the main ones that we all know, like
the bumps and the bruises, the bad hygiene, the closet
doesn't fit, there's those other ones that we don't pay
attention to, like when there's a child that's very quiet
or reserved that keeps to themselves and we take it
as them being shy, but it's really there, they're protecting themselves.
But then we have on the other end where we
(17:35):
also have children who have outbursts because they don't know
how to control their emotions. That's also another big sign
of something going on in the home where where they
can't express their emotions and feelings at home, so they
find an outlet to be able to do that. So overall,
I mean, there really is no child or experience that's normal.
(18:00):
I think what's important as as an adult, as as
somebody that cares, is to look at every youth as
an individual and get to know them because they have
different personalities and and you will be able to tell
when they're they're acting not in not like the usual way,
all right, And That's why I think building a relationship
(18:23):
with our youth and our kids is very important so
they can open up, but also so you can learn
about some of the challenges that they're facing, because they
want disclosing, but they'll show you those emotions, they'll show
you how they're feeling throughout the day during the week.
So I just encourage everybody listening to to really look
at all of our kids. And again, these are kids
(18:45):
that are in our community, kids that we see in
our churches, in our schools, there are our friends kids.
They're all having challenges and and right now looking at
how how well everything that our kids are facing with technology,
with challenges with the economy and their families, you know,
(19:07):
not being able to make ends meet. Are our kids
here and listening in those feelings? Are They're consumed by
those feelings, So they are going to have outbursts, they
are going to have challenges, But there's a root cost.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Absolutely well. You know, as we know, Judge Patrick J.
Morris played a pivotal role in the founding of the
Children's Fund, which was established in nineteen eighty five, obviously
to serve at risk youth. How have you interpreted and
carried forward the original vision that was established in nineteen
(19:47):
eighty five.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
We haven't waivered from the original vision, which is which
is one thing that I enjoy and one of the
reasons why I gravitate towards children's foot We see our
services under three pillars. The first pillar is support and
that's where our emergency needs program, where all of our
flagship program is to ensure that we can help stabilize
(20:09):
our kids we're experiencing some sort of crisis. That's our
number one program, working with several different agencies and other
nonprofits to ensure that our kids have their basic needs met.
And then we have our opportunity pillar, which is all
about helping our kids and exposing them to new opportunities.
Once our kids are stabilized, they can start looking into
(20:30):
their future, start playing for the future, whether it's college, university,
or just doing better in school. So we have posted
under education scholarships, and then we have recreational scholarships, giving
all our kids an opportunity to explore their talents and
really enjoy whatever child I believe should enjoy, and that's
participating in outside activities in the school, sports and recreational
(20:50):
whether it stands are cheered whatever may be those opportunities,
and then we have our Hope programs, which is all
about giving our kids gifts, giving them gifts during the holidays,
for their birthdays, for monumental celebration moments in their life
like graduation, adoption day, any opportunity we have to celebrate
(21:12):
a child's successor alstone where they're to make sure that
they have a gift to open up.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Oh my goodness, that is absolutely beautiful and it's remarkable
because in nineteen eighty six jack H. Brown became the
Funds founding chairman. How has his leadership model influenced the
organization and your approach? By the way, for those that
may not know, jack H. Brown was also the former
CEO of State or Brothers. But also begs the question
(21:42):
and the importance of having those community leaders and stakeholders
that are really dedicated to uplifting the community. Speak to
that aspect, Caesar.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Yeah, Well, with Jackie H. Brown, I mean he was
a business leader. Our community with him was always about
serving others first, and so we carry that forward to
this day, ensuring that not just the youth that we
work with and the families that work with, but our staff,
our partners making sure that they have the resources they
(22:13):
need to be able to support the families who are
also in need. He provides. He prioritized profits, I'm sorry,
people over profits, right, and that's a huge one right,
looking at at the points of people who they are,
meeting them where they're at. He was an amazing leader
for organization and we're still connected to both stated brothers
(22:35):
and the Jack Brown the Jack H. Brown Family Foundation,
who continues supports to this day. He's just a living
legacy that was forever commemorated in all services and programs
that we do because it wasn't for him, If it
wasn't for Pat Morris and a Gary Anderson, children men
wouldn't be in place, and the one point seven million
(22:57):
lives that we've touched over the last forty years, we
wouldn't be able to do that. So we've made a
truitioning fact because of these amazing men who created something
to bring people to collaborate and support our most vulnerable children.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
That's absolutely beautiful and a testament to the importance of
you know, regardless of what sector you come from in
the community, if you are a pillar, if you are
a leader, we should all put others above ourselves and
make sure that we are investing in dedicating those efforts
to uplift our entire community and as you mentioned, put
people before profits. That's the key. Thank you so much
(23:36):
for that, Caesar. With that said, we are hitting on
a break. Ivette Walker with ABC News and Talks Southern
California Business Report. Once a child of poverty and abuse,
Caesar Navaretta now leads as President and CEO of Children's Fund,
turning his own pain into hope for the Inland empires
most vulnerable. For over twenty years, he's proven that resilience
(23:59):
and can passion can ignite a movement and real lasting change.
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Speaker 2 (27:17):
Welcome back everyone. Evette Walker with ABC News and Talks
Southern California Business Report. Once a child of poverty and abuse,
Caesar Navaretta now leads as president and CEO of Children's Fund,
turning his own pain into hope for the Inland Empire's
most vulnerable. For over twenty years, he's proven that resilience
and compassion can ignite a movement and real lasting change.
(27:41):
Thank you so much for being with us today, Caesar.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Thank you that it's the pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Perfect. So prior to the break, we spoke a little
bit about some of the founders that had established the
philosophy and the pillars of Children's Fund, and you know,
we started getting into the topic of how those needs
have evolved. Can you speak to how technology, social media,
the current state of events when we look at the
(28:07):
political landscape have contributed or impacted or compounded those dynamics
that lead to children suffering from behavioral health issues, possibly
mental health issues, and what it is Children's Fund does
to help navigate that and provide resources and tools to
(28:29):
overcome twenty first century challenges.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
So, looking at all the needs of our kids and
our community in our region, technology plays a big role
in that aspect because they have access to information at
their fingertips, but not just information. You're looking at posts
and influencers and what they believe in. Right and so
(28:57):
the challenge there is that it may not be all
correct and from right, and so because they may have influenced,
our youth are exposed to those same ideas and not
understanding fully what's going behind the scenes. Right, And the
biggest challenge for our kids is that they have these
(29:17):
tools where they have direct access to this information that
can be overall mean. I mean for us as adults,
it's challenging. Right, we watch the news, we hear a
lot of bad information current events, and for us it's
a lot. It takes a toll on our feelings and
our emotions and so the same thing, but it's augmented
for our children because they don't yet know how to
(29:40):
express themselves or deal with some of those challenges and feelings.
And so we see a lot of challenges with the
mental health of our kids that then become behavioral behavioral
health issues. And our main role working with our partners
is to make sure and ensure that their basic needs
are met. So our service delivery model is very unique
(30:03):
where we partner with over fifty plus agencies that are
include nonprofits, include county based organizations, school districts, faith based
organizations throughout San Berno county, and each of them has
a specific focus. Right. We have nonprofits and groups that
do case management, that do tutoring, that do mentoring, that
(30:28):
do therapy, that provide all sorts of services, but that's
their main priority, main focus. And so the challenge with
our organizations is that a lot of our nonprofits and
organizations have funding dollars that are strict to a particular service,
and so when they're doing case management, there's all different
types of needs that are that are that are exposed
(30:51):
and sometimes our partners can't meet all their needs because
they're restricted with those funding dollars. And that's where we
come in, because yes we do have government dollars, but
we also have private dollars that allows us to be
a bit more flexible. And while they can do the
case management and provide a direct service and the counseling,
(31:13):
it's those basic needs that all of our kids need
in order to be successful in their individual case management. So,
now give you an example. We have children that are
have receiving therapy either because of a bullion or because
they themselves has experienced abuse and neglect. And during those times,
(31:34):
there there's needs that the family have where the family
and may not have refrigerator, the child may not have
clothes or school supplies, or there's no food in the home,
or the child wants to experience some sort of activities
just to learn activity or to be distracted from what's
going on in the home. And so that's where we
can step in to provide that. And what that does
(31:56):
is it strengthens their plan and it strengthens services that
they were receiving with our partners, just to ensure that
there's success while they're doing the therapy. We then augment
those services with what we provide, whether it's basic needs services,
whether it's hope gifts, whether it's scholarships, just to make
(32:19):
sure that they have everything they need. But not just
the children with the families. We always say we focus
on serving children and their families. Our priority is the
kids in the home, and by partnering with agencies, we
strengthen both of our programs because we want the same thing.
We're just one piece of the puzzle, and we see
children's fill in as being a piece of the puzzle,
(32:41):
fitting in with all the great services and programs are
already available. So we don't doplicate services. We strengthen existing
services with our partners.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
So you mentioned earlier meeting children where they are, but
you also work alongside fifty service providers and stakeholders. Stakeholders,
how do you meet the children where they are? How
does that dynamic work within the community. Is that worked
through this through the various agencies that you work with,
or do you interface directly in the atmosphere where children
(33:12):
are both?
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Over the years, we've grown from being an agency that
excepts referrals to providing direct services. So we do have
programs that work directly with our kids and then give
an example or scholarship programs. So we have a couple
of endowments, one through or some of the member of
(33:34):
Ramos and his family. So we have the Ramos Family
in Dallas Scholarship program here and we awore about five
scholarships every single year for youth who had either been
in foster care or homeless or indigenous, and we work
with them directly to give them not just a scholarship,
but then work with them throughout the year to ensure
(33:56):
that all their needs are being met while they're in school.
And then we have the a Gary Understond In Dall
Scholarship that provides a little bit of over thirty thousand
dollars a year as well working with again at risk
populations that promise populations. I think one of the unique
aspects about these particular scholarships and scholarships that we focus
on are that their geared towards youth who don't necessarily
(34:21):
qualified academically for an academic scholarship because they were struggling,
because they were going through challenges and circumstances of abuse, poverty,
to n collect that school wasn't a priority for them.
But we know that with a little bit of support
and because they're resilient, that they just need that little
help and little guidance and a little bit of money
to get them through the school and give them that
(34:42):
opportunity that unfortunately, because of the challenges, they weren't able
to have. So our scholarships are geared toward that particular population,
All of our programs are geared toward that population. And
so looking at the services that we provide and how
we meet the kids where there are, we look at
our kids, our youth, our young adults and ask them
(35:04):
what is their biggest need. So our scholarships don't go
to a school, they go directly to the youth, the
young adult, because they know best where this money is
going to make the biggest impact. If that money is
going to be used to buy a car so they
can travel from home to school from work, that's going
to be a huge weight off their shoulders. If they
(35:24):
have to work late, right, and so they know exactly
where to those funds. If those funds will help them
secure housing, then by all means anything that's going to
help alleviate the concerns so they can be successful in school.
That's what we want to support our kids with.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Well, you know you mentioned earlier that Children's Fund has
supported nearly one point eight million children in San Bernanino
County its inception in nineteen eighty five. Caesar tell us,
how many children are you serving every year today? Is
that number growing, plateauing, shrinking? What does that look like?
Speaker 3 (36:05):
That number is definitely growing. I think this past year
we serviced over fifty almost iffy eight thousand kids. But
I don't like to what The way I like to
express it is, that's through partnerships.
Speaker 6 (36:18):
Right.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
We don't do anything alone, we don't do anything for ourselves.
We're able to achieve this large milestone and working in
partnership with all of our agencies, because together is how
we make this impact. We partner with them so that
we can meet need us identified and they then come
in and provide the services that they provide, whether it's
(36:40):
again because a tutoring, mental health counseling, providing food bank assistance,
whatever the case may be, it's through a partnership. So
our win is our region is our county win. We're
able to bring in those services that are much desperately
needed for a lot of our children, and in conjunction
of partnership with our schools, with our nonprofit partners, our
(37:03):
faith based partners, so it is with the eight thousand plus,
but the need is greater than that, because we see
it every single day. We get lots and lots of referrals.
But then in the back of my head, I'm thinking,
you know, there's a population that doesn't know that we
exist yet, but they're in need support. Right, there's a
(37:25):
population out in our region, in our community that's struggling
but doesn't know how to access resources. That's a whole
nother population that really looking forward to finding a way
in a solution, working collaborative with all of our profits
to our nonprofits and a count agencies to make sure
that we not only provide resources to these families, but
(37:48):
support because at the end of the day, access without
support is not opportunity for our kids, and so we
want to make sure that we help our families not
only access to the services available, but provide some support
and how to maintain and use their voice to let
us know where we can provide support and help. I
(38:10):
think using their voice is powerful, and we want to
make sure that our children and our families are empowered
to let us know the service providers know where they
need help. Rather than us giving them the help that
we think they need, we need them to let us
know what support they need.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Again, as you mentioned, the philosophy of meeting them where
they are and letting them tell you what they need
versus you telling them what you think they need. And
with nearly sixty thousand children that you've served, that is
a tremendous number that you say is growing since you
(38:50):
becoming president and CEO of Children's Fund, is there a story.
Is there a moment one of these children that you've
served that really stands out in your mind and serves
as a testimony to your collaborative effort with yourself, your staff,
your fifty stakeholders that are also nonprofit organizations collaborating alongside you.
(39:12):
Is there one? Are there a few? Is there something
that stands out to you about a child that you
have been able to help.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
There are several stories and it's hard to choose one
to highlight, but the one that comes to mind right
now is of a family in the youth. But when
we look at how our programs are structured and between support,
opportunity to hope and how those promole are structured, we
had a family that within one year walked through every
(39:39):
single program, which is what we want to do because
if you want to provide as much service support as possible.
So we had a family that was homeless. Unfortunately, there
was a loss in the family. The father passed away
and the mother had a job, but she was a
cafeteria worker, so this was during summertime. So unfortunately this
(40:00):
happened during the same time during summertime, so there was
an income and coming in the home. So they were displaced,
they were evicted and they ended up living in their car.
Through our partnership, we the family came to us UH
and right away we put them in safe housing in
a hotel hotel. They had one child who was six
(40:24):
seventeen at the time or sixteen about seventeen at the time,
uh uh and for him he was what we call
selected a meet because of the trauma. Uh And so
well after his father had passed away, this this yeah,
youth wouldn't speak to anybody, and so so right away
we had to connect them through our partners, through resources
(40:46):
to start receiving some counseling. And so after four months
we were able to find a secure placement. So they
were in a in a long extended state hotel for
about three months. When the month was over, we found
secure housing for them. And the good news is that
that school was back in sessions. So the mother had
(41:08):
a job. But we did help her to get promoted
within her job, which was great. So now she wouldn't
that would have happened to her again the following year.
But going back to the youth, the youth started to speak,
was doing a little bit better, and there was opportunity.
So through our partnership with a Jack H. Brown Family Foundation,
(41:31):
we provide a summer camp scholarships to a leadership camp
that specifically designed for youth be teenagers of fifteen to eighteen,
so looking at the high school youth, and so we
encouraged him to participate at in and he didn't want
to go. He just nod and said no, no, no,
no no. But we encouraged him and didn't stop trying.
(41:52):
We kept asking and asking until one day he said, okay,
I want to go, and so we took him shopping
and got everything that he needed, everything from from the
swimwear to a backpack to the sleeping pajamas, sleeping bag, tent,
everything that was on the list for every youth that
(42:14):
needs to go to summer camp had so that he
wouldn't worry about not taking in and have everything. And
so he was there for a week and we're not
allowed to connect with the summer camp to see how
they're doing. It's purposely designed that way. When he came back,
it was a different person. He was talking excited, and
(42:35):
then when we asked how he did at the camp,
he actually sang. So I never knew he knew how
to sing or wanted to sing or even had a voice.
He sang their national anthem at some event that they had.
So there, it just shows you with little support, how
our kids can just flourish, right, they could just thrive
(42:56):
and bloom, right, And so that happened. And then the
following year, UH, he was in a graduate from high school,
so we had a scholarship waiting for him to go
to Calsey Samaradino. So right there, within a two year span,
we were able to meet the family at every point
of their life, right everywhere, beginning with with them being
(43:19):
in homeless and extremeity crisis of the way to creating
opportunities for this young man, uh, and then seeing them
become an adult and going to Post again education school
and in college. So that was a unique story because
we saw within two years and the vision that that
we have for all of our families that we can
(43:39):
walk through them as they grow into adulthood with services.
So so that was that was a story that I'll
forever remember.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Oh my goodness, that's so touching and so beautiful. And
I know we have listeners that are listening that are
parents with dynamics, schedules, empty nesters, retirees, and they all
want to know how can they help. What are some
of the ways that you would encourage them to reach
out and help, Whether it be through volunteering, support, financial,
(44:09):
anything and everything. What say you to these people listening today.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
We can all play a role in helping our kids
and our families. I think if we look at our lives,
I think to an extent, we are all blessed to
be where we're at. We've all struggled and had challenges
and we can find just a little bit to be
able to give back. And so here being the CEO
Children's Fund, That's what I'm looking for for the future,
(44:35):
for our kids and our young adults that we've helped,
that they can one day pay that back, pay that
forward to the next generation. So if you have some
free time, if you have resources, Children's Fund is always
in need of volunteers to come in and support our kids.
We're always in need of resources where there's financial contributions
(44:58):
or in kind gifts that are new that we can
then share with our families who are need. But I'll
go step further because it's not just Children's Fund, It's
it's nonprofits across our region. Because I can attest to
being a product and nonprofit sector that if it wasn't
for volunteers, I wouldn't be where I am today. So
if you have a passion for helping a family or
(45:22):
a child, or an elderly person or a senior citizen,
or just have a passion for helping others, I encourage
you to look do research on Google and find a
nonprofit in your area to make it easy to start volunteering,
to provide support, to join their board, to become a
(45:43):
recurring donor, so that way this every nonprofit can have
a pool of donors that have unrestricted funds so they
can meet the needs of the families that go through
their doors and not worry about where am I going
to find the funding to support this family. So if
you can do that, I think our world would be
a much better place knowing that we are all contributing
(46:06):
to making it better, to helping the next generation.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
Absolutely absolutely, Caesar and I know that Children's Fund conducts
some events. Are there any we should be marking our
calendars for.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
We have several events coming up, one that I want
to share with you. It's more a volunteer opportunity. So
right now, we started our Celebration of Giving campaign. Last year,
we distributed over thirty thousand gifts and this is a
partnership between Sparka Love and Sabrido County Fire where for
the next month and a half we are collecting toys,
(46:40):
so you'll see boxes. We have several different corporations that
are having hosting toy drives. So if you're interested and
want to host a toy drive in your corporation and
your business, or your ministry or your family, I can
tell you right now that we are probably about fifteen
thousand toys short last year, and I know the need
(47:02):
is gonna get greater. So even distributing thirty eight plus
thousand gifts, the need is still great. And so there's
two opportunities. One of them is helping us collect toys
hosting the drive, and the other opportunity is that we
need to volunteers. So you can imagine we have this
large warehouse where within two weeks between beginning of December
(47:25):
to right before Christmas, we have hundreds of volunteers in
our warehouse sorting all these gifts. We sort them by
age and by gender, and then we have another group
of volunteers that come in and start filling orders. So
you have the opportunity to act like an elf, right
to come over to the Santa's Workshop and start filling
(47:48):
these orders for nonprofits. So all these toys are going
back to our community because what we do is through
our partnerships, we support all the agency, all the community
events in our region that have their own holiday events.
So chances are that if you see a toy distribution
event or holiday event your community these next month, that
(48:10):
they received some or most of the toys from Children's
Foot But more than that, it's from Sparkle Love, It's
from County Fire, it's from you, the people who have
donated toys. That's where's going is going back into the region,
back into the community. So there's several different efforts out
there that are helping making sure to bring a little
(48:31):
joy this holiday season. And I remember being one of
those kids sending a line to open up a gift
during the holiday season. And I remember one year I
really wanted a teenage media turtle right and then those
way back then, and I didn't get it, but I
did get a toy. I got a stuffed animal that
(48:52):
was at a gizmo from the Grimlins. So that's what
I opened up and I was still happy to receive it.
I I played with it, sad it was actually figuring
I beat it up, but it was still a toy
that I was grateful to have. Even if it wasn't
exactly what I wanted, it was still something that brought
a lot of joys to me. And so that's how
I view things that we can never read the minds
(49:14):
of our kids, and we do our best to give
them a gift that they can open up and be
happy to hold and play with.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Well, we are coming up to the end of our conversation,
but I still have another question, Caesar. What is the
best way to connect with you? And if you could
address every child and family you've served, what message would
you want them to remember from the Children's Fund?
Speaker 3 (49:41):
The best way to get a hold of us because
we have sort of programs and campaigns going out throughout
the year. I mentioned the toy drive, that's just one
of them. But we'll be celebrating our fortyth the Versary
this coming year in October, So a lot of opportunities
to support our efforts would be to go to our
website to see because we have various program to see
where your heart lies and see where you might want
(50:02):
to get involved. So our website is www dot Children's
Fund dot com and the only thing. Like I mentioned earlier,
that the reason why I do what I do is
because I want for the next generation to keep doing
what I do. Right, So there's there's and I've run
(50:24):
into so many kids and recipients who are now adults.
We even had board members who were once scholarship recipients
on our board who our testaments and now are giving back.
That's my ultimate goal is that for all of our
listeners out there who were one way connected Children's from
whether they're recipient or a volunteer or partnered with us,
(50:45):
the goal is that we continue to share that message
of giving back, of finding it a way to support
the insturation, so that we can create that that fire
in them, so they can want to give back because
of the the benefits that they received in and just
how they reviewed as individuals with an opportunity. So we
(51:06):
want to be able to give those same opportunities to
somebody else.
Speaker 2 (51:09):
Caesar, thank you so much for being a testament to
the transformation of anger, sadness, frustration, and fear into now
embodying and carrying the banner of hope, light, love, and
encouragement and serving so many in our community and beyond.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
Thank you so much, Caesar, thank you for some mudsys opportunity.
I'm grateful and happy to be a part of this,
and please reach out to us and see how you
can spread some cheer this holiday season.
Speaker 2 (51:41):
You got it, Caesar. For everybody listening, don't forget to
find us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Don't miss
my conversation with Josie Gonzalez, San Barandino County's trailblazing Assessor, Recorder,
County Clerk, and archiver who has reshaped public service with
visionary leadership. The first Latina to serve on both Fontana
(52:04):
City Council and the Board of Supervisors, Gonzales champions fairness, modernization,
and outreach. Her legacy defined by compassion, integrity, and relentless
advocacy for every resident she serves. Next week, Doctor Eileen
Dingjian an architect of community health and visionary leader for
(52:25):
just powerful alliances that bridge education and equity across sectors.
With the legacy of innovation workforce driven programs, she transforms
healthcare futures for underserved youth. Alongside her Cyrus stands as
a catalyst for progress, each amplifying the other's impact. Together,
they redefine what's possible in regional health and opportunity. You
(52:47):
do not want to miss it.
Speaker 5 (52:49):
We will see you all next week.
Speaker 4 (53:04):
The
Welcome to k MET fourteen ninety am ABC News Radio
in the Southern California Business Report with the Vett Walker,
a show dedicated to highlighting successful Southern California businesses and
the people behind there.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome and thank you for joining Southern California Business Report
on ABC News and talks k MET fourteen ninety AM,
ninety eight point one APPM and KMAT TV. I'm e
Vett Walker, live blasting our signal from the center of
Southern California, serving a population of over twenty five million.
Get us crystal clear and on demand by downloading the
free live streaming app on Google Play and the Apple
(00:41):
App Store. As always, a huge shout out to the
team Mitch, Bill and Sean I love you guys, and
tour special advisory committee that can be found at www
dot scbr talk dot com Forward Slash Advisory Committee. Click
on the link and learn about the amazing leaders doing
(01:04):
the work and of course speaking of leaders. On today,
Election Day, which also I celebrate five years conducting a
program on the air which I'm absolutely proud of and
thrilled to introduce. From surviving cycles of poverty and abuse
to becoming a beacon of hope. Caesar Navarete has devoted
(01:25):
over twenty years to transforming lives in the Inland Empire.
As President and CEO of Children's Fund, he breaks destructive
cycles through compassion and partnership, providing opportunity and hope for
vulnerable youth and families. Previously, Caesar led Court appointed Special
Advocates or CASA of San Bernardino County and climbed the
(01:48):
ranks at Family Service Association. Guided by mentors and his
own resilient spirit, Caesar has built a legacy of empowerment
rooted in personal experience. His journey proved start with mentorship, compassion,
and unwavering resolve true change is possible. Caesar holds degrees
(02:08):
in Criminal Justice and public administration from California University, California
State University of Sam Bernardino CSUSB, GO Coyotes. Thank you
so much for being with us today, Caesar.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Thank you Avin. I'm so happy to be here just
to share information, but glad to be here with you
and congratulation in your anniversary. Five years.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's great, Yes, five years sharing and uplifting the stories
of those that are making a true impact in our community,
which is why I'm absolutely thrilled to highlight you. And
we'll start with the first topic, which is you know
your journey story. That's what I like to start off
my guests with, just to give us a little perspective
and some insight as to your journey. So, Caesar, growing up,
(02:53):
what experiences or role models first awakened your awareness of childhood,
vulnerability and social responsibility?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And that's a hard story to tell. I think it's
been years where I've gone comfortable and used my own
personal story to empower others. I think looking at my
own childhood and the challenges that I face, first generation
go to college, struggling family, immigrants from Mexico and not
(03:25):
knowing any different right, having the struggles of barriers with language,
with finding job opportunities, and those are stressors that all
of our families face today, and so we were no different.
Those stresses led over to our home and our life.
And my father was alcoholic than drug addicted and abusive,
and so the challenge there was how do how does
(03:49):
this family? How does my mom find support?
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
And my mom found strength in our community. She was
able to find resources and I had no idea. Who
didn't realize what we were doing? Or where we were going.
All I knew is my mom is going to take
us to stand in this line and get a box
of food. Right every week we would get fresh bread,
get some can goods and eggs and milk, and send
(04:15):
line get a box of food. Every single week. For
the holidays, we were stand in another line to get
gifts for the holidays. So that was always exciting for
me opening up a brand new present, even during summer
break and getting ready for the school year, standing another
line to get a brand new pair of clothing. And
so at that moment in time, I never realized that
(04:36):
I am a product of nonprofit sector. I'm a product
of the generosity of volunteers of organizations who go out
of the way to really help children and families who
are struggling. And so today, looking back at all those
those challenges and struggles, I'm very fortunate and blessed to
be in the position I'm in today to get back
(04:57):
knowing that if I didn't get that support, I wouldn't
be here today. So being in this role in position
allows me the opportunity to connect with those little Caesars
and those little young ladies and young men who are
going to grow up to be important leaders or community.
So so my gold will is just to give them
some hope to look in somebody out there that does
(05:20):
care about them, and there's opportunities. I have both internal
scars and scars on my body of the abuse that
that went on, but overall now used that as as
a as a strength. I think I always tell a
story when I talk to a lot of our youth nowadays,
that our anger frustration only takes us so far. So
(05:44):
I know growing up, I was angry. I was going
the wrong direction. I was frustrated, getting into fights and
just doing things that that a child shouldn't be doing.
And it was because I was angry all the time.
But I used that anger frustration, uh, and that led
me to college. And I went to college really because
(06:04):
I wanted to learn about the criminal justice system to
understand how my father kept getting out of jail. So
I was a little naive at the time. That was
my motivation is too, I have to learn, you know,
the law, I have to run the system and figure
out why this man keeps getting out of jail. And
during that process is where I had a lot of growth.
I was an opportunity to be an avid tutor and
(06:27):
shared my story in the classroom through art. I like
to draw and paint and told them about my background
and then what I'm doing today at that time was
I was in college getting ready to graduate. And that's
when I noticed the power of my words. When I
noticed that the kids that I was working with were
in middle school here in San Manadino, at King Middle
(06:49):
School in Shanning Hills Middle School. They asked me questions
and they gravitated towards me, and after my talk, a
couple of them and I remember one my name, his
name was Friends School, was pouring his heart out and
was crying and told me that he's going through the
same thing and that seeing me up there inspired him
(07:11):
to go to school, continue to go to school and
get a job. And right then and there, everything changed.
And I always tell the youth that we work with
that you know, hate can only take you so far.
It's it's hope that you need. Right. Hope is the
I think, probably the strongest emotion that we can have
because it helps carrying you through tough times. So during
(07:34):
my time in college, I was angry and I used frustration.
I used fear and anger to get me all the
way to college, but that can only get you so far.
When I started living for others, that's when when things
changed and I was happy. I saw I can make
a difference in a change, and I continue that direction.
I all my roles and throughout my starting career in
(07:58):
college have always been and the nonprofit sector. And again
I never really thought about it, but looking back, I
was a summer camp counselor, I was an after school
program coordinator. I worked at a community center, so I
never had a retailed job. I think the only job
I had was a six flags match Mountain once for
about a year and a half. But everything after that
was all related to helping our kids and our youth
(08:21):
achieve their goals. So I am a living testament to
not just the services that are available, but also the
generosity of volunteers and donors when they really never know
what the outcome is. Right we give, We volunteer in
the hopes that we will make a difference and we
will never know. I wish I could go back and
(08:42):
think all those individuals that really helped both who I
am today, to let them know that their support was
appreciated and to keep moving forward, keep doing the same
thing because although you will never know, that impact makes
a big difference. For me, I went years into that
little light bulb clar my head and I said, oh, okay,
I get it now. This is this is my call
(09:04):
and this is what I need to do. So I
use all of my experiences as a source of strength
to be able to help the next generation.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Such a powerful testimony and journey to arriving to where
you are today, where you're able to transform so many lives.
But first, Caesar, tell us about that first light that
shone up and illuminated your mind and your heart to say, wow,
I can really you know, attach myself and I resonate
(09:33):
with this change that I'm able to make, this positive change,
transforming this frustration, this anger, and this sphere into hope
and light and encouragement for others. Can you take us
back to that moment? Can you do you remember when
it was and what that was?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
It was it was literally on that presentation that I
did for the Avid students because I froze and I
did see my life lash before. It's funny looking back,
got it. I did see it where everything that I
went through kind of led me to this point, and
I saw that I was helping this youth who could
(10:10):
well have been myself at that time, and I saw
the power both but if I didn't step in and intervene,
that he was going to go in the raw direction.
So right then and there, I made a commitment to
myself that I would use my voice and my experience
to help wherever I could. And so after that, I
became a guest speaker in several classes, which I didn't
(10:34):
think about or didn't even consider as an optional opportunity,
because the teacher for the classroom then referred me over
to the next classroom, the next grade, and next grade,
and so interesting. I ended up doing a couple of
rounds with different middle schools. And it's nothing that I
expected to do or I wanted to do, but I
felt compelled to do it. And even to this day,
I still get nervous talking about my story, of sharing
(10:56):
my story, but when I'm around kids, it's different. With
the mountain around them, I feel very comfortable sharing my
story to when I'm sharing it with the general like
here I am today sharing it here to the public,
and that's that's that's a little challenging, just because I
don't just like our kids, I don't. We don't want
to be seen as vulnerable or needing help. We want
to be seen as individuals that we just need a
(11:20):
little bit of guidance and support. I think one of
the youth that I worked with recently said at the
best is where where she used to be referenced as
the starfish. If we all know that story about the starfish,
where where you know starfish, there's thousands of starfish on
the beach, and there's one child that's taking on starfish
(11:42):
and throwing it back and throwing it back and throw
one child at a time. And so what this girl
wanted to be referred to as was not a starfish
because she didn't want to be saved. She rather thought
herself as a plant. A plant then needs a little
bit of light, you know, a little bit of a
little bit of water, a little bit a bit of
guidance so that her vine can grow up strong and
(12:04):
not to the floor. And so hearing her say that
again resonated with me, because that really is what a
lot of our families and our kids need today, is
that they need that support in different aspects when they're
struggling because they need that guidance. They need a little
bit of sunlight. They need love, support, opportunity, hope, everything
to come through. So that's something that when I heard
(12:26):
her say, that really resonated with me, and I use
that to this day to share it with our kids
so they can see things in a different perspective that
all of our kids have that opportunity, they just need
a little bit of support.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Absolutely, what a beautiful story of that cultivation right where
it's not that you're throwing them to be rescued, but
just giving them that little extra support to cultivate and
encourage and to bear witness to something that can happen
when somebody offers just a little bit of support, a
little bit of care, and a little bit of hope.
And I have to say, Caesar, that vulnerability, in my mind,
(13:01):
and I'm sure in many people's minds, takes a lot
of courage, right, and it shows a very deep compassion
and framework for your philosophy and how it is you
are moving forward in your work and serving these kids
throughout San Manandino County, which by the way, is the
largest county in the country by square miles and only growing.
(13:24):
So you definitely have your work cut out for you, Caesar.
With that said, Caesar, let's talk about when you first
learned about the Children's Fun And It's it's kind of
obvious to see what drew you to its mission, but
what first inspired you to pursue this position now as
President and CEO of the Children's Fun.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
So, in Cebu County, I served as executive director for
cost of corpor Special Advocates for about eight years the
position became available and open, and I've actually I saw
two different seas during my tenure at CASSA. So I
had partnered with Children's Fund on several different occasions. What
appealed to me about Children's Fund was that Children's Fund
(14:10):
works with all kids. So when I was at CASA,
I was working only with kids in foster care and
they needed support definitely. And I saw myself in the
rise because at any point in time, I could have been
removed from home and be placed in foster care. But
because I think looking back, I was quiet, reserved and
a good student, I think I went under the radar.
(14:32):
But I had all the signs right. I had the bumps,
I had the bruises, the bad hygiene, the clothes that
didn't fit everything that you see are there are red flags.
I had them, but because I was quiet and a
good student, I was overlooked. So I saw an opportunity
for our to work with our kids and help in
any way that I can't And then, knowing what Children's
(14:55):
Fund does working with all kids, I saw an opportunity
where I can do a little bit of prevention work
also do some work with those kids who I like
to call them invisible like myself, who at any point
in time can be removed from home, whether it's because
of abuse and neglect, or can be a part of
the general justice system as well needing additional support. So
(15:17):
looking back at that opportunity, I really jumped on it
thinking that here's an opportunity to work. I can do
more good, and that's all I was thinking about, where
can I do more good? And so what made it
that much easier for me to transition over was because
working and being the CEO Children's Fund still allowed me
(15:38):
to work with kids in foster care, still allowed me
to work with Kasa, and so that was a really
for me because that's a publish that's near and dear
to my heart that I didn't want to forget. So
to this day we have great partial CASA. I continue
to work with a lot of our children in foster care.
We have programs dedicated just to kids in foster care,
but now I also have programs dedicated to kids, integal justice,
(16:02):
kids that are homeless, kids that are just experiencing poverty
or be some neglecting. And that's the part that gets
me excited to work with them and see their potential.
Pretty much unlock the potential is Michael, I see a
lot of tremendous opportunities for our kids so that they
see value themselves and continue to grow and want to
(16:25):
do more and hopefully give back.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
You know what I love about this platform is being
able to share and amplify the voice and the message.
But something you just said, I think you know deserves
a once over again, and that is the red flags,
the red flags that you can highlight. Can you share
some of those red flags within youth that adults in
(16:49):
everyday lives, aside from mandated reporters like teachers or physicians
or other people within the community, just everyday people can
learn and glean from when you know, in acting with
their neighbors, with their children's friends, what are some of
these red flags that we need to look out for
that tell us you know, this child, this youth needs help.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Aside from the main ones that we all know, like
the bumps and the bruises, the bad hygiene, the closet
doesn't fit, there's those other ones that we don't pay
attention to, like when there's a child that's very quiet
or reserved that keeps to themselves and we take it
as them being shy, but it's really there, they're protecting themselves.
But then we have on the other end where we
(17:35):
also have children who have outbursts because they don't know
how to control their emotions. That's also another big sign
of something going on in the home where where they
can't express their emotions and feelings at home, so they
find an outlet to be able to do that. So overall,
I mean, there really is no child or experience that's normal.
(18:00):
I think what's important as as an adult, as as
somebody that cares, is to look at every youth as
an individual and get to know them because they have
different personalities and and you will be able to tell
when they're they're acting not in not like the usual way,
all right, And That's why I think building a relationship
(18:23):
with our youth and our kids is very important so
they can open up, but also so you can learn
about some of the challenges that they're facing, because they
want disclosing, but they'll show you those emotions, they'll show
you how they're feeling throughout the day during the week.
So I just encourage everybody listening to to really look
at all of our kids. And again, these are kids
(18:45):
that are in our community, kids that we see in
our churches, in our schools, there are our friends kids.
They're all having challenges and and right now looking at
how how well everything that our kids are facing with technology,
with challenges with the economy and their families, you know,
(19:07):
not being able to make ends meet. Are our kids
here and listening in those feelings? Are They're consumed by
those feelings, So they are going to have outbursts, they
are going to have challenges, But there's a root cost.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Absolutely well. You know, as we know, Judge Patrick J.
Morris played a pivotal role in the founding of the
Children's Fund, which was established in nineteen eighty five, obviously
to serve at risk youth. How have you interpreted and
carried forward the original vision that was established in nineteen
(19:47):
eighty five.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
We haven't waivered from the original vision, which is which
is one thing that I enjoy and one of the
reasons why I gravitate towards children's foot We see our
services under three pillars. The first pillar is support and
that's where our emergency needs program, where all of our
flagship program is to ensure that we can help stabilize
(20:09):
our kids we're experiencing some sort of crisis. That's our
number one program, working with several different agencies and other
nonprofits to ensure that our kids have their basic needs met.
And then we have our opportunity pillar, which is all
about helping our kids and exposing them to new opportunities.
Once our kids are stabilized, they can start looking into
(20:30):
their future, start playing for the future, whether it's college, university,
or just doing better in school. So we have posted
under education scholarships, and then we have recreational scholarships, giving
all our kids an opportunity to explore their talents and
really enjoy whatever child I believe should enjoy, and that's
participating in outside activities in the school, sports and recreational
(20:50):
whether it stands are cheered whatever may be those opportunities,
and then we have our Hope programs, which is all
about giving our kids gifts, giving them gifts during the holidays,
for their birthdays, for monumental celebration moments in their life
like graduation, adoption day, any opportunity we have to celebrate
(21:12):
a child's successor alstone where they're to make sure that
they have a gift to open up.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Oh my goodness, that is absolutely beautiful and it's remarkable
because in nineteen eighty six jack H. Brown became the
Funds founding chairman. How has his leadership model influenced the
organization and your approach? By the way, for those that
may not know, jack H. Brown was also the former
CEO of State or Brothers. But also begs the question
(21:42):
and the importance of having those community leaders and stakeholders
that are really dedicated to uplifting the community. Speak to
that aspect, Caesar.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Yeah, Well, with Jackie H. Brown, I mean he was
a business leader. Our community with him was always about
serving others first, and so we carry that forward to
this day, ensuring that not just the youth that we
work with and the families that work with, but our staff,
our partners making sure that they have the resources they
(22:13):
need to be able to support the families who are
also in need. He provides. He prioritized profits, I'm sorry,
people over profits, right, and that's a huge one right,
looking at at the points of people who they are,
meeting them where they're at. He was an amazing leader
for organization and we're still connected to both stated brothers
(22:35):
and the Jack Brown the Jack H. Brown Family Foundation,
who continues supports to this day. He's just a living
legacy that was forever commemorated in all services and programs
that we do because it wasn't for him, If it
wasn't for Pat Morris and a Gary Anderson, children men
wouldn't be in place, and the one point seven million
(22:57):
lives that we've touched over the last forty years, we
wouldn't be able to do that. So we've made a
truitioning fact because of these amazing men who created something
to bring people to collaborate and support our most vulnerable children.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
That's absolutely beautiful and a testament to the importance of
you know, regardless of what sector you come from in
the community, if you are a pillar, if you are
a leader, we should all put others above ourselves and
make sure that we are investing in dedicating those efforts
to uplift our entire community and as you mentioned, put
people before profits. That's the key. Thank you so much
(23:36):
for that, Caesar. With that said, we are hitting on
a break. Ivette Walker with ABC News and Talks Southern
California Business Report. Once a child of poverty and abuse,
Caesar Navaretta now leads as President and CEO of Children's Fund,
turning his own pain into hope for the Inland empires
most vulnerable. For over twenty years, he's proven that resilience
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Speaker 2 (27:17):
Welcome back everyone. Evette Walker with ABC News and Talks
Southern California Business Report. Once a child of poverty and abuse,
Caesar Navaretta now leads as president and CEO of Children's Fund,
turning his own pain into hope for the Inland Empire's
most vulnerable. For over twenty years, he's proven that resilience
and compassion can ignite a movement and real lasting change.
(27:41):
Thank you so much for being with us today, Caesar.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Thank you that it's the pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Perfect. So prior to the break, we spoke a little
bit about some of the founders that had established the
philosophy and the pillars of Children's Fund, and you know,
we started getting into the topic of how those needs
have evolved. Can you speak to how technology, social media,
the current state of events when we look at the
(28:07):
political landscape have contributed or impacted or compounded those dynamics
that lead to children suffering from behavioral health issues, possibly
mental health issues, and what it is Children's Fund does
to help navigate that and provide resources and tools to
(28:29):
overcome twenty first century challenges.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
So, looking at all the needs of our kids and
our community in our region, technology plays a big role
in that aspect because they have access to information at
their fingertips, but not just information. You're looking at posts
and influencers and what they believe in. Right and so
(28:57):
the challenge there is that it may not be all
correct and from right, and so because they may have influenced,
our youth are exposed to those same ideas and not
understanding fully what's going behind the scenes. Right, And the
biggest challenge for our kids is that they have these
(29:17):
tools where they have direct access to this information that
can be overall mean. I mean for us as adults,
it's challenging. Right, we watch the news, we hear a
lot of bad information current events, and for us it's
a lot. It takes a toll on our feelings and
our emotions and so the same thing, but it's augmented
for our children because they don't yet know how to
(29:40):
express themselves or deal with some of those challenges and feelings.
And so we see a lot of challenges with the
mental health of our kids that then become behavioral behavioral
health issues. And our main role working with our partners
is to make sure and ensure that their basic needs
are met. So our service delivery model is very unique
(30:03):
where we partner with over fifty plus agencies that are
include nonprofits, include county based organizations, school districts, faith based
organizations throughout San Berno county, and each of them has
a specific focus. Right. We have nonprofits and groups that
do case management, that do tutoring, that do mentoring, that
(30:28):
do therapy, that provide all sorts of services, but that's
their main priority, main focus. And so the challenge with
our organizations is that a lot of our nonprofits and
organizations have funding dollars that are strict to a particular service,
and so when they're doing case management, there's all different
types of needs that are that are that are exposed
(30:51):
and sometimes our partners can't meet all their needs because
they're restricted with those funding dollars. And that's where we
come in, because yes we do have government dollars, but
we also have private dollars that allows us to be
a bit more flexible. And while they can do the
case management and provide a direct service and the counseling,
(31:13):
it's those basic needs that all of our kids need
in order to be successful in their individual case management. So,
now give you an example. We have children that are
have receiving therapy either because of a bullion or because
they themselves has experienced abuse and neglect. And during those times,
(31:34):
there there's needs that the family have where the family
and may not have refrigerator, the child may not have
clothes or school supplies, or there's no food in the home,
or the child wants to experience some sort of activities
just to learn activity or to be distracted from what's
going on in the home. And so that's where we
can step in to provide that. And what that does
(31:56):
is it strengthens their plan and it strengthens services that
they were receiving with our partners, just to ensure that
there's success while they're doing the therapy. We then augment
those services with what we provide, whether it's basic needs services,
whether it's hope gifts, whether it's scholarships, just to make
(32:19):
sure that they have everything they need. But not just
the children with the families. We always say we focus
on serving children and their families. Our priority is the
kids in the home, and by partnering with agencies, we
strengthen both of our programs because we want the same thing.
We're just one piece of the puzzle, and we see
children's fill in as being a piece of the puzzle,
(32:41):
fitting in with all the great services and programs are
already available. So we don't doplicate services. We strengthen existing
services with our partners.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
So you mentioned earlier meeting children where they are, but
you also work alongside fifty service providers and stakeholders. Stakeholders,
how do you meet the children where they are? How
does that dynamic work within the community. Is that worked
through this through the various agencies that you work with,
or do you interface directly in the atmosphere where children
(33:12):
are both?
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Over the years, we've grown from being an agency that
excepts referrals to providing direct services. So we do have
programs that work directly with our kids and then give
an example or scholarship programs. So we have a couple
of endowments, one through or some of the member of
(33:34):
Ramos and his family. So we have the Ramos Family
in Dallas Scholarship program here and we awore about five
scholarships every single year for youth who had either been
in foster care or homeless or indigenous, and we work
with them directly to give them not just a scholarship,
but then work with them throughout the year to ensure
(33:56):
that all their needs are being met while they're in school.
And then we have the a Gary Understond In Dall
Scholarship that provides a little bit of over thirty thousand
dollars a year as well working with again at risk
populations that promise populations. I think one of the unique
aspects about these particular scholarships and scholarships that we focus
on are that their geared towards youth who don't necessarily
(34:21):
qualified academically for an academic scholarship because they were struggling,
because they were going through challenges and circumstances of abuse, poverty,
to n collect that school wasn't a priority for them.
But we know that with a little bit of support
and because they're resilient, that they just need that little
help and little guidance and a little bit of money
to get them through the school and give them that
(34:42):
opportunity that unfortunately, because of the challenges, they weren't able
to have. So our scholarships are geared toward that particular population,
All of our programs are geared toward that population. And
so looking at the services that we provide and how
we meet the kids where there are, we look at
our kids, our youth, our young adults and ask them
(35:04):
what is their biggest need. So our scholarships don't go
to a school, they go directly to the youth, the
young adult, because they know best where this money is
going to make the biggest impact. If that money is
going to be used to buy a car so they
can travel from home to school from work, that's going
to be a huge weight off their shoulders. If they
(35:24):
have to work late, right, and so they know exactly
where to those funds. If those funds will help them
secure housing, then by all means anything that's going to
help alleviate the concerns so they can be successful in school.
That's what we want to support our kids with.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Well, you know you mentioned earlier that Children's Fund has
supported nearly one point eight million children in San Bernanino
County its inception in nineteen eighty five. Caesar tell us,
how many children are you serving every year today? Is
that number growing, plateauing, shrinking? What does that look like?
Speaker 3 (36:05):
That number is definitely growing. I think this past year
we serviced over fifty almost iffy eight thousand kids. But
I don't like to what The way I like to
express it is, that's through partnerships.
Speaker 6 (36:18):
Right.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
We don't do anything alone, we don't do anything for ourselves.
We're able to achieve this large milestone and working in
partnership with all of our agencies, because together is how
we make this impact. We partner with them so that
we can meet need us identified and they then come
in and provide the services that they provide, whether it's
(36:40):
again because a tutoring, mental health counseling, providing food bank assistance,
whatever the case may be, it's through a partnership. So
our win is our region is our county win. We're
able to bring in those services that are much desperately
needed for a lot of our children, and in conjunction
of partnership with our schools, with our nonprofit partners, our
(37:03):
faith based partners, so it is with the eight thousand plus,
but the need is greater than that, because we see
it every single day. We get lots and lots of referrals.
But then in the back of my head, I'm thinking,
you know, there's a population that doesn't know that we
exist yet, but they're in need support. Right, there's a
(37:25):
population out in our region, in our community that's struggling
but doesn't know how to access resources. That's a whole
nother population that really looking forward to finding a way
in a solution, working collaborative with all of our profits
to our nonprofits and a count agencies to make sure
that we not only provide resources to these families, but
(37:48):
support because at the end of the day, access without
support is not opportunity for our kids, and so we
want to make sure that we help our families not
only access to the services available, but provide some support
and how to maintain and use their voice to let
us know where we can provide support and help. I
(38:10):
think using their voice is powerful, and we want to
make sure that our children and our families are empowered
to let us know the service providers know where they
need help. Rather than us giving them the help that
we think they need, we need them to let us
know what support they need.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Again, as you mentioned, the philosophy of meeting them where
they are and letting them tell you what they need
versus you telling them what you think they need. And
with nearly sixty thousand children that you've served, that is
a tremendous number that you say is growing since you
(38:50):
becoming president and CEO of Children's Fund, is there a story.
Is there a moment one of these children that you've
served that really stands out in your mind and serves
as a testimony to your collaborative effort with yourself, your staff,
your fifty stakeholders that are also nonprofit organizations collaborating alongside you.
(39:12):
Is there one? Are there a few? Is there something
that stands out to you about a child that you
have been able to help.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
There are several stories and it's hard to choose one
to highlight, but the one that comes to mind right
now is of a family in the youth. But when
we look at how our programs are structured and between support,
opportunity to hope and how those promole are structured, we
had a family that within one year walked through every
(39:39):
single program, which is what we want to do because
if you want to provide as much service support as possible.
So we had a family that was homeless. Unfortunately, there
was a loss in the family. The father passed away
and the mother had a job, but she was a
cafeteria worker, so this was during summertime. So unfortunately this
(40:00):
happened during the same time during summertime, so there was
an income and coming in the home. So they were displaced,
they were evicted and they ended up living in their car.
Through our partnership, we the family came to us UH
and right away we put them in safe housing in
a hotel hotel. They had one child who was six
(40:24):
seventeen at the time or sixteen about seventeen at the time,
uh uh and for him he was what we call
selected a meet because of the trauma. Uh And so
well after his father had passed away, this this yeah,
youth wouldn't speak to anybody, and so so right away
we had to connect them through our partners, through resources
(40:46):
to start receiving some counseling. And so after four months
we were able to find a secure placement. So they
were in a in a long extended state hotel for
about three months. When the month was over, we found
secure housing for them. And the good news is that
that school was back in sessions. So the mother had
(41:08):
a job. But we did help her to get promoted
within her job, which was great. So now she wouldn't
that would have happened to her again the following year.
But going back to the youth, the youth started to speak,
was doing a little bit better, and there was opportunity.
So through our partnership with a Jack H. Brown Family Foundation,
(41:31):
we provide a summer camp scholarships to a leadership camp
that specifically designed for youth be teenagers of fifteen to eighteen,
so looking at the high school youth, and so we
encouraged him to participate at in and he didn't want
to go. He just nod and said no, no, no,
no no. But we encouraged him and didn't stop trying.
(41:52):
We kept asking and asking until one day he said, okay,
I want to go, and so we took him shopping
and got everything that he needed, everything from from the
swimwear to a backpack to the sleeping pajamas, sleeping bag, tent,
everything that was on the list for every youth that
(42:14):
needs to go to summer camp had so that he
wouldn't worry about not taking in and have everything. And
so he was there for a week and we're not
allowed to connect with the summer camp to see how
they're doing. It's purposely designed that way. When he came back,
it was a different person. He was talking excited, and
(42:35):
then when we asked how he did at the camp,
he actually sang. So I never knew he knew how
to sing or wanted to sing or even had a voice.
He sang their national anthem at some event that they had.
So there, it just shows you with little support, how
our kids can just flourish, right, they could just thrive
(42:56):
and bloom, right, And so that happened. And then the
following year, UH, he was in a graduate from high school,
so we had a scholarship waiting for him to go
to Calsey Samaradino. So right there, within a two year span,
we were able to meet the family at every point
of their life, right everywhere, beginning with with them being
(43:19):
in homeless and extremeity crisis of the way to creating
opportunities for this young man, uh, and then seeing them
become an adult and going to Post again education school
and in college. So that was a unique story because
we saw within two years and the vision that that
we have for all of our families that we can
(43:39):
walk through them as they grow into adulthood with services.
So so that was that was a story that I'll
forever remember.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Oh my goodness, that's so touching and so beautiful. And
I know we have listeners that are listening that are
parents with dynamics, schedules, empty nesters, retirees, and they all
want to know how can they help. What are some
of the ways that you would encourage them to reach
out and help, Whether it be through volunteering, support, financial,
(44:09):
anything and everything. What say you to these people listening today.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
We can all play a role in helping our kids
and our families. I think if we look at our lives,
I think to an extent, we are all blessed to
be where we're at. We've all struggled and had challenges
and we can find just a little bit to be
able to give back. And so here being the CEO
Children's Fund, That's what I'm looking for for the future,
(44:35):
for our kids and our young adults that we've helped,
that they can one day pay that back, pay that
forward to the next generation. So if you have some
free time, if you have resources, Children's Fund is always
in need of volunteers to come in and support our kids.
We're always in need of resources where there's financial contributions
(44:58):
or in kind gifts that are new that we can
then share with our families who are need. But I'll
go step further because it's not just Children's Fund, It's
it's nonprofits across our region. Because I can attest to
being a product and nonprofit sector that if it wasn't
for volunteers, I wouldn't be where I am today. So
if you have a passion for helping a family or
(45:22):
a child, or an elderly person or a senior citizen,
or just have a passion for helping others, I encourage
you to look do research on Google and find a
nonprofit in your area to make it easy to start volunteering,
to provide support, to join their board, to become a
(45:43):
recurring donor, so that way this every nonprofit can have
a pool of donors that have unrestricted funds so they
can meet the needs of the families that go through
their doors and not worry about where am I going
to find the funding to support this family. So if
you can do that, I think our world would be
a much better place knowing that we are all contributing
(46:06):
to making it better, to helping the next generation.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
Absolutely absolutely, Caesar and I know that Children's Fund conducts
some events. Are there any we should be marking our
calendars for.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
We have several events coming up, one that I want
to share with you. It's more a volunteer opportunity. So
right now, we started our Celebration of Giving campaign. Last year,
we distributed over thirty thousand gifts and this is a
partnership between Sparka Love and Sabrido County Fire where for
the next month and a half we are collecting toys,
(46:40):
so you'll see boxes. We have several different corporations that
are having hosting toy drives. So if you're interested and
want to host a toy drive in your corporation and
your business, or your ministry or your family, I can
tell you right now that we are probably about fifteen
thousand toys short last year, and I know the need
(47:02):
is gonna get greater. So even distributing thirty eight plus
thousand gifts, the need is still great. And so there's
two opportunities. One of them is helping us collect toys
hosting the drive, and the other opportunity is that we
need to volunteers. So you can imagine we have this
large warehouse where within two weeks between beginning of December
(47:25):
to right before Christmas, we have hundreds of volunteers in
our warehouse sorting all these gifts. We sort them by
age and by gender, and then we have another group
of volunteers that come in and start filling orders. So
you have the opportunity to act like an elf, right
to come over to the Santa's Workshop and start filling
(47:48):
these orders for nonprofits. So all these toys are going
back to our community because what we do is through
our partnerships, we support all the agency, all the community
events in our region that have their own holiday events.
So chances are that if you see a toy distribution
event or holiday event your community these next month, that
(48:10):
they received some or most of the toys from Children's
Foot But more than that, it's from Sparkle Love, It's
from County Fire, it's from you, the people who have
donated toys. That's where's going is going back into the region,
back into the community. So there's several different efforts out
there that are helping making sure to bring a little
(48:31):
joy this holiday season. And I remember being one of
those kids sending a line to open up a gift
during the holiday season. And I remember one year I
really wanted a teenage media turtle right and then those
way back then, and I didn't get it, but I
did get a toy. I got a stuffed animal that
(48:52):
was at a gizmo from the Grimlins. So that's what
I opened up and I was still happy to receive it.
I I played with it, sad it was actually figuring
I beat it up, but it was still a toy
that I was grateful to have. Even if it wasn't
exactly what I wanted, it was still something that brought
a lot of joys to me. And so that's how
I view things that we can never read the minds
(49:14):
of our kids, and we do our best to give
them a gift that they can open up and be
happy to hold and play with.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Well, we are coming up to the end of our conversation,
but I still have another question, Caesar. What is the
best way to connect with you? And if you could
address every child and family you've served, what message would
you want them to remember from the Children's Fund?
Speaker 3 (49:41):
The best way to get a hold of us because
we have sort of programs and campaigns going out throughout
the year. I mentioned the toy drive, that's just one
of them. But we'll be celebrating our fortyth the Versary
this coming year in October, So a lot of opportunities
to support our efforts would be to go to our
website to see because we have various program to see
where your heart lies and see where you might want
(50:02):
to get involved. So our website is www dot Children's
Fund dot com and the only thing. Like I mentioned earlier,
that the reason why I do what I do is
because I want for the next generation to keep doing
what I do. Right, So there's there's and I've run
(50:24):
into so many kids and recipients who are now adults.
We even had board members who were once scholarship recipients
on our board who our testaments and now are giving back.
That's my ultimate goal is that for all of our
listeners out there who were one way connected Children's from
whether they're recipient or a volunteer or partnered with us,
(50:45):
the goal is that we continue to share that message
of giving back, of finding it a way to support
the insturation, so that we can create that that fire
in them, so they can want to give back because
of the the benefits that they received in and just
how they reviewed as individuals with an opportunity. So we
(51:06):
want to be able to give those same opportunities to
somebody else.
Speaker 2 (51:09):
Caesar, thank you so much for being a testament to
the transformation of anger, sadness, frustration, and fear into now
embodying and carrying the banner of hope, light, love, and
encouragement and serving so many in our community and beyond.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
Thank you so much, Caesar, thank you for some mudsys opportunity.
I'm grateful and happy to be a part of this,
and please reach out to us and see how you
can spread some cheer this holiday season.
Speaker 2 (51:41):
You got it, Caesar. For everybody listening, don't forget to
find us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Don't miss
my conversation with Josie Gonzalez, San Barandino County's trailblazing Assessor, Recorder,
County Clerk, and archiver who has reshaped public service with
visionary leadership. The first Latina to serve on both Fontana
(52:04):
City Council and the Board of Supervisors, Gonzales champions fairness, modernization,
and outreach. Her legacy defined by compassion, integrity, and relentless
advocacy for every resident she serves. Next week, Doctor Eileen
Dingjian an architect of community health and visionary leader for
(52:25):
just powerful alliances that bridge education and equity across sectors.
With the legacy of innovation workforce driven programs, she transforms
healthcare futures for underserved youth. Alongside her Cyrus stands as
a catalyst for progress, each amplifying the other's impact. Together,
they redefine what's possible in regional health and opportunity. You
(52:47):
do not want to miss it.
Speaker 5 (52:49):
We will see you all next week.
Speaker 4 (53:04):
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