Growing Up Together

Here are just some of the notes we received from the girls after the 2007 Christmas Party:

“Thank you for everything that you have done.  To tell you the truth, I wanted to cry. May God bless you, you have done something for us that no one else has ever done.  You put smiles on our faces. Thank you,J” 

Dear Elves, Thank you for organizing all of this.  Up until I came to this school, I honestly never thought there was anyone left with a big enough heart to take the time to help us!  Thank you, R”

“Dear Elves, Thank you so much for all the stuff. I love all the clothes for my daughter.  She is going to look so cute!  And the little coat she got is so adorable!  You guys are so sweet, this is the best Christmas ever! I will never forget this! Love M”

“Dear Elves, Thank you for all of the amazing gifts. WOW! I am still kind of speechless from yesterday!  Yes, I have to admit that I got teary alot.  I really appreciate all of the gifts!! Sincerely, A” 

“Dear Elves, Wow, you really out did yourselves.  I am really happy for all the gifts and the Santa and the lunch and the backpack. Love C”

“Dear Elves, I would like to say thank you with all of my heart for the gifts that were given.  It is nice to know that there are still people out there who care!  Thank you very much, R”

“Dear Elves, Thank you for all of the beautiful gifts and great party!  I really can not express in words how great everything was. I teared up! I haven’t opened the gifts yet. Have a wonderful and happy Christmas and New Year! Love D”

******************

“We can not thank you enough for what you do for the girls, their babies, their families and our school. You really are angels! We love you and we feel your love in return. 

We appreciate all of your hard work, your unconditional support and your continuous love! 

May you have a wonderful Christmas knowing ALL the lives you have touched.  We love you!

CalSAFE staff, Maria, Chuck and Alicia”

******************

“Thanks for everything! It was nice and my baby loved it to.  She loves to play with baby dolls.  Thank you because we do not even have a Christmas tree at my house.  Thanks for everything! Love B”

“Thank you, some people do not care that we have nothing, but you do.  Thank you for your kindness, I am grateful for what you did yesterday.  Even though my son is not here yet, he will know that you guys helped us a lot. J”

“I want to say thank you for all of your help.  All of the stuff that you gave me is beautiful and I want to say I wish you all the happiness, health and love.  I want to say thank you to all the people who helped us.  N”

Dear Elves, Thank you so much for all the ways you help us.  I just can not express.  We all really enjoy and appreciate everything that you do for us and our babies. E”

“Thank you for organizing everything for us! We love the way you did everything. You made our lives full of happiness and joy! Love A”

“I know it probably doesn’t mean much when we say thank you, but we really are thankful! And grateful!  I appreciate all the time spent and the hard work.  Not everyone spends the time like that.  I know it might not mean much, but thank you.  Love C”

“Hi my name is Mia.  Me and my mother thank you for being so nice to all the teen mothers of CalSAFE and for spending the time and money to buy us things that we need for school.  Enjoy your holidays with your families, Merry Christmas, Love M”

We have started a tradition in three short years.  It began with four backpacks filled with necessities and has grown in to something so much bigger.  Have a look at the following links and you can see for yourself!

CLICK HERE 2007 Christmas Party, page 1  This gives a quick look at the great day we had.  The girls were blown away with all we were able to do for them.  From Santa Portraits, a hot Turkey lunch with all the trimmings, hand knit scarves and baby hats for everyone, festive decorations including a live tree and of course, the backpacks and gifts of necessities.  This year, almost all of the girls saved their presents to take home and open on Christmas morning.  For most of them, this is all that they will get for Christmas.  Some will share their gifts with other family members who are not as fortunate. 

CLICK HERE 2007 Christmas Party, page 2  There are so many people behind the scenes helping to provide a fabulous Christmas to the students.  These are just a few of the volunteers and the staff of CalSAFE Emeryville.  (If you are not on here…send me your photos!)

CLICK HERE 2007 Christmas Party, page 3  We put together a small collection of the photos we took that day just to let you see things a little more up-close.  These are just a few of the girls and their babies.  Their smiles say it all!

To Those Who Gave So Generously

There are so many things to share about this party.  The girls went crazy over the hand knit scarves and hats!  We had so many generous volunteers this year that each student got a scarf and with a few extras a few took home gifts for their moms or sisters.  They were all so thrilled and it was a big hit!  Thanks Jen(she did all the baby hats and several baby blankets), Erin, Greti and Doris and her band of knitting friends!

This year we receive the most amazing support from so many people.  But one individual was out of control, Miriam Smith, of Conestoga-Rovers.  Every time I turned around, she had another amazing idea or connection.  She has been responsible for so much and always with a smile.  You rock!

The food was incredible.  We had a professional nutritionist in charge and everything was hot and delicious.  Thanks Louise and Bill Walthers!  And, if it hadn’t been for Paul Smith’s mega truck, we would have had to make several trips to the school with all of the food and loot.  Our kids, Paul David, Juliana, Angela and Ian were gofers and wrappers and help us tremendously!

This year, Angelina Tomasitti made a huge commitment to fund raise for the Christmas program.  Thanks to her and all of her donors we were able to provide for 10 girls and their babies!  She is also our supplier of dental products for the girls and babies.  Way to go Angelina!

Joyce Edberg and her Spirit of Christmas Elves adopted 11 babies this year.  She hosted a wrap party where we all got to check out the adorable baby gifts.  They were super generous as always.  Thanks Elves!

One very special young lady liked our program so much that she decided to take it on as a Senior project.  Katie Gray is a student at Acalanes High School.  She did all the fundraising and shopping for four girls and their babies!  And when she arrive to drop off her presents, I was blown away with not only the generosity but with how beautifully and lovingly everything was wrapped.  I vote for an A+ on that Senior Project!!

Anne Mercer and the staff at the Orchard Nursery & Lazy K Gift Shop in Lafayette adopted three girls and four babies. The staff each picked items off the shopping lists.  They were all so very generous and took such great care in picking just the right things for each girl.  Jan donated a fresh Christmas tree for the school.  So many of the girls did not have a Christmas tree at home so it was great to have one at the school!  After the party, one lucky girls got to take it home to her family!

Other amazing donations were provided by:

Michelle and her friends at SBC, on top of everything else, one girl got a desperately needed new stroller;

Gaby MacLeod, of Conestoga-Rovers, who filled in many of the last minute items, stocked our food pantry and played Mrs Santa the day of the party;

Bob Foss, of Conestoga-Rovers, for being a great Santa again this year;

Lelia and the rest of the Chevron team at Conestoga-Rovers for their generous donation;

Brenda Carter, of Conestoga-Rovers, who was so very generous and had tons of fun shopping for the girls (she is also our Baby Shoe Fairy);

The staff of Coca-Cola Enterprise in Oakland(Christine, Lori, Joe, Jay, Kristin, Casey and Jessica) for adopting 3 girls and their babies and for all of their continuous support for “the girls”;

Peggy Deely for providing for two girls and babies;

Gracie Hernandez who help finish the last minute shopping, donated lots of great things, fed us and wrapped until the wee hours;

Nenagh Peters who donated three turkeys, ran so many errands, wrapped endless gifts and worked her butt off at the party;

And last but not least, Bill Lavis of Sitzman, Morris and Lavis who has always been supportive and very, very generous.

The problem with a list like this is I am sure that I am missing someone…Please let me know…

This year, Halloween was over the top!  When we put the word out that Conestoga-Rovers was hosting this great event, 9 other companies came on board to help out.  There were a total of 17 trick-r-treat stations setup with lots of spooky decorations.  The first stop was a Portrait room, where all the babies and moms got their picture taken with their costumes on!  Take a look:  halloween2007.pdf

Angelina Tomasetti, who works in the dental industry, brought friends and tons of great loot for the girls.  They gave out tooth paste & brushes, floss, teething rings, warm blankets and lots of other great stuff.

Conestoga-Rovers had games to play and great give aways like shampoo, baby clothes, healthy snacks and toys as well as lots of good old fashion candy!

The World of Good company gave each girl a hand crafted purse with jewelry and a coin purse inside.  They also talked to the girls about their mission to help women all over the world earn a living wage.

The other companies that participated and gave the girls many wonderful gifts were:  UGOBE(makers of the new PLEO Robot), the LINUS group, Proper Management, the National Holistic Institute, My Artist Place and Pronto Games. 

The girls had a fabulous time!  Thanks to everyone who helped make this a great day, especially Conestoga-Rovers for hosting this party for the last three years!

This spring, two of the students became emancipated from the foster care system. This can be a very scary time for a young mother but it is also the start of a new life.  There are some programs available but having another resource to fill in the gaps is amazing!  Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to supply both of these girls all sorts of things to fill their new apartments and their kitchen cupboards.

When the teacher got the word that the apartments were ready, she work with the students you see what they needed. The teacher gave us a list and we bought dishes, utensils, bowls, sheets, blankets and lots of other items to help make a cozy home for mom and baby. In addition, we were able to provide enough groceries for each girl to fill the cupboards!  I put the word out to our network of donors.  Within days, we had great quality used furniture as well.  Because these girls do not have families to support them with simple things like moving, the teachers stepped in and made it happen. They are very lucky to have such dedicated teachers.  The girls were set and very grateful!

We provided a safe place for the students and babies to Trick-or-Treat.  We supplied dozens of donated costumes and organized five companies within one building to open their doors to an afternoon of trick-or-treating.  We passed out books, shampoo and little toys as well as many treats.  We presented the school with plastic pumpkins for the kids and moms (The moms are kids too!).  A budding photographer took portraits and printed copies for the moms.  They had a great time and were so grateful for the fun afternoon they had! 

“It takes a village” is so right!  We could not do what we do without our generous donors! Please click here and see who is helping us: donors.pdf and see the Christmas at CalSAFE 2007 page!

Through the generosity of all of our supporters, we are able to offer programs and assistance that make a measurable difference in the lives of Teen Moms.  This Spring we received a very generous donation from the Coca-Cola Company.  A very special thank you to Jay Toups of Coca-Cola for making it happen! 

The Spouse of Food Industry Executive (SOFIE) held a fundraiser benefiting the Growing Up Together program on Superbowl Sunday.  With the money they collected they purchased cribs, strollers and diaper bags filled with baby gifts.  With additional donations from our other supporters, a group baby shower and Easter egg hunt party was held this spring.  Every girl in the program went home with a gift bag.  Five pregnant girls went home completely outfitted for their babies!! 

Thanks SOFIE group!  You are all so very kind and the girls loved meeting you!  Now I just have to remember my camera next time!!

Please contact me if you would like to make a donation:

Trish Moylan Davis, Program Coordinator

1409 Murwood Drive, Walnut Creek, CA  94596

925-256-9435

Or email me at:  MoylanDavis@aol.com

Please make checks payable to:

Growing Up Together Program

It was spectacular!!  Want to know more? 

Click on the link and read all about it!! xmasreport.pdf

We urgently need your help with our 2008 Christmas program. Last year we were able to do great things.  Read all about it…Click on the link to CHRISTMAS AT CALSAFE page at the top.

Please contact me if you would like to make a donation or participate in this program:

Trish Moylan Davis, Program Coordinator, 1409 Murwood Drive, Walnut Creek, CA  94596, Home 925-256-9435

Or email me at:  moylandavis@aol.com

Please make checks payable to:  Growing Up Together Program

We collect and provide new and used baby and toddler clothes as well as maternity clothes and other baby gear.  The center now has a well stocked clothes closet and they are distributed by the teachers who know best the needs of the students and distribute as needed.  But stock gets depleted fast so we welcome any donations.

Many of the girls entering the program do not have the funds to cover basic needs.  Having clothes that fit well and make them feel good about themselves boosts their self esteem at a very difficult time in their lives.  It helps them feel good about participating in the Cal-SAFE program.

Diapers 

Did you know that if a student arrives at school without diapers for her baby, the school is required to send her home. That is an easy fix, we supply the diapers and no one gets sent home for not having them!

Bus Passes

Monthly AC Transit students bus passes are sold for $15 each.  Most of the girls take the bus to school with their babies in tow, many can not afford the fare.  Sponsoring a bus pass is a easy way to help a student stay in school!

These young parents take great pride in taking good care of their babies and we are here to help them.  We welcome donations of used items in good condition, new items and cash.

Need a great excuse to have a party! 

We love this concept…Throw a baby shower, invite your friends and family.  Ask them to bring a baby gift to be donated to a deserving teen mom.  We can provide some details of a pregnant teen and her baby and your friends can do the shopping.  What a great excuse to have a party and support a fantastic cause!  New and used items are always welcome.

Here is a sample Gift List:  Warm baby clothing, sleepers, jackets, bibs, bottles, blankets, towels and washcloths, diapers, baby wipes, pacifiers, toys, diaper bags, baby wash/lotion, anything you think would help!  If you have some generous friends: new strollers, car seats, porta crib and cribs (Unfortunately, the legal system prohibits us from accepting used car seats, cribs or mattresses.)