I saw her this morning. Slowly walking through an empty parking lot, pushing a shopping cart filled with a wide-ranging combination of items that had seemingly little or no worth. Yelling at everyone – at someone – at no one. Her monologue was wholehearted, pleading, vulgar and absolute. All at the same time. As I […]
He was betrayed by intimate physical contact from his close friend. He was beaten, blamed, and forced to answer why he was being victimized. His identity and future was taken. His name was tarnished. He was forcefully stripped naked, His abusers laughed as they whipped Him.
Domestic Abuse is a pattern of behavior used by one partner over another to establish and maintain power and control. This includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, psychological, economical and spiritual abuse as well as stalking or cyber stalking behavior. Both men and women experience domestic abuse, but at this point, our efforts and classes are […]
She looked around the room in awe and said, “it’s perfect”. This past weekend we had the incredible privilege of hosting a wedding for two of our THRIVE participants. The bride grew up in the foster system, bouncing between multiple residential facilities never finding a place to call home or being a part of a […]
“Because when you’re hit at your wits’ end Can’t bare the screaming anymore You’ll take one look at their impressionable eyes And see you’re bound to this eight-year-old human as a friend” —-From “Non-Biological Children” by Hannah Pennock Imagine a sixteen-year-old girl wearing a powder blue dress with lace appliques and a poufy tulle skirt […]
I so clearly remember the moment from 2008. I was sitting in a cubicle at a research facility and I was having a bad day. I had experienced another difficulty in our journey through infertility, I had just received a phone call where I was told the other candidate was offered my dream job, and […]
Summer is so fun! If you’re a kid… it’s even more fun. Popsicles, long days, mangos with limón and chile, vacation Bible school, and fireworks! It’s also a time for Summer reading challenges at Fullerton Library, day camps and new excursions. For OC United, having fun in the Valencia Park community looks like bringing kids, […]
This is a question I ask myself as I interact with those experiencing homelessness. So many I encounter have been beaten down by the world and its adversity to the point of giving up. They see little or nothing to live for, no reason to try, no hope for their future. But when hope is […]
With several nationally acknowledged days, weeks and months, proclaimed throughout the year, it would be easy to regard National Foster Care Month as just another period of earmarked time that comes and goes. Why take notice of it to begin with? What’s so important to bring up? Does it simply serve as a marketing launch […]
“Get the [expletive deleted] away from us! You’re so [expletive deleted] weird! We don’t want you here!” We could hear the heckles of preteens from outside of our window. Children cussing in the neighborhood isn’t something new, but hearing aggressive language aimed directly at one person is unexpected. We look down from our patio and […]