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With financial help from a Children’s Trust Fund scholarship, Eddie earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and Business.
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Questions:
- What does Orangewood Children’s Foundation
do?
- Does Orangewood Children's Foundation run
and/or own the Orangewood Children's Home (now called the
Orangewood Children & Family Center)? What is the relationship
between the Foundation and the Home/Center?
- How do I donate items? What kinds of items
are needed?
- How can I volunteer?
- Detailed questions about the Home/Center
(# children, length of stay, etc.)
- What percentage of donated money goes directly
to the youth?
- What is emancipation?
- What happens to kids who leave the foster
care system at the age of 18?
- Whom do I call to report suspected child
abuse?
- Where can I get help if I am a child or
young adult who is being abused, neglected or abandoned?
- Where can I find current child abuse statistics?
- How can I make a donation to Orangewood
Children’s Foundation?
- Where can I find out about employment opportunities
at the Foundation?
- Where can I find out about internship opportunities
at the Foundation?
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1. What does Orangewood Children’s Foundation
do?
Orangewood Children's Foundation was founded in 1981 to raise
money to build the Orangewood Children's
Home (now called the Orangewood Children & Family Center),
the county's emergency shelter for abused and neglected children.
Once the Home was built, the Foundation donated it to the County
of Orange.
After raising money for a subsequent expansion of the Home, the
Foundation turned its attention to the ongoing needs of these
children while in foster care and as they transition out of the
system into independent adulthood. Our
programs offer hope, healing, education and assistance, and
are ultimately designed to break the generational cycle of child
abuse. For more information about us, click
here. |
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2. Does Orangewood Children's Foundation
run and/or own the Orangewood Children's Home (now called the
Orangewood Children & Family Center)? What is the relationship
between the Foundation and the Home/Center?
No, we do NOT own or run the Home. Orangewood Children's Foundation was established to raise money
to build the Orangewood Children's Home
(now called the Orangewood Children & Family Center). When
completed in 1985, the Home was donated to the County of Orange.
The Center is a county-owned, county-operated facility.
However, Orangewood Children's Foundation continues to provide
financial assistance to the Centerfor children's activities and
physical campus projects. Our Peer
Mentors, former foster youth who have successfully transitioned
into independent adulthood, serve as powerful role models and
facilitate small group discussions each month with the teens at
the Center. Additionally, our PALS
auxiliary provides monthly speakers and field trips for the
children there. |
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3. How do I donate items? What kinds of
items are needed?
Throughout the year, many people ask what they can donate to Orangewood's
Children. Whether placed at the Orangewood Children's Home (now
called the Orangewood Children & Family Center), or placed
in foster care, group homes, or recently released from the system
as 18-year-old adults, these youngsters can use your donated items. Click here
for more information about making a donation to the Orangewood
Children’s Foundation including our current wish list. Feel
free to contact Kristi Piatkowski, Volunteer Services Program
Coordinator, at
kpiatkowski@orangewoodfoundation.org or at (714) 619-0200
ext. 248 for more information.
Please note that new and gently used items are greatly appreciated
and welcomed throughout the year. In November and December we
prefer new items so that we can give them to the children as holiday
presents.
For more information on donating to the Orangewood Children's
Home (now called the Orangewood Children & Family Center),
click here.
Please note that the Foundation does not have pick-up service
for donated items and items should be delivered directly to the
Foundation. |
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4. How can I volunteer?
There are many ways to volunteer with Orangewood Children's Foundation,
including volunteering at a fundraising event,
mentoring a youth, volunteering
at an Independent Living Program
event, or joining an auxiliary. Click
Here for more details on how you can volunteer with the
Foundation. You may also contact the Foundation’s Volunteer Services
Program Coordinator Kristi Piatkowski at kpiatkowski@orangewoodfoundation.org
or at (714) 619-0200 ext. 248.
To volunteer with the children at Orangewood
Children's Home (now called the Orangewood Children &
Family Center), ages 2 days to 18 years, please call the Center
directly at (714) 935-7584. |
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5. Detailed questions about the Home/Center
(# children, length of stay, etc.)
The Orangewood Children's Home (now
called the Orangewood Children & Family Center) is an emergency
shelter for abused and neglected children in Orange County. It
is owned and operated by the County of Orange. The children range
in age from 2 days to 18 years. The Center can accommodate 216
children. The length of stay ranges from a few hours to several
months, with an average length of stay of 14-18 days.
» Click
Here for the latest Orangewood Children & Family Center
fact sheet. (260k PDF)
» Click
Here for the latest Orangewood Children & Family Center
fact sheet en Espanol. |
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6. What percentage of donated money goes
directly to the youth?
Orangewood Children's Foundation strives to keep our administrative
and overhead costs as low as possible, while at the same time
serving our youth in the manner and at the level they deserve.
For every dollar donated, 88¢ goes to the programs that assist
current and former foster youth in Orange County.
»
Click
Here for the latest financial highlights.
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7. What is emancipation?
Emancipation is a term used to describe when a foster youth is
released from the foster care system at age 18. At that time,
the young adult is no longer under the jurisdiction of the foster
care system and is responsible for his/her own housing, food,
clothing and expenses. Without preparation and support from Orangewood
Children's Foundation programs, these
youth can face homelessness, incarceration, or unemployment.
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8. What happens to kids who leave the
foster care system at the age of 18?
Once young adults in the foster care system turn age 18 (or graduate
from high school, whichever comes later), they are released from
protective care. This is sometimes referred to as "emancipation"
from or "aging-out" of the foster care system. Emancipated youth
can face an uncertain future. Orangewood Children's Foundation
actively works to help prepare them for emancipation through programs
that focus on housing, employment, pursuit of a university, college
or trade school education, daily living skills and relationships.
Our goal is to help these young adults successfully navigate the
transition and establish a self-sufficient, meaningful adult life.
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9. Whom do I call to report suspected
child abuse?
If you suspect that an Orange County child is being abused, neglected
or abandoned, please call the Child Abuse Registry at (714) 940-1000.
Help is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. |
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10. Where can I get help if I am a child
or young adult who is being abused, neglected or abandoned?
You should call the 24-hour California Youth Crisis Hotline at
(800) 843-5200. |
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11. Where can I find current child abuse
statistics? » Click
Here to download a recent stat sheet. (105k PDF)
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12. How can I make a donation to Orangewood
Children’s Foundation?
To make a donation online to the Orangewood Children’s Foundation,
click here. Donations may also be sent
directly to the Foundation at 1575 E. 17th St., Santa Ana, CA
92705, Attn:Development. Donations may also be made by telephone
at (714) 619-0200 ext. 253. |
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13. Where can I find out about employment
opportunities at the Foundation?
To view available job opportunities at the Foundation, click
here. |
14. Where can I find out about
internship opportunities at the Foundation?
Please click here. |
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