Help Us Move to our “Miracle on El Camino”

Have you heard the news?  CHAC is officially moving this summer!  Our soon-to-be new home, located at 590 West El Camino Real in Mountain View, will more than double our usable square footage from 3,408 sq ft to 7,330 sq ft.  According to a 2008 study conducted by Hawley Peterson & Snyder Architects, this expansion will accommodate our expanding space needs for the next 20 years!

Over the past decade, CHAC’s annual number of clients served has increased from 1,844 to 11,720.  Due to this growth we were in desperate need of more space to provide services, however we lacked the funds to purchase a larger building.

We are referring to the move as the “Miracle on El Camino”  because our new building is being donated to us through a trade agreement with the Malek Family of Mountain View who wanted to develop the land our current building sits on.  They agreed to swap deeds with us for a building they own only two blocks away from our current Church Street location.

Despite this incredible good fortune, one big challenge remains:  While the new building is largely appropriate for our needs, there are several upgrades and renovations required to prepare for the building for our move and future use.  The total anticipated project cost is $187,620.  We are calling on our friends and supporters to help us achieve this goal by making a one-time investment donation to help renovate/remodel our new building.

We believe that helping youth and their families build external and internal assets is the most meaningful way to protect youth from high-risk behaviors while promoting the positive attitudes, skills and behaviors that will ensure academic and personal success.  This new facility will enable us to continue to meet the needs of so many at-risk youth and families for many years to come.

Please consider helping us achieve our goal to be prepared to serve our local community for the next 20 years!

click here to make a donation (please specify that the purpose of the donation is for our building fund)

click here to read an article about our building swap in the Los Altos Town Crier

Positive Discipline Parenting Class Starts Feb. 13

Our next Positive Discipline class for parents of tweens and teens starts February 13, 2013! Register now!

Are you having challenges with your teen? Come to our class to learn concrete, new ways to be with your child that will improve your relationship.

In Positive Discipline classes, parents and caregivers learn how to:

• change your stance with your teen so that you are connecting instead of fighting
• explore what your parenting needs and limits are and present them in a respectful, balanced way
• empower your teen while also having your own boundaries
• start building what you want instead of dealing with what you don’t

Format: This is a seven week class which meets Wednesday mornings from 9am to 11am fo two hours each session in Mountain View, CA. Contact Dr. Martha Cravens at cravens@marthacravens.com  or 650-504-6781 to register or for more info.

Volunteer of the Year: Cole Hamlin

Cole has served as a volunteer member of CHAC’s Board for the past ten years including serving a term as Vice President.  As a Board member, he’s recognized for using his strong business savvy combined with his commitment to CHAC’s mission to benefit kids in our schools and families in our community.

Originally from New York City, Cole graduated from Pepperdine University with a MS in Organization Development.  As a pioneer in high-tech human resource management he’s held senior positions with several iconic companies.  Cole has since retired from a corporate leadership role, however he maintains an active consulting practice in human resources management, organization development and certified career coaching, where he maintains an open door for ‘up-and-coming’ young colleagues in the field. Read More

“Kinder Club” Helps Kids Develop Social Skills

While Kindergarten used to be all about developing social skills, these days it’s become more about learning to read and preparing children for academic success in the first grade.   When CHAC Village Team Leader Kathy Krueger, M.A., LMFT, started at Castro Elementary 10 years ago, she noticed that the Kindergarten teachers were overwhelmed with their class size and inability to “do it all.”  Many children had not yet acquired the social skills, empathy, and school etiquette to be able to be part of the group and be ready to learn.  So, Krueger set out to give these teachers a little help and developed “Kinder Club.”

Kinder Club is a 6-week psycho-educational program that helps Kindergarten students to develop basic social skills.  Children meet in groups of four once a week for 30 minutes and learn how to share, appropriately communicate their feelings, encourage each other, and properly behave in a school environment. One of the activities used to teach these skills is the board game Trouble.  “It’s not about playing the game, or winning,” Krueger said, “it’s about learning how to be kind, considerate and sympathetic of others, as well as learning to count in English.” Read More

MV Voice Holiday Fund Supports CHAC

Each year CHAC receives generous support from the Mountain View Voice Holiday Fund which raises donations from the community in support of local nonprofit organizations.  Recently the Mountain View Voice published an article to spread awareness about CHAC as one of the agencies supported by the Holiday Fund.

The article in the Voice features CHAC’s upcoming move to a new building:  “This spring, CHAC is planning to move into a building at 590 West El Camino Real that doubles the size of its long-time downtown home. 

“We will have twice the space, which we will fill in one day,” said CHAC executive director Monique Kane. 

How did a non-profit that has lost funding this year make such an upgrade? An unusually charitable developer bought CHAC the building to make way for a project on CHAC’s property. The Malek Family Foundation is offering a “deed swap” which will be complete any day now.”

The article also discusses CHAC’s successful expansion into the Sunnyvale School District, and our ongoing need to fill the financial gap left from the past year’s funding cuts.

Read the full article here:  http://www.mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=6355&e=y