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Charitable Matters
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Editor’s Note: OC Family Magazine has expanded its long-running Helping Hand into a full page this year, entitled Charitable Matters. The purpose is to familiarize readers with 10 nonprofits that assist families in many ways. Churm Publishing, Inc. already supports four of the groups as part of the company’s ongoing outreach – Families Forward, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Human Options and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The others round out the circle. This month, we focus on Human Options. Vivian Clecak has seen the misery of domestic violence across a quarter-century. So while this year’s 25th anniversary of her nonprofit organization is a celebration, it is one couched in reality. But as the voice of Human Options has done from the beginning, it is the optimistic hope of a better tomorrow that keeps her drive alive in 2006. “We’re here to create a better world for women, children and their families, and our vision is that no one in the family has to be afraid in their home life,” she says. Human Options (www.humanoptions.org, 949.737.5242, based in Irvine) helps battered women, their families and the community break the cycle of domestic violence. The nonprofit provides safety for seniors, women and their children, long-term support to rebuild lives and educational programs to create a safer community. One of the signature efforts these days is to make certain that boys do not grow up to be violent. “That way,” Clecak says, “the next generation is one of love and support, as families should be.” Human Options works with school programs to educate and provide age-appropriate information to children from kindergarten through young college-age adulthood. At the earliest ages, it is to help children express their feelings; in elementary and middle school, it is to define, describe and prevent bullying; and in high school and college, the focus is teen date abuse. “Twenty-five percent of teens nationally have experienced being abused by a date,” Clecak says. (For more information, go to our July 2005 report, found on our website at: www.ocfamily.com July 2005) Of course, intervention is a key component. Human Options has a county shelter as well as a transitional home. There are counseling programs for children who have lived in a violent home, as well as a program for batterers themselves. “Violence is a complicated problem. It tears down the woman’s sense of self, and makes it difficult for her to parent effectively.” Clecak also points out that of the boys affected by domestic violence, national statistics show that without intervention, two-thirds of them grow up to be violent. Those are sad results of a home in turmoil, which makes the effort at prevention that much more focused. “By strengthening this generation, we give the children of the next generation a chance for a better life,” Clecak says. Some 2,000 people are helped annually through Human Options’ hotline, counseling, shelter and transitional living; about 13,000 are reached through community education programs. Those numbers continue to increase each year. For example, parent-child interaction therapy is now available at an Irvine site. In March, a similar program will be launched at the Garden Grove Boys & Girls Club. In addition, Human Options addresses elder abuse, a growing phenomenon that may reflect a long-term pattern of abuse, a new relationship or a change in that relationship through retirement or illness. Ways to get help, and to help Atterer’s Intervention Program: 949.679.9671 Elder abuse prevention: 949.679.8467 Emergency shelter: 949.854.3554 Community education: 949.737-5242, Ext. 214 Community Resource Center: 1500 Adams, Suite 206, Costa Mesa, 714.435.9992 Fax: 714.435.9993 To participate in the Men’s Task Force or for general information: 949.737.5242 Volunteer opportunities: 949.737.5242, Ext. 223 Classy Seconds (Human Options Thrift Shop) 419 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, 949.631.4696 |
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