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Agents of Change

Meet an Agent of Change - Pat Halberstadt Diapers to Diplomas: That’s Pat Halberstadt’s Motto!

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When lifelong Garden Grove resident Pat Halberstadt left home to attend college at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, she knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish: earn a degree in English and a teaching credential so she could come back home to teach in Garden Grove’s public schools.  She almost made it.  Pat earned her degree and teaching credential, returned home to Garden Grove, but decided that before embarking on her career as a teacher, she wanted to take some time to “try something a little different,” so she accepted what was to be a one-year stint as director of the local Girls Club.  That was 36 years ago, and Pat Halberstadt has yet to enter a classroom to teach. But far from missing her goal of serving the Garden Grove community, Pat Halberstadt been making life better for thousands of children and families in Garden Grove for more than three decades, in ways that have exceeded even her wildest dreams about what was possible to achieve. As Chief Professional Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove (BGCGG), as a result of a merger between the Girls Club and Boys Club in 1994, Pat leads an organization with a staff of almost 500, running programs that serve more than 5,000 children and young people every day and more than 8,500 families every year in eight cities.  The organization Pat manages has five traditional club sites; 35 elementary school sites; nine intermediate schools sites;  two high school sites; 10 family literacy sites; a truancy reduction center; a family and youth outreach program; one preschool and one family campus.   It wasn’t always like that.  Originally, the Club that Pat ran served a mere 50 kids a day, and only girls.  Almost from her first day on the job, Pat has worked tirelessly to expand the reach and range of the services provided for children and families.  Her efforts have succeeded far beyond anything one could have imagined.  In 2008, BGCGG doubled its capacity, staff and budget, and Pat played a central role in establishing a health center providing counseling, vision, dental and medical services to children in central Orange County.   Characteristically modest, Pat takes no credit for the truly remarkable accomplishments under her leadership.  “Our success is really a result of our organizing team’s efforts.  It’s all about teamwork.  We have a terrific Board of Directors, and a talented, dedicated young staff who are here for the right reason – the kids,” she says. She is also quick to recognize the role that the Children & Families Commission of Orange County’s (CFCOC) use of Proposition 10 funds has played in advancing the mission.   “We have been very generously supported by the Commission through the years and CFCOC funding has been instrumental in enabling us to bring life-changing resources and services to our community.  Equally important has been the technical assistance and the strong network of quality service providers that the Commission has convened.  Our work is so much more powerful and impactful because the Commission has given us guidance, resources and partners with which to enhance our programs.  Without the Commission’s support, programs for kids 0-5 would be extremely modest.” And that would be unacceptable to Pat Halberstadt.  “Extremely modest” programs for kids 0-5 just would not work for her.  By her own description, she is very results oriented, and leaves nothing to the imagination about what the goal is.  “We want to deliver direct services to kids.  We’re not here to conduct studies,  sit back, observe, or discuss theories.  We’re here to do something real, to touch people and make a difference.” There are literally thousands of examples of how Pat’s programs are making a difference.  Asked to choose one, she points to a preschool child was referred to the Early Childhood counseling program for acting out and angry behavior.  Early into the counseling sessions, Pat’s team discovered that the entire family was under great stress because the mother’s health was failing due to a faulty pacemaker.  The mother had lost her job and her health insurance.  As a result, she could not afford to have the pacemaker replaced.  Realizing that if the mother was healthy, the family would be healthy, the BGCGG staff got right to work, making calls and sending letters to find help.  First, they found a company that would donate a pacemaker, but only if a doctor to perform the procedure could be found.  A doctor was found, but next they needed a hospital to cover the costs.  They finally found a hospital willing to donate the operating room and support, and the mother received a new pacemaker.  The child is no longer afraid he will lose his mother and his behavior has improved dramatically.  So has the family’s overall stress level. Pat makes an important point about that story.  “It’s not just that we got the mom the medical help she needed.  It was critical to understand the impact her situation was having on the entire family, physically and emotionally.  Rarely do we a see a child with just a one-dimensional issue.  Often, when we scratch the surface, we find other issues, and they are usually linked.  And we frequently find that other family members are affected, as well.  Fortunately, CFCOC understands that, and has been providing resources for us to take a comprehensive approach, so we can offer programs to provide families with the skills and tools as well as the information to offer early intervention and make a real difference in their lives.” Pat takes special satisfaction in seeing people who were themselves in BGCGG programs as youths or teens, and are now bringing their grandchildren to the BGCGG preschool.   Making a real difference in the lives of children and families is what Pat Halberstadt is all about.  She is as passionate about it today as she was more than three decades ago when she took what she thought would be a slight detour on her way to the classroom.  Perhaps even more so.   A natural optimist, Pat says “this is a great time to be working with kids.   Every day we see the difference we are making in their lives.”   But she admits to being a little concerned about budgetary constraints in current economic circumstances.  “I worry a bit about stability in funding.  I know there are tough choices, but there always are.  Over time we have found how hard it is to make progress if we lose traction.  We are on the threshold of seeing some truly great outcomes, and must not be distracted.  We cannot afford to lose momentum.”    She speaks of the importance of helping kids with the zeal and absolute certainty of a true advocate.  “It might sound like a cliché, but children are our future.  Time, money and services on their behalf are never a waste.  There is always value to the child.  The best money and time we can spend is on children.  Period.”   A proud recipient of the BGCA Pacific Region 2008 “Horizon Award," given for leadership and innovation, Pat is also widely recognized for her community service as a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Advisory Committee for Family Support, her role as a founding Board member of Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, a member of the Leadership Committee for “Success by Six,” and a Community Advisor to the Junior League of Orange County.  She is not the type of person who likes to talk about herself, nor is she prone to look back.  Pat Halberstadt prefers to focus on the present and future, devoting her energies and attention to what is on her agenda for today, tomorrow and next week.  But when pressed about what she has learned over the years, she says she is a bit surprised by what can actually be accomplished if like-minded people are brought together and stay focused on their mission.   “It’s nothing short of miraculous what can be done.”  And she marvels at what she calls an amazing change in society’s perspective about kids and their development.  “It used to be that we worked to build kids that were fit for the world.  Now we are working on a world that’s fit for kids.”   There is no question that Pat Halberstadt’s bold, visionary and enthusiastic leadership of the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove has played a key role in helping affect that change, just as she and her team have changed and continue to change the lives of countless Orange County kids and families for the better every day.    When it comes to helping kids and their families, there is no such thing as “good enough” for Pat Halberstadt.  In fact, her favorite saying is “Be Great.”   She may not be standing in front of a blackboard in a red brick building, but she is a teacher, nonetheless.  Her classroom is all of Orange County and her students are everywhere you look.  Pat is teaching invaluable lessons to children, families, staff members and colleagues every day – lessons about what is possible in life, so they can achieve their full potential and become what she and they know they can – great.

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