~ Our family is growing! You too can join the Circle of Care posted 4/1/08
~ Associate Board forming now! posted 4/1/08
~ Marion Rogers leaves her mark posted 4/13/08
~ "Every client is a different story. They're like my kids! posted 4/13/08
UPCOMING EVENTS
~ GRAND SLAM VI: "On the roof to benefit youth!"
~ SAVE THE DATE: 6th Annual Kid Art Gallery and Auction is 10/16/08
The Circle of Care comprises the many donors who help make our programs for children possible. Join the Kaleidoscope family and help us reach our end-of-FY08 fundraising goal of $50,000.
Donate online, call 773-278-7200 x4024 to pledge by phone or mail your gift to:
1340 S. Damen Ave., Mezzanine, Chicago, Illinois 60608.
Circle of Care
Donors of $100 or more become a member of the Kaleidoscope "Circle of Care." CoC donors receive special VIP invitations to Kaleidoscope events like the October Kid Art Gallery.
CoC Leadership Council
Donors of $500 or more play a leadership role ensuring some of Chicago's most vulnerable kids find hope. As a member of the CoC Leadership Council, you give children the opportunities they need and deserve to have a chance at a good life.
Donors of $100 or more become a member of the Kaleidoscope "Circle of Care." CoC donors receive special VIP invitations to Kaleidoscope events like the October Kid Art Gallery.
CoC Leadership Council
Donors of $500 or more play a leadership role ensuring some of Chicago's most vulnerable kids find hope. As a member of the CoC Leadership Council, you give children the opportunities they need and deserve to have a chance at a good life.
EACH "GRAND SLAM VI" TICKET
INCLUDES:
Admission to the most unique
baseball experience in the world...
An exclusive rooftop view of the game against the Chicago
skyline...
Plenty of great
food, cold drinks, fun prizes and a very cool t-shirt!
You gave us your feedback and we listened! Stay tuned to hear about some exciting changes we've made to this year's kid art gallery!
Date: Thursday, October 16, 2008
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Trust Bank, 50 S. LaSalle St., Chicago
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Trust Bank, 50 S. LaSalle St., Chicago
Marion Rogers became a licensed foster parent with Kaleidoscope in 1985 and has since opened her home – and her heart – to dozens of children. When permanency legislation passed in 1996, Ms. Rogers decided to adopt the twin boys in her care and a few years later adopted a third foster child.
Even with the hectic demands of raising three children, Marion provided emergency foster care and was an active member of the Kaleidoscope Foster Parent Association’s Policy Committee.
Aside from her experience as a foster parent, Marion has a special ability to work with the biological families of her foster kids. Five years ago, we asked Marion to help us with the placement of a young boy in the process of returning home and told her the transition would happen fairly quickly. We chose Marion for this child because, quite simply, she is a unique and gifted foster parent. However, four years and many reasons later, a court decided against returning this child to his parents. When asked, Marion made the commitment, without hesitation, to take guardianship of him.
These are just a few examples of the love and commitment Marion has shown our kids. Now, over 22 years later and with four more kids of her own at home, Marion has retired from fostering.
We had the pleasure of celebrating Marion’s dedication to the children of Kaleidoscope at the 22nd Annual Foster Parent Awards Banquet in December. While it’s impossible to quantify the impact she has had on the lives of the kids she has cared for or the families she has touched, we do know that Kaleidoscope is richer for having known her.
From all of your friends at Kaleidoscope, a big Thank You, Marion, and happy retirement!
Marion Rogers has been a
Kaleidoscope foster parent
for 23 years.
Kaleidoscope foster parent
for 23 years.
Meet Maria Gutierrez, Youth Worker
By Mary LaRocca
Our young adults preparing for life on their own face the same challenges as other kids their age -- but without a solid family structure to help them navigate all that comes with it like college applications, financial aid forms, apartment leases, job interviews, laundry, budgets, court dates, and doctor appointments.
That’s where Maria Gutierrez, a Youth Worker in the Youth Development Program (YDP), comes in.
As part of a team that includes a Social Worker, Maria provides hands-on assistance to our 18-21 year-olds who are at or nearing the age where they will be formally released from the foster care system (emancipated) and thrust into a life without the built-in support system of parents and family that most kids their age depend upon. Maria fills this gap by helping them with everything from filling out job applications and working out budgets to assisting expectant mothers with prenatal care and doctor appointments.
Many of the kids in the YDP have been in the system for most or all of their lives and are uncertain how to handle things on their own; many lack confidence in their own skills and abilities. Maria’s goal is to help each one see that they can move on from their past and be successful. Working with each client individually to help them accomplish assigned tasks is a key element of Maria’s job. She credits her supervisor with encouraging her to build trust and create rapport with each client on an individual basis as the underlying element to her success. Her best days on the job, she says, are when a client accomplishes a task – no matter how great or small – which are victories she and her whole team celebrate.
Maria says the most gratifying part of her job is making connections with each of the young adults and notes that some of the best conversations take place while she is driving them to or from appointments. As clients’ level of trust increases, they open up with her and realize that she is like them in many ways, and from there they are more receptive to her advice and guidance. “Every client is a different story. They are like my kids. I want them to see that they can have healthy relationships and lives going forward and that they don’t have to be tied to their past,” she says.
Choosing social work as her profession was clearly not financially motivated but is rewarding in many ways in seeing the way lives can be changed through her work. She owes her fulfillment to the Kaleidoscope organization and to her team, and says she feels supported in every aspect of her work, “Kaleidoscope does a great job of providing consistency for these clients, and they also reach out and work with the communities where our kids live.” Her supervisor and team keep her excited and motivated to work through whatever challenges arise by sharing stories and techniques for handling difficult situations.
One challenge she sees in her role is that there are not enough resources to help newly emancipated youth who are still struggling, particularly young men with criminal records. Because of the lack of support, they have a hard time finding work and often become homeless or turn to crime. While there are many shelters for women, particularly those with children, there are not enough for men, she says, and offers this alarming fact: “There are more shelters for animals than there are for human beings.”
Before joining Kaleidoscope over two years ago, Maria earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and interned at the West Side Domestic Abuse Project where she worked with men overcoming abusive behavior. She also worked at Sarah’s Circle, a support facility for homeless women. Maria says these experiences were eye-opening and increased her interest in social work. She has since decided to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work at the Jane Addams School of Social Work at UIC.
Fortunately for Kaleidoscope, Maria will continue in her role here while she goes to school. Her passion and commitment to the youth of Kaleidoscope are evident, as are her dedication and desire to help these young adults reach their goals.
Maria Gutierrez, YDP Youth Worker
Questions/comments? Email us! info@kaleidoscope4kids.org
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773-278-7200