Contact:
Caitlin Scott
Full Court Press Communications
caitlin@fcpcommunications.com
510-550-8176
San Jose, CA – Child Advocates of Silicon Valley will host a press conference on Thursday, June 24, at 11:00 a.m. to announce a first of its kind community-wide partnership to support foster children and their advocates as the community reopens amidst the slowing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eight local partners will now offer free resources, programming and/or free admission to foster youth and their Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). The eight partners include:
● Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
● Happy Hollow Foundation
● Children’s Discovery Museum
● Red Ladder Theatre Company
● San Jose Public Library
● FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
● YMCA Silicon Valley
● Jasper Ridge Farm
What: Press Conference to announce eight new community-wide partnerships to support foster children and their advocates.
Who: The event is hosted by Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. Speakers will include:
- San Jose City Councilmember Maya Esparza
- Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez
- Frederick J. Ferrer, Chief Executive Officer, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
- Marilee Jennings, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
- Annette Chastain, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
Where: Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose – 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110
When: Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. PT.
*Attendees and press will be required to wear a mask while indoors at the Children’s Discovery Museum*
“I applaud the creative and innovative ways Child Advocates of Silicon Valley are giving our foster youth the support and resources needed so they can thrive in the future,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “Our eight community partners will only enhance that work.”
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley CEO Frederick J. Ferrer added, “The COVID-19 pandemic was a retraumatizing event for foster children. We are grateful that these community partners have opened the doors wide to welcome our community’s foster children and their advocates. After a year of Zoom school and a slowdown in support services, we hope that this new resource for foster children and their CASAs will provide some fun, solace, and joy.”
Happy Hollow Foundation Executive Director Amy Pizarro said, “Teaching children about conservation and the environment helps to build connections to the world around them. As we reopen our doors to the community, now is the moment to help foster children heal and build a lifetime of positive memories with their advocate.”
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About Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley is an independent nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization created in 1986. We serve children aged birth to 21 years old who are placed in the Santa Clara County Dependency Court System for having experienced trauma in the form of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. We are also an affiliate of the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association. As an affiliate, we are responsible for operating the CASA program in Santa Clara County according to the national guidelines, which entails recruiting, training and supporting CASA Volunteers. To learn more, please visit ChildAdvocatesSV.org.