Overview of The Raise Foundation
Since our formation in 1974 by a resolution of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, we have grown into a dynamic, well-respected, non-profit organization serving all of Orange County. The goal of The Raise Foundation is to provide resources to build better parents, who in turn, will build better kids, and together build a better community. With over 40,000 cases of reported child abuse and neglect in the county in 2008, it is clear that prevention programs and services such as those offered by The Raise Foundation continue to be desperately needed in every Orange County community!
Our Mission
As Orange County’s official child abuse prevention organization, The Raise Foundation is dedicated to stopping the cycle of abuse through education, advocacy, community collaboration, and comprehensive services for families and children.
Programs and Services
The Annual Conference on Child Abuse - Each spring The Raise Foundation™, in partnership with both public and private agencies, produces a Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Conference. This conference brings the latest information and research to professionals.
Blue Ribbon Child Abuse Prevention Campaign - In April (National Child Abuse Prevention Month) The Raise Foundation coordinates and leads a highly-visible, countywide public awareness campaign to promote awareness, activism, and volunteerism in the prevention of child abuse in Orange County. The blue ribbon is the international symbol supporting child abuse prevention.
Family Resource Centers - A Family Resource Center is a vehicle for engaging local community organizations and local government in the identification and resolution of community concerns. The centers serve their clients by providing parent education classes (offered in both English and Spanish), healthcare access programs, anger management seminars, counseling, a parenting warm-line, and youth programs. The Raise Foundation is involved in Family Resource Centers in Anaheim, Lake Forest, San Juan Capistrano, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, and Stanton.
“A Guide for New Parents: That Set of Instructions Your Baby Didn’t Come With” - Covering the first two years of a child’s life, this easy-to understand parenting guide was developed by The Raise Foundation and the Outreach to Parents Team and is distributed free to high-risk parents of newborns through 12 Orange County hospitals and several non-profit organizations. The Guidebook is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Caring for Kids Community - This diverse group made up of schools, businesses, organizations, and individuals is committed to a shared goal – the prevention of child abuse. The Caring for Kids Community hosts food drives and volunteer events throughout the year to benefit Orange County’s families. Last year over 6,800 distributions of donations were made through this program.
ProjectConnections.FRC Health Access Program - is a health education and in-home support services program for pregnant women and families with children ages 0 through 5. The goal of the Health Access Program is to reach medically and socially vulnerable children with accessible, culturally sensitive services that build on family strengths and improve the overall health and well being of the children served. This program is made possible through a grant from the Children & Families Commission of Orange County
Parent Education Program - In addition to those classes offered at the Family Resource Centers, our Parent Education Program reaches out to other Orange County sites, including schools, community centers, churches, and businesses. Our programs can also be customized for those needing help with special challenges, including parents of the chronically ill, learning disabled, or behaviorally difficult; those who are foster and adoptive parents; and those dealing with divorce or stepfamily issues. In all areas, our goal is to offer parents and caretakers tools for strengthening their parenting skills, and to be an ongoing resource to help them create a nurturing healthy family environment.
The Child Abuse Prevention Council - The Raise Foundation™ began as a “child abuse council” in 1974 and continues to meet monthly on the second Thursday of the month to provide a forum for communication, networking, and information sharing on child abuse issues, treatment, and prevention. This meeting is a great opportunity for professionals in the field to network and share programs and services they are offering in the community. All are welcome to attend.
This Side Up Campaign -
The Raise Foundation in partnership with The Hayes Foundation’s has implemented the This Side Up campaign, an educational effort that reminds anyone who looks after a baby (parents, grandparents, siblings and daycare providers) that babies are at less of a risk of SIDS if placed on their backs at nap or bed time. It will distribute the campaign’s educational onesies – which read “This Side Up” on the front and offer additional safe-sleeping tips on the back – to Orange County’s area hospitals, public health sites and Family Resource Centers. The Raise Foundation also will serve as the This Side Up campaign’s exclusive partner for distribution to other California counties, hospitals or organizations.