EBAC Names Heroes to be Honored at Benefactor Party

The East Bay Agency for Children (“EBAC”) is proud to announce three “Heroes” who will be recognized at a Benefactor Party to be held in Piedmont on October 17th.  Each year EBAC staff members select one or more of their peers to be honored, standouts who represent EBAC’s values of excellence, diversity, respect, compassion and partnership.  Niki Horton, Harold Jefferson and Lupe Soltero are the 2013 EBAC Heroes.

Niki Horton is a Kindergarten After School Instructor at Sequoia Healthy Start.  Since 2000, EBAC has provided educational and family support services at Sequoia Elementary School in Oakland’s Dimond District.  This past year, Niki was responsible for adding after school programming for kindergarten students.  The needs of kindergarten students are different from other students, and often kindergarten parents experience high anxiety for their little ones in new situations.  Niki created such a warm, inviting program at Sequoia that a waiting list formed almost immediately.  Niki relates that her greatest pride as an instructor at Sequoia is in “hearing [her] students speak kindly to each other, process their emotions in a positive way, and express their joy for [EBAC’s] program.”

Harold Jefferson is a Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist for EBAC’s oldest program, Oakland Day Treatment.  This year, Harold starts his 20th school year with EBAC and this all-day therapy and education program.  Oakland Day Treatment serves second through fifth graders who need specialized behavioral health support to help them succeed academically.  Harold works in the classroom alongside the Oakland Unified School District teachers to help students learn to manage their emotions and behavior based upon each student’s individualized treatment plan, carefully defined by EBAC clinical therapists who also work with these children.  Given his many years of experience, Harold also helps train EBAC’s new Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialists.  The kids love “Mr. Harold”.  He provides a strong and consistent male presence in the lives of these children whose home lives are often challenging and unpredictable.  Harold observes about his work:  “we can’t always fix the kids’ lives, but we try to give them better days and sometimes just moments.”

Guadalupe (“Lupe”) Soltero is a Lead Teacher at EBAC’s Hawthorne Family Resource Center (“HFRC”), an important hub of family and community life in Oakland’s Fruitvale District.  Five years ago, HFRC received funding to add an early childhood education program to its already successful after school program and parent resource center.  EBAC Program Director Allison Delgado knew exactly who she wanted to engage to help her create an innovative new program for children and their parents in the Fruitvale community.  She convinced Lupe to come out of retirement after a career in education to launch the Parent and Child Education Support Program, where children from infants through pre-kindergarten and their parents participate in school readiness activities.  Lupe has been instrumental in building this program into a successful model for parent engagement in their child’s future academic success.  Lupe recently announced she is retiring, for real this time.  Although Lupe will be sorely missed, she leaves a tremendous legacy in the Fruitvale community.

Benefactor Party October 17th

Please join the EBAC Auxiliary in honoring these heroes at a Benefactor Party scheduled on Thursday, October 17th at a fabulous Piedmont home.  VIP donors to the EBAC Auxiliary’s 14th Anniversary Masquerade Ball, “Club Dekko — A Black Tie Dinner Dance”, to be held on Saturday, October 26th at the new and exclusive University Club atop Cal Memorial Stadium, are invited to attend the Benefactor Party.  These Benefactor Party guests can look forward to a mouth-watering assortment of passed hors d’oeuvres and desserts, all prepared by Wood Tavern Executive Chef Yang Peng, and delicious Keenan wine.  Proceeds from the Masquerade Ball, chaired by Kimberly Campbell, Leila Kasrovi and Grace Landon, support EBAC’s vital services for children and families in our East Bay community.

For more information about the Benefactor Party, the Masquerade Ball or the EBAC Auxiliary, please contact Grace Landon at (c) 203-482-1624 or Leila Kasrovi at 510-336-3466.  For more information about EBAC please see www.EBAC.org.  Claire Faughnan, EBAC Auxiliary Publicity Chair, 510-654-5180 clairefaughnan@me.com.

The EBAC Auxiliary is a group that raises funds in support of East Bay Agency for Children programs.  The organization was founded in 1999 and continues to serve children and families in need.