CALICO CENTER BLANKET PROJECT WARMS HEARTS
OF EAST BAY CHILDREN
The Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. Supports
San Leandro Interview Center for Abused Children with Blanket Project
| WHAT: |
As the CALICO (Child Abuse Listening, Interviewing and Coordination) Center in San Leandro approaches its 10-year anniversary serving the abused and neglected children of Alameda County, the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. (JLOEB) is rekindling its partnership with the area's leading interview center for abused children. |
| WHEN: |
On
February 24, League members will gather to make fleece blankets for the
children who visit the Center. More than 20 members will assemble blankets used to comfort children after the difficult interview process which they undergo at the CALICO Center. Another 30 members will assemble blankets at home and donate them to the project. As part of this blanket making event, the JLOEB plans to donate more than 350 fleece blankets to the Center. |
| WHERE: |
Blanket making will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the CALICO Center, 524 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577. Event is not open to the public. |
WHO: |
The JLOEB has a
strong history of collaboration with the CALICO Center. At its inception
in |
| WHY: |
The blanket-making event builds on the partnership with JLOEB, whose focus is to serve vulnerable children throughout the Oakland and East Bay areas. To date, the JLOEB has committed more than 7 million volunteer hours and approximately $3 million to efforts aimed at improving the lives of children and their families in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The League's work with the CALICO Center represents one of several real undertakings that focus on critical needs in the East Bay area, and leaves a lasting and positive impact on the community. |
| NOTE: | Photo editors and Broadcast media are invited to cover the event. Attendees include: Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Karen Meredith, CALICO Center Executive Director Vicky Gwiasda, and founder of Blankets for Kids, Jo Molz. |
| About
the CALICO Center: CALICO (Child Abuse Listening, Interviewing and Coordination) Center serves as a multi-disciplinary hub, bringing together law enforcement, child welfare workers, and prosecutors to coordinate Alameda County's response to child abuse and link children and families with vital therapeutic, medical and legal support services. CALICO is often the place where abused children recount their experiences in full for the first time. A supportive and effective response from CALICO is crucial in fostering healing and ensuring that offenders are held accountable. They operate two facilities: a main office in San Leandro and a satellite office at the Alameda County Family Justice Center in downtown Oakland, a one-stop center for victims of family violence. They have a dedicated, skilled, bilingual (Spanish/English) staff of Child Interview Specialists, with a combined 27 years experience at CALICO, each having conducted from 200-1,200 interviews. |
|
| Junior
League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. - Women Building Better Communities Founded in 1935, the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The JLOEB offers women the opportunity to implement change in the community in three major ways: projects, grants, and outreach. The common thread in the JLOEB community work is the League's dedicated mission focusing on Children at Risk. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. To learn more, support League projects or become a member, please visit our website at www.jloeb.org. |
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| MEDIA
CONTACTS: Katie Ryan, JLOEB, Community Relations, kjtryan@hotmail.com (925) 837-3463 Dana Young, JLOEB, Community Relations Chair, danayoung@yahoo.com, (415) 378-7998 Karen Meredith, Alameda Co. ADA, karen.meredith@acgov.org (510) 895-0702 |
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