384 Children and Parents from The Guidance Center Adopted

384 economically disadvantaged children and parents, totaling 92 families, experienced the joy of the holiday season and hope for a bright future thanks to compassionate community members and local businesses through The Guidance Center’s Adopt-A-Family program. This year’s total more than doubles last year’s total of 150 children and parents from 40 families who were adopted.

“We’re grateful for the exceptional response to our Adopt-A-Family program this year,” said Patricia Costales, LCSW, CEO of The Guidance Center. “Knowing that we have so many neighbors and local businesses who support our children and families is reassurance that compassion still thrives in our community.”

More than 85 community members and organizations adopted families from The Guidance Center this year, including Groundwork Fitness, First District Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez, a group of Long Beach Unified School District teachers, Bixby Knolls/North Long Beach Kiwanis Foundation and The Queen Mary.

The reasons donors participate are all different, but one motivation is consistent, they wish to provide hope to families in the community who need it most. Giovanna Ferraro, owner of Groundwork Fitness in downtown Long Beach, advocates for people experiencing homelessness throughout the year, among other philanthropic efforts. She saw The Guidance Center’s Adopt-A-Family program as a way to participate in the giving season with her Groundwork Fitness members.

“I am an advocate period, every day. However, I make it a point every holiday season to remind myself of what this time of ‘giving’ means to me. This year I saw The Guidance Center pop up as they facilitate an Adopt-A-Family program,” said Ferraro. “I'm confident in my fitness community here at Groundwork Fitness, we are a strong bunch who have compassion for those in need. I discussed this program with my Groundwork Fitness family and naturally everyone was excited to help. We hope it helps a family feel like they have community love here in Long Beach.”

As a mental health agency serving the community’s most disadvantaged children and their families, The Guidance Center sees those who are overcoming trauma and mental health conditions in addition to working hard to make ends meet year-round. The holidays for these families can be especially difficult. The Adopt-A-Family program helps change that.

The program anonymously matches community members and local businesses with families who are clients of The Guidance Center’s clinics in Long Beach, Compton and San Pedro. Adopted families come from all different backgrounds and face complicated hardships. Some are headed by single parents or are large families. Some are victims of domestic or community violence. Some are seeking treatment for mental health conditions or learning to cope with a loss within their family.

“Receiving the story about the family is what we loved the most,” said Heather Stangle-Smith, one of the donors who has adopted a family from The Guidance Center with her husband for the past three years. “We got to know the names of each child and their parent, and some of the challenges they were working to overcome together. It made shopping for items on their wish list that much more meaningful because we felt like we knew them and cared about what they were going through. We got a sense that we helped an entire family.”

Donors select the size of family they wish to adopt. Then, they receive a short story about the family and a list with ages, clothing sizes and wish list for each family member. Often items on their wish lists are basic necessities, while other more playful items are dreams of children aching to have the toys and personal items that their friends possess.

For these families, though, toys are more than just something to play with and cherish. Toys are bridges that a parent can use to connect with their child, engage and build a positive bond at home, which are all crucial to childhood development but often difficult to cultivate as environments in impoverished areas can be stressful or chaotic.

“The impact of these gifts will go far beyond this season,” said Costales. “These gifts empower our families and give them hope of a brighter future.”

The Guidance Center started its Adopt-A-Family program in 2012. Because of generous donors and supporters, the program has provided nearly 1,000 parents and children with holiday gifts and basic necessities since its inception.

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About The Guidance Center

Established in 1946, The Guidance Center provides comprehensive mental health treatment to more than 3,000 children and families in the communities of Long Beach, Lynwood, Compton, Paramount, San Pedro and Avalon annually. The Guidance Center offers individual, group and family therapy, crisis intervention, case management, community education and outreach, and intensive mental health treatment. Headquartered in Long Beach, The Guidance Center also has clinics in Compton and San Pedro. For more information on The Guidance Center, please visit www.tgclb.org.