fresh lifelines for youth (fly) -...
TRANSCRIPT
If you've been with us for a while, you
know that it was incarcerated youth
whose insights inspired our programs,
and that our young clients continue to
inform every aspect of our work. So it
is no surprise that it was our own
amazing Tony, former FLY client and
current FLY volunteer, who distilled the
complexity of the FLY formula into one
thought that captures FLY's single most
potent motivating force when he told
our team: "Hope changes everything!"
Hope is the reason our young clients -
many of whom have faced obstacles
and made mistakes that would level
the best of us - get up and try again. It's
the reason they persevere. Hope has
the power to fuel our will to overcome
any obstacle and inspire others.
Thank you, Tony, for beautifully articu-
lating the message that will motivate
us throughout our 15th anniversary
year, encouraging us through the excit-
ing challenges that lie ahead and giv-
ing us the words our entire FLY family
can share with others to convey the im-
portance of our work.
And THANK YOU to our FLY family. As
you look around the room and see
hope and excitement in the eyes of our
young clients, and as you hear from
our youth and partners, please know
that YOU are a part of every success we
celebrate today. Imagine what we can
accomplish together tomorrow!
Christa Gannon, FLY's Founder and CEO
Hope GazetteDecember 4, 2015
"Hope Changes Everything!"
Presented by San Francisco 49ers FoundationFLY Showcase 2015
2 Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
Christian, FLY alumnus, graduated high
school early, graduated Unitek College
with a 4.0, and is working full-time at
Kaiser Permanente while pursuing his
dream to be a registered nurse. He is
the first FLY graduate to host a table at
our Showcase breakfast.
About Diana
Diana is 18 years old and has success-
fully completed high school, juvenile
probation and FLY's mentoring pro-
gram. She is currently attending Ever-
green Valley College to obtain an A.A.
degree in sociology and transfer to a
UC school. Her goal is to be a case
manager or clinician to help change
other youths' lives the way FLY has
helped changed hers.
FLY Alumna, Diana
In Diana's spare time, she likes to
record music, play soccer, and go out
on walks. Hidden beneath her strong
personality and confident demeanor is
a highly sensitive, empathetic and
emotional person. These attributes are
likely to benefit her and all she encoun-
ters in future years. Through her in-
volvement with FLY, she has learned
that change is possible - knowledge
that gives her hope and motivates her
to move forward on a day-to-day basis.
She is determined to have a successful
future, and her attitude and journey
are best defined by the quote that
most inspires her: "Never let the sad-
ness of the past and the fear of the fu-
ture ruin the happiness of the present."
FLY youth aims for bright future
-Christian, FLY Alumnus
"Having hope has allowed me to persevere through my darkest moments."
FLY Alumna Poised for Success
3Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
with FLY when he served in Juvenile
Court in 2002. A San Mateo native,
Judge Jim grew up in Sunnyvale,
where his high school speech and de-
bate teacher inspired him to become a
lawyer. He was an attorney for 37
years, some of those years in the Santa
Clara County Counsel's office, where he
represented school districts and the
Registrar of Voters, before becoming a
judge.
Retired Santa Clara County Superior
Court Judge James Emerson, other-
wise known as "Judge Jim," believes in
FLY because FLY staff treat FLY youth
like their own kids. "Their approach is
very youth-oriented, not penal; they're
not trying to punish anyone, they're
trying to rehabilitate," he said. "Kids
are all going through a hard time in
their lives; the kids in the juvenile jus-
tice system are going through an even
harder time. They're like your children
-- you don't want to put them down;
y o u w a n t t o g i v e t h e m
encouragement."
This philosophy guided Judge Jim dur-
ing his 20 years on the bench and influ-
enced his decision to join the FLY Board
of Directors upon his retirement in
2010. "I really am committed to the FLY
program. I'm a believer in not leaving
kids behind," he said. "Everybody can
make a mistake. They're the future, so
they need to be cared for."
Now, when he is not advocating for FLY
or the Santa Cruz Art Museum, for
which he also serves on the board, or
helping people solve problems in his
job as a part-time mediator and arbi-
trator, Judge Jim likes to go sailing
around Santa Cruz, enjoy art, travel,
and do cross-fit-type work-outs at the
gym. "That goes with my philosophy
about living large and living long and
having an impact on society," he said.
About James Emerson
FLY Board Member "Judge Jim" retired
from the Santa Clara County Superior
Court in January 2010 ater 20 years on
the bench. He first became acquainted
speak to groups. He finds it helps him
to stay balanced and release tension
when he can share his thoughts
through words.
He credits his time with FLY staff and
volunteers, like Susie, Michele, and
Yuni, for making the difference in his
life, because, as he said: "When people
believe in you it makes hope happen,
and, like Tony said, 'hope changes ev-
erything!'"
He wants them to know that anything
is possible.
When Nick is not working as an Ameri-
Corps volunteer, serving on FLY's
speech committee, or advocating for
juvenile justice system reform, he can
be found running along the trails with
his energetic little terrier, Ace, or prac-
ticing his martial arts, Muay Thai and
Jiu Jitsu. He also likes to write and
Nick sees beyond himself
Here at Showcase, you will hear from
Nick about his personal journey - his
challenges and his great accomplish-
ments. What you may not know is that
Nick's hard work is not just for himself.
It's for the children he may have some-
day, and for the younger brother he
feels so lucky to have in his life.
FLY Alumnus-Nick,
Retired Judge says system-involved youth need support, encouragement
FLY Alum Works for the Future
"Having hope has allowed me to see the best in people."
4 Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
2003
FLY secures rent-free office space, cour-
tesy of the Sobrato Center for Nonprof-
its, and moves headquarters to
Milpitas.
2012-2014
FLY is one of 15 organizations chosen in
the United States to participate in Edna
McConnell Clark Foundation's Propel-
Next initiative to help organizations
build their capacity for sustainability,
impact, and scale.
2005
FLY plays a key role in the Santa Clara
County Juvenile Detention Reform
Movement.
2002
FLY expands services to reach youth re-
leased from long-term confinement.
2001
FLY receives City of San Jose's Human
Rights Award and incorporates FLY
Peer Leaders into our staff and volun-
teer interview process.
2015
Along with our system partners, FLY pi-
lots the Court Appointed Friendly Ad-
vocates (CAFAs) program that recruits,
trains, and matches volunteer mentors
to work one-on-one with minority
youth in Santa Clara County who have
disproportionate rates of probation
failure. FLY expands into Alameda
County, and is on pace to reach over
150 youth there.
2000
FLY is incorporated as a nonprofit
based on key elements learned from
incarcerated youth. FLY receives its first
git from the 49ers Foundation.
2004
FLY starts a new law program for
youth incarcerated in Santa Clara
County Juvenile Hall; FLY expands
into San Mateo County, providing ser-
vices to middle school youth at the
49ers Academy.
"With hope, there is always a future. With hope, kids have a chance to mature and succeed. Without hope, there are no possibilities except for failure."
-Tony, FLY Alumnus
Thousands Become So MuchFLY celebrates 15 years
"Having hope has allowed me to become a better person and bring out the best in other people."
-Judge James Emerson
5Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
2016
"My hope for 2016 is that we embrace
the power we have to provide support,
guidance, and compassion to our
young people, which catapults their
tenacity and resiliency to change. To-
gether we can ensure that all our kids
get the chance to become so more
than their past mistakes, no matter
their zip code." - Christa Gannon
2006
County of Santa Clara Public Defender
Office invites FLY to share research
findings and youth perspective on en-
hanced methods of communication
and representation of minors. FLY re-
ceives a grant to expand mentoring
and case management work.
FLY youth participate in a mock trial through the Legal Education Program
2011
FLY's Founder and Chief Executive Offi-
cer, Christa Gannon, receives the
James Irvine Foundation Leadership
Award for her efforts to implement in-
novative and effective solutions to a
critical state issue.
2008-2010
FLY discovers that its approach to its
transformational work with juvenile
justice youth is validated by Motiva-
tional Enhancement Theory, giving the
agency a new language and foundation
for training its entire team; with the
help of Tipping Point Community and
Bridgespan, FLY develops a strategic
plan.
2007
FLY staff serve on five steering commit-
tees related to juvenile justice system
reform and youth violence; FLY invests
in a database to begin tracking out-
comes.
Alameda County FLY staff at local school
of young lives transformed
More Than Their Past Mistakes
6 Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
Numbers help tell the FLY story. But as
FLY's evaluation and learning analyst,
Julia Cuevas has a different perspec-
tive - the story behind each number. In
the process of gathering data, Julia
gets to know each FLY youth's person-
ality, culture, perceptions. "These are
somebody's children," she said. "And
despite facing dire circumstances, and
having been written off by many, they
still move forward; they still have
hope." That understanding reinforces
her dedication to serving each one.
Still, with young children of her own at
home, Julia is also dedicated to keep-
ing her work-life balance in check. She
knows balance is critical to being the
best mother and wife - and the most
competent and caring professional -
she can be. Her impressive list of
achievements is proof that she knows
how to tackle challenges; long before
she made her mark as an accom-
plished professional, a wife, and a
mother, Julia was a FLY client.
Thanks to our 2015 Speech Commit-
tee Youth!
Amy Nguyen
Anastacia Duenas
Rebecca Esparza
Christian Paronable
Cindy Baldovinos
Danny Casillas
Diana Urias
Jose Lopez
Lorenzo Nava
Miracle Teó
Nick Jasso
Nick Tran
Tony Aguilar
Ronald Fernando
Ramon MunozJulia would love to see greater aware-
ness of juvenile justice youth circum-
stances and their great potential for
change.
FLY's Evaluation and Learning
Analyst, Julia Cuevas
• Opal $10,000: Gibson & Dunn,
George Brown
• Topaz $5,000: Xactly Corp.
• Pe r i d o t $ 2 , 5 0 0 : N et S co u t
Systems, Inc., The Strickland
Group
• Emerald $25,000 and above: San
Francisco 49ers Foundation
• Diamond $15,000: Wilson Sonsi-
ni Goodrich Rosati
• Opal $10,000: Fenwick & West
LLP
FLY Speech Committee 2015
Corporate Sponsors
“Eighty percent of FLY youth report...”FLY staff and Showcase speaker gets full story
7Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
FLY alumna, Anastacia says,
"Completing FLY is my biggest
accomplishment and most recently I
applied for funding from the Bay Area
Inspire Awards to formalize how FLY
alumni can keep giving back."
Jones' observation comes from close
to 14 years working directly with young
people in the juvenile justice system in
our county. We are grateful to him for
sharing his perspective and insights
with our Showcase guests today, and
for all he does to help youth in our
community.
About Rashad Jones
A San Jose native, Rashad grew up in
the Evergreen area and attended Bel-
larmine College Preparatory before
earning a Bachelor's degree in sociolo-
gy from the University of Southern Cali-
fornia. Rashad began his career in the
Santa Clara County Probation Depart-
ment as a group counselor in juvenile
hall. In 2005, he became a deputy pro-
bation officer in the Juvenile Services
Division. He is currently a supervising
probation officer in the Dually Involved
Youth Unit, which is co-located at the
Family Resource Center.
Knowledge and hope promote transfor-
mation
When Rashad Jones is not spending
time with his wife and two beautiful
daughters, or competing on the golf
course or basketball court, he is help-
ing juvenile justice youth in his job as a
supervising probation officer. Speaking
at Showcase is another way Rashad
shows his support for young people,
and for FLY in particular, because he
believes FLY programs provide the
knowledge and hope needed to help
young people change.
"If you know better, you'd do better!"
said Jones. "A lot of the people we en-
counter on a daily basis just don't
know. FLY can provide them that av-
enue and arena to change and make
better choices."
• C h i e f E x e c u t i v e Off i c e r &
Founder: Christa Gannon, JD
• Chief Operating Officer: Ali
Knight, MPA
• Chief De velopment Off icer
(Interim): Lisa Breen Strickland
• Director of Events and Client En-
gagement: Susie Rivera, JD, MS,
CPCC
• Director of Government Affairs:
Alex Shoor, MPA
• Director of Talent: Michelle Mc-
Cormick
• Director of Evaluation and
Learning: Monique Johnson, MS
• Director of Finance and Opera-
tions: Carlos Garcia, MS
• Director of Strategy and Growth:
Vamsey Palagummi, JD
• Director of Grants Management:
Katie Clark, JD
• Law Program Manager: Randi
Perry
• Law Program Site Manager:
Matthew Henry
• Law Program Coordinator: Vianni
Garcia
• Mentor Program Manager: Cas-
sidy Higgins, PhD
• Mentor Program Match Manager:
Mary Ann van Westbroek
• Mentor Case Manager: Carmen
Talavera
• Mentor Case Manager: Courtney
Portal
• Mentor Case Manager: Victor Fer-
nandez
• Leadership Program Manager:
Vince Cabada
• Leadership Program Lead Case
Manager: Reyna Martinez
• Lea d e rs h i p C a s e M a n a ge r :
Patrick Spink
• Leadership Case Manager: Cy Fa-
iaipa'u
• Leadership Program Assistant:
Vasthi Arredondo
• San Mateo County Manager of
Programs: Nicole Haley
• San Mateo County Law Program
Facilitator: Maryam Nemazie, JD
• San Mateo County Law Program
Facilitator: Joshua Orcine
• San Mateo County Leadership
Lead Case Manager: Jefferson
Bautista
• San Mateo County Leadership
Case Manager: Trevor Arceneaux
• San Mateo County Leadership
Case Manager: Yuni Cisneros
• San Mateo County Program Co-
ordinator: Melissa Delbon
• Alameda County Program Man-
ager: Jamela Joseph
• Alameda County Lead Case Man-
ager/Facilitator: Joy Hernandez
• Alameda County Case Manager/
Facilitator: Joe Bates
• Alameda County Program Coor-
dinator: Danielle Ross
• GOLD Program Case Manager:
Kristopher Scott
• GOLD Program Case Manager:
Uyen Nguyen
• Atercare Case Manager: Manny
Cardenas
• Atercare Case Manager: Tina
Tellez
• Executive Assistant to CEO: Anna
Nguyen
• Executive Assistant to COO:
Elaine Bostwick Smith
• Utility Practitioner: Arely Carde-
nas, MS
• Operations Manager: Whitney
Henry
• D e v e l o p m e n t A s s o c i a t e :
Stephanie Sieveke
• E v a l u a t i o n a n d L e a r n i n g
Manager: Ashley Eng
• Evaluation and Learning Analyst:
Julia Cuevas
• Operations Assistant: Rachel
Henry
"Hope has allowed me to push myself and others so we can all achieve greatness."
-Anastacia,FLY Alumna
-Christa Gannon,
Probation Officer Shares Insights
FLY Founder and CEO
FLY Staff
"Hope has the power to fuel our will to overcome any obstacle and inspire others along the way."
Knowledge and hope promote transformation
8 Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
Showcase guests can help reshape lives.
Introduce your friends to FLY. Invite
them to our next event.
Share the news that young people can
and do change!
Make a financial git to support FLY's
programs.
Ask your company to match your git!
Like FLY on Facebook, and share our
posts!
Volunteer to facilitate the FLY Law Pro-
gram.
Spread the word to neighbors: FLY pro-
grams are 1/10th the cost of incarcera-
tion.
Join us at Taste of FLY in the spring!
Involve FLY youth in your next compa-
ny volunteer event.
Start your own fundraiser for FLY dur-
ing Silicon Valley Gives. (It's easy with
the tools provided by Silicon Valley
Gives, and we'll help too!!)
Ask your company about hosting a spe-
cial event to expose FLY youth to busi-
ness environments.
Become a FLY mentor and spark
change for a young person!
Follow FLY on Twitter and retweet our
Tweets!
Join us to celebrate our joint accom-
plishments every year!
For more information on how to get involved, visit www.flyprogram.org.-Diana Urias,
FLY FANS CLAMOR FOR WAYS TO HELP
"Having hope has allowed me to accomplish short-term goals, have more confidence, and self-fulfill my potential."
FLY Alumna