As many of you may know my husband and I are mentors with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Solano County California where we live. We have been with the program for two years and it has been great, challenging at times but we have really made a difference to the kids and the families that we are matched with. We have watched the kids grow and change and become so much more happier than they were when we first met them. We are the closest thing that the kids have to parents since their mother was murdered back in 2007 and their father is serving a 25 year to life prison term.
We were paired with the family by the solano BBBS coordinator that specializes in children of incarcerated parents. In this community there are 6,800 children who have parents who are in a federal or state correctional facility.
The reason for this post is to ask for your help. This coordinator (her name is Arthelle Porter) is in danger of being let go from the organization due to the recession. The grant for her position may be cut because as far as the state of California is concerned this particular program is not very important. To them having a pier built in Malibu takes precedent over children who are 6 times more likely than their peers to end up in prison than their peers (so I guess they'd rather save the money for after they are incarcerated). Without Ms. Porter the program will end.
So I have decided not to take this sitting down. I have started an online petition to express to the BBBS organization and the Legislators of the state of California that we do not want Ms. Porter to leave Solano county.
What I am asking of the SoulCast community is for you to join me in speaking for our youth (no matter where you live) and signing the petition. Below is the link to the petition and if you would like to take it a step further, there is information for the legislators of Solano county and the state of California and for the Directors of BBBS of ther Northbay if anyone would like to make a call or send a short letter or email expressing the importance of Ms. Arthelle Porter's work and the program.
Please help if you can it only takes a few seconds but the impact will last throughout generations!
Link to the petition:
State Legilature Contact Info:
Senators
Lois Wolk
Phone: (916) 651-4005
Patricia Wiggins
Assembly Members
Mariko Yamada
555 Mason Street
Suite 275
Vacaville, CA 95688
(707) 455-8025
(707) 455-0490 fax
Suite 275
Vacaville, CA 95688
(707) 455-8025
(707) 455-0490 fax
Noreen Evans
1713 Sonoma Blvd
Vallejo, CA 94590
Phone: (707) 649-2307
Fax: (707) 649-2311
Vallejo, CA 94590
Phone: (707) 649-2307
Fax: (707) 649-2311
BBBS Director's Info:
Eddie Kaufman
(415) 453-3800 Ext. 223
Lauren Graymen
(415) 453-3800 Ext. 228
