Last week, I attended the Celebration of Life Service for Harbor Patrol Officer Tim Mitchell in Catalina, who was tragically killed in the storms that struck Los Angeles County last week. The service was a poignant reminder of how our safety personnel put their lives on the line for all of us, each and every day. Please keep Tim’s family in your thoughts and prayers.

As we celebrate the holidays, we often get caught up in the stress of buying gifts, preparing for guests, and hosting parties.  Very often, we lose sight of what is really important, the time we should cherish with our families and loved ones, and giving thanks for our many blessings.

Too often we take for granted the freedom and safety we have in our country.  Many people around the world do not share this blessing; even young children cannot go to school without risk, as we have seen recently in Pakistan and Nigeria.  Here in the United States, we are able to celebrate our beliefs and go about our normal lives because of the men and women who wear the uniforms of our armed forces and our public safety agencies.

At a time when we should be giving them our gratitude and thanks, politics and the 24-hour news cycle too often pull us apart, making many feel they have to “take sides.”  Most recently, we have witnessed protests across the country surrounding tragedies in Ferguson and New York City.  While most people have protested peacefully, they have been eclipsed by the senseless acts of a few – from looting and vandalism, to the horrific point-blank murders of two police officers in New York.

There should be no sides to take here.  The peaceful protestors have a right to ask questions and raise issues about these events.  This should be done in the context and acknowledgement of the bravery and dedication of the thousands of men and women who protect our streets and communities across our nation.  We should also be grateful to their families, who every day wonder if their loved ones will return after their shift.  Most of us don’t face that when we go to work; we don’t knowingly put ourselves in harm’s way, risking our lives each day for strangers.

As we celebrate the holidays, let’s take a moment to give thanks to those who guard our streets, patrol our communities and keep us safe.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Mental illness is not only for adults. In fact, three out of four people with mental illness will receive a diagnosis by age 24.

Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, a nonprofit agency that helps over 90,000 children and adults from 11 sites and nearly 100 schools each year, has several programs that help teens and young adults with mental illness and substance use disorder. They include outpatient programs, a youth substance abuse program, school-based services and a “Birth-to-Five” program.

“Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24,” said Dr. Kita S. Curry, President and CEO of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. “We can save a lot of lives by making sure young people with depression and other mental health conditions get the help they need.”

Research shows early diagnosis and appropriate services for children and their families can make a significant difference in the lives of children with mental disorders. Antonio G., 16, who started receiving mental health services at Didi Hirsch when he was eight years old, illustrates how.

Antonio began displaying symptoms of severe anxiety when he was six years old. The anxiety kept him from sleeping in his own room, attending school and participating in family activities. Even basic hygiene was a problem, since he was fearful of taking a shower.

Antonio’s school referred him and his family to Didi Hirsch, where they began receiving individual therapy, family therapy, case management and psychiatric services. Although Antonio and his family received help at a Didi Hirsch outpatient clinic, Didi Hirsch counselors are also posted at nearly 100 schools throughout Los Angeles County so students can receive vital mental health care services even if their parents are unable to take off work or have no way to transport them to a clinic.

Today, Antonio still experiences symptoms of mental illness, but now has tools to cope.

“My anxiety has gone really down,” he said. “It used to hold me back, but now I’m able to do stuff that I couldn’t before like speak up in class, talk to new people, and join in activities like the youth group.”

With just a phone call, intake counselors and licensed program coordinators can assess a family’s needs, schedule an intake appointment and provide referrals for community resources.

Therapists work with children and teens experiencing emotional and behavioral difficulties and provide support, crisis intervention and evidence-based mental health treatment to help students be successful at school, home and in the community.

Teens can also get help from Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Crisis Line, which is open 24/7 in English and Spanish, or from its Crisis Chat services, which is available every day from 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Didi Hirsch also answers calls and chats for the TeenLine during the 20 hours a day when trained teens are unavailable to take calls.

Didi Hirsch’s “Birth-to-Five” program focuses treatment on new mothers suffering from depression, young toddlers who excessively tantrum, and kids who exhibit especially aggressive behaviors.

“All families are on a journey,” says Lisa Schumacher, program director of Didi Hisrch’s Mar Vista Center. “Sometimes rocks are on the path that we can move ourselves, and sometimes we need help to move the rocks – they are just too big. When families come across those large boulders, Didi Hirsch is there to offer suggestions, support or resources.”

Didi Hirsch primarily relies on Medi-Cal to pay for services, but has some funds to support the uninsured. To learn more about how to access services from Didi Hirsch, individuals can call (888) 807-7250 or visit http://www.didihirsch.org.

Nancy Connor, executive director of Long Beach BLAST (Better Learning for All Students Today), can easily rattle of the benefits of academic mentoring for an at-risk youth. Self-esteem goes up. Grades soar. Hope is found – sometimes for the first time.

But she is also quick to point out the “ripple” effect.

“Our academic mentors often get more out of the relationship than the mentees,” said Connor. “I see college students come into our program and volunteer – sometimes for the first time in their lives. They are amazed by the difference they can make with a child when they offer their time and open their hearts to a younger student they meet.”

Each semester, the team at Long Beach BLAST quickly and strategically assembles an estimated 250 to 300 mentor and mentee relationships (1:1), matching students from California State University Long Beach, California State University Dominguez Hills, Long Beach City College and Los Angeles Harbor College with at-risk youth in Long Beach schools.

“It’s a pretty intense screening process,” said Michelle Olmstead, BLAST’s volunteer program coordinator. “We start by visiting college classrooms early in the semester to educate students about BLAST, bring new volunteers through the application, screening and training process, and then ultimately match the college students with a student who may be struggling academically, pressured by gang involvement and living at or under the poverty level.”

Simultaneously, BLAST partners with the Long Beach Unified School District, including their principals, counselors and teachers, to identify young students who could benefit from an academic mentor. Help could come in the form of tutoring, teaching organizational skills or simply offering a role model to chat with about how to apply to college or get a job.

After college-student volunteers complete a background check, are medically cleared and attend a three-hour training facilitated by the BLAST staff – all in a matter of three to four weeks – they are matched and ready to begin. Mentors connect with their mentees for at least a semester, either in the classroom or at approved after-school programs located throughout Long Beach.

While some college students are drawn to the BLAST organization for community service hours or a particular college class requirement, many exit the experience with a new appreciation for volunteering.

Lucy Chairez, now a BLAST employee, started her academic mentoring journey with the Long Beach nonprofit in 2012 as a student at Long Beach City College. Partnered with a 17-year-old Will J. Reid High School student, Chairez initially focused her attention on helping with homework and tutoring, but the mentor-mentee team quickly found a deeper connection. In fact, Chairez signed up to continue mentoring the same student for a second semester and was able to see her through high school graduation.

“Now that she’s 18, we keep in touch, grab coffee and just talk about life in general,” said Chairez. “I just helped her select books for her next semester at Long Beach City College, and she often asks me to look over assignments for a second opinion.”

Today, BLAST continues its journey, operating two core programs: The Academic Mentoring Program, and the Bridge to Success Program, are both designed to support students’ immediate academic needs and future aspirations.

“We’d love to evolve to offer select students the option to do more long-term mentoring,” said Leslie Keeney, BLAST Program Manager. “We are so fortunate to have such amazing college students from the Long Beach community to help these young students. They are strong, education-driven role models, and to many of our students, they instill hope for a brighter future.”

BLAST is accepting contributions for its 2014 year-end giving campaign, which will directly support the Academic Mentoring Program and Bridge to Success Program. Please visit www.lbblast.org and click “Donate to BLAST” under “Support our Cause”.

To learn more about BLAST, visit www.lbblast.org or call 562-437-7766.

Last week, KPCC ran a story about First 5 LA’s new Strategic Plan.  As Chairman of the First 5 LA Commission last year, I was struck by the omission of vital information in their report:  the very serious fiscal situation that is looming for First 5 LA.

First 5 LA is dependent on tobacco tax revenues, which have declined from over $250 million in 2000 to $87 million in 2014.  When First 5 LA’s contract to LAUP expires in June 2016, First 5 LA is estimated to have $83 million in total revenue coming in and nearly $162 million in estimated annual spending.

The bottom line?  If LAUP or any of the other programs First 5 LA funds are extended beyond their contract periods, First 5 LA would be overcommitted and under-resourced by 2017.  That is why it was so critical that First 5 LA develop a strategic plan during my chairmanship that factors in the harsh reality we will soon be facing.   The new Strategic Plan, coupled with a new decision-making structure, provide First 5 LA with much needed focus and accountability that ensure the organization can both live within its declining revenues and contribute to lasting impact for the greatest number of children for LA County’s youngest children.

Early education is and always will be a priority for me.  I have supported LAUP since its beginning in 2004 and, since then, more than 100,000 kids received high quality early education!  There is no doubt that the investment First 5 LA made into high quality preschool through LAUP has proven that it is a worthy use of resources.  But First 5 LA cannot sustain this program.  It is quite literally a question of mathematics.  The numbers just don’t add up.

This issue is larger than First 5 and LAUP.  The future of free and subsidized quality preschool has yet to be decided, and now is the time to start making those decisions.  The path to broad access to quality pre-school is through public policy change and public financing.  I urge LAUP and all of the early education stakeholders to continue to make the case for preschool at the state and federal level.

And we have a strong case indeed; thanks to LAUP and First 5 Los Angeles.