Child Abuse Prevention Center
AmeriCorps Programs
Who we areThe Child Abuse Prevention Center is a state, national and international training, education, research and resource center dedicated to strengthening children, families, and communities.
The CAP Center administers six AmeriCorps programs with nearly 300 AmeriCorps members serving children, youth, and families throughout California. |
Our Programs |
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Become an AmeriCorps PartnerCAP Center AmeriCorps programs partner with nonprofit organizations, state agencies, schools, and other community organizations throughout California.
Interested in hosting AmeriCorps members? Learn more about partnering with CAP Center AmeriCorps. |
Members of the Month March 2024
Member Name: Evita Garcia
Nominator(s): Cristina Castaneda Program: FYI Site: Lynwood Unified School District From the start of her services Evita Garcia has created an environment where students feel safe and accepted. Evita currently works with a family of 3 siblings who are experiencing hardship. Due to home dynamics, the students were struggling with their appearance and hygiene which was in turn impacting their connections with their peers and their academics. Evita was able to tactfully approach this situation with the students, working alongside the students to create hygiene routines that they could and would follow, and providing guidance and support to the family. Evita also connected with one of the sibling’s teachers and arranged for the student to have a hygiene kit in the classroom to use as needed. Over the span of a few months the siblings showed great improvement in their appearance and well-being, which resulted in a growth in their confidence. One of the siblings commented how his peers would tell him they had seen him improve overall, which he was very proud of. I commend Evita for her work, because she took what was a sensitive topic and an issue that was impacting the student’s social interactions, and found ways to engage the students and support their development of self-help skills. With this basic need being met, Evita is now also helping the siblings improve their grades and recognize what they are capable of. The greatest success is that this family had an ongoing open DCFS case due primarily to hygiene concerns. The case was successfully closed last December. Evita’s work with the family is ongoing. She has been an empathetic, constant presence, that has helped the family feel seen and understood.
Member Name: Lauren Beaman
Nominator(s): Nani Villa Program: PATH Site: RCAA Lauren is a tremendous addition to our team. Apart from surpassing the criteria listed above, she is an outstanding AmeriCorps member. As a co-worker Lauren is admired for her wide range of knowledge and skillsets in the social work field. She is an amazing team player and supports her co-workers on a professional and personal level. Lauren is a true example of someone who genuinely cares for others and is attentive in giving people the care they deserve. As a Case Manager Lauren has shown great growth in building professional relationships with community members. Uplifting individuals and families to achieve their goals and attend to their basic needs and connecting her clients to resources in the community that would help better their situations. Lauren does amazing research in our community to ensure she gives accurate and appropriate information to her clients. A recent success story of Laurens that I would like to highlight would be when she was working with one of our reoccurring clients that is houseless in connecting him with the HOME program to get started with finding housing and getting mental health services. Lauren has helped countless clients in accessing resources here at The Center in McKinleyville and throughout Humboldt County.
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Member Name: Meneu Yang
Nominator: Jordan Bittner Program: Birth & Beyond Site: Sacramento Children’s Home Meneu has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service, going above and beyond to enhance our support for families. He has played a crucial role in refining our processes and communication with MPAP families, setting a higher standard for himself and his colleagues. Continuously evaluating ways to eliminate barriers for families, Meneu even goes the extra mile, conducting drop-offs and meet-ups to ensure better access to our services.
His dedication extends to supporting clients through proactive measures such as personally contacting referrals before their introduction to families, experiencing the self-referral process, and actively participating in various tasks alongside clients. Meneu has also successfully built strong connections between our site and Hmong families in the community. The positive feedback from Hmong families highlights his effective communication and assistance, with referrals spreading through word of mouth. Colleagues have expressed deep appreciation for Meneu's work, recognizing his contribution to fostering a positive and supportive work environment. He consistently makes himself available to others, showcasing his passion for the role. Meneu's eagerness to expand his knowledge through training, thoughtful inquiries, and creative outreach initiatives reflects his genuine commitment to our community. Meadow view takes pride in having Meneu as a valuable member of our team, representing AmeriCorps with distinction. |
Member ProfilesMember Name: Parisa Bana
Nominator(s): Hayley Cox Site: Folsom Cordova Community Partnership Program: CA Foster Youth Initiative "Parisa Bana is serving her second term and is a dedicated, hard-working AmeriCorps member. She is diligent and organized, keeping a detailed schedule of AmeriCorps-related trainings, meetings, or deadlines. She manages her timecards and data submissions with superb time-management skills. Since school shutdowns, Parisa has been integral to the conversion of in-person mentoring curriculum, activities, and workshops into distanced and virtual delivery formats. She is passionate about education and accessibility and is continually increasing her skills and knowledge through research. During this term, Parisa’s ability to connect with youth and manage a group has grown. She has even become known as the in-house homework helper. One refugee youth who Parisa helped successfully graduate high school has recently returned to the Job Center seeking Parisa’s help and guidance in a math class at the local community college. Parisa is a tremendous support to all youth programs at the Partnership. We are grateful for her service." Zoe is a second term member with the Foster Youth Initiative program. As a former foster youth herself, she mentors foster youth on independent living skills necessary in order to thrive as an adult.
Zoe was personally recognized by Mayor Darrell Steinberg for her service to her community. She plans to complete four terms with AmeriCorps. “They don’t believe in themselves because nobody’s given them a reason to. [My client] just needed someone to believe in him. He knows what he can do but no one believes in him, so why should he? I became his cheerleader. I believed in him.”
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Interested in Joining AmeriCorps?We are recruiting motivated and community-oriented individuals to provide services to children and families. The CAP Center administers six AmeriCorps programs with nearly 300 AmeriCorps members serving children, youth, and families throughout California. Our programs offer full- and part-time opportunities ranging from home visitation to parenting classes to youth mentoring, and more! CAP Center AmeriCorps members receive excellent benefits in addition to opportunities for personal and professional development. |