Elevate Hope Foundation visits Lincoln Child Center
Elevate Hope Foundation's (EHF) Sheila E. and Lynn Mabry had the awesome opportunity to visit and tour the facility of one of its beneficiaries, Lincoln Child Center (LCC) in Oakland, CA. The children at LCC have been abused physically or sexually, or both; some have mental illness, others have been the unwilling victims of crimes.
Once arrived, the children were lead in a drum circle by the LCC counselors using the instruments donated by EHF. Sheila E. participated in the drum circle with the children and tried to convince them they can get over their troubles by finding an outlet.
After the session, Sheila was given the honor of cutting the ribbon and welcomed the kids to use their new playground donated and constructed by Home Depot a day prior.
The LCC facility is divided into 2 residential sections: one unit for the lower to mid levels, and the newly built facility for the upper levels. Each room houses from one to two children from the ages of 7 to 17.
LCC accepts youths who would not otherwise succeed in a regular class setting. While it costs a traditional public school about $7,000 per year to teach one student, an education at Lincoln Child Center costs $85,000 per year, in part because the children and teenagers are required to live on-site.
Near the end of the tour, it was apparent the children did not want the visit to end as they tightly held the hand of Sheila and Lynn. They began to give their requests for what they wanted and needed from EHF. Some were as simple as a toy, others quietly wished for more participation from the outside.
EHF left more eager to fulfill their needs and wishes as these forgotten children so desperately try to voice their desires to anyone and everyone who would care enough to hear them. It is EHF's desire to become more active participants in the lives of each child at Lincoln.
