By Madeline Zuckerman
PHOTOS BY HAYLI BIOKO PHOTOGRAPHY
Olive Crest Desert Communities hosted its Inaugural Community Day event on July 24, 2024 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, which was open to the entire Coachella Valley community, at its new Children And Family Resource Center located at 39-830 Portola Avenue, Ste. A, in Palm Desert. Olive Crest, who is the recognized leader in the prevention and treatment of child abuse, is dedicated to preventing child abuse by strengthening, equipping, and restoring children and families in crisis . . .“One Life at a Time®.” Olive Crest Desert Communities plans to host these monthly Community Day events again on August 28, 2024, September 25, 2024, and October 23, 2024.
“The creation of these monthly Community Days is the continued realization of a vision at our comprehensive Children and Family Resource Center,” said Tracy Fitzsimmons, Executive Director of Olive Crest, Inland and Desert Communities. “With 31.1% of Coachella Valley’s children living below the poverty line, the need for events like this is clear. We are excited to host these Community Day events throughout the summer months, due to the higher temperatures and greater needs. Everyone is welcome at these monthly Community Days!”
Olive Crest’s vision is “A Strong Family for Every Child.” Currently the organization serves over 800 families and children annually within the Coachella Valley.
For this inaugural indoor resource and information fair, Olive Crest hosted nearly 200 members of the community, including 125 kids and over 50 volunteers. The event offered a full slate of fun activities for children in attendance, which included complimentary haircuts, snow cones, vaccinations, dental services, a backpack raffle, etc.
Olive Crest hosted the event in partnership with the following leading nonprofits and agencies:
- FIND Food
- IEHP
- College of the Desert – Foster Youth Services
- Partners Against Violence
- Variety Children’s Charity of the Desert
- Tools for Tomorrow
- Department of Child Support Services
- Riverside County Office of Education
- RUHS Public Health
- RivCo DPSS
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Desert
- Riverside Legal Aid
- SPARK
“We were so pleased to work with these remarkable nonprofits and agencies,” said Fitzsimmons. “We are excited about the magnifying impact this can have for families who are struggling during difficult times, and we see the collective impact this can have as a moral imperative to provide a ‘hand up’ to help distressed families.”
Representatives from the partnering groups were on hand to greet attendees and provide on-site assistance with Cal-Fresh and Medi-Cal applications. Throughout the event, these representatives and volunteers assisted attendees with access to such resources as: Advocacy Services, Mental Health Services, Student Services, Legal Aid Services, Child Development Screenings, Child Support Services, Child Care Services, Healthcare, Employment Training and Opportunities, Mentorship Programs, Housing, and Food Insecurity.
One hundred backpacks were given away at the inaugural July Community Day, with an additional one hundred backpacks being raffled off at the upcoming August 28, 2024 Community Day event.
For additional information on these Community Day events or to be connected to the services, please call 760-773-7232.
ABOUT OLIVE CREST
Since 1973, Olive Crest has transformed the lives of over 200,000 children and their families. We were tirelessly to meet the individual needs of kids in crisis by providing safe homes, counseling, and education for both youth and parents. Our many innovative programs reflect our conviction that strengthening the family is one of the most powerful ways to help heal children. Our 98% stability rate is a testament to the lifelong commitment and unwavering compassion that the Olive Crest family maintains to the children and families we serve, even after they have graduated from our programs.
Olive Crest serves 5,000 children and families each day throughout the Western United States.
