Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) -...

If you've been with us for a while, you

know that it was incarcerated youth

whose insights inspired our programs,

and that our young clients continue to

inform every aspect of our work. So it

is no surprise that it was our own

amazing Tony, former FLY client and

current FLY volunteer, who distilled the

complexity of the FLY formula into one

thought that captures FLY's single most

potent motivating force when he told

our team: "Hope changes everything!"

Hope is the reason our young clients -

many of whom have faced obstacles

and made mistakes that would level

the best of us - get up and try again. It's

the reason they persevere. Hope has

the power to fuel our will to overcome

any obstacle and inspire others.

Thank you, Tony, for beautifully articu-

lating the message that will motivate

us throughout our 15th anniversary

year, encouraging us through the excit-

ing challenges that lie ahead and giv-

ing us the words our entire FLY family

can share with others to convey the im-

portance of our work.

And THANK YOU to our FLY family. As

you look around the room and see

hope and excitement in the eyes of our

young clients, and as you hear from

our youth and partners, please know

that YOU are a part of every success we

celebrate today. Imagine what we can

accomplish together tomorrow!

Christa Gannon, FLY's Founder and CEO

Hope GazetteDecember 4, 2015

"Hope Changes Everything!"

Presented by San Francisco 49ers FoundationFLY Showcase 2015

2 Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)

Christian, FLY alumnus, graduated high

school early, graduated Unitek College

with a 4.0, and is working full-time at

Kaiser Permanente while pursuing his

dream to be a registered nurse. He is

the first FLY graduate to host a table at

our Showcase breakfast.

About Diana

Diana is 18 years old and has success-

fully completed high school, juvenile

probation and FLY's mentoring pro-

gram. She is currently attending Ever-

green Valley College to obtain an A.A.

degree in sociology and transfer to a

UC school. Her goal is to be a case

manager or clinician to help change

other youths' lives the way FLY has

helped changed hers.

FLY Alumna, Diana

In Diana's spare time, she likes to

record music, play soccer, and go out

on walks. Hidden beneath her strong

personality and confident demeanor is

a highly sensitive, empathetic and

emotional person. These attributes are

likely to benefit her and all she encoun-

ters in future years. Through her in-

volvement with FLY, she has learned

that change is possible - knowledge

that gives her hope and motivates her

to move forward on a day-to-day basis.

She is determined to have a successful

future, and her attitude and journey

are best defined by the quote that

most inspires her: "Never let the sad-

ness of the past and the fear of the fu-

ture ruin the happiness of the present."

FLY youth aims for bright future

-Christian, FLY Alumnus

"Having hope has allowed me to persevere through my darkest moments."

FLY Alumna Poised for Success

3Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)

with FLY when he served in Juvenile

Court in 2002. A San Mateo native,

Judge Jim grew up in Sunnyvale,

where his high school speech and de-

bate teacher inspired him to become a

lawyer. He was an attorney for 37

years, some of those years in the Santa

Clara County Counsel's office, where he

represented school districts and the

Registrar of Voters, before becoming a

judge.

Retired Santa Clara County Superior

Court Judge James Emerson, other-

wise known as "Judge Jim," believes in

FLY because FLY staff treat FLY youth

like their own kids. "Their approach is

very youth-oriented, not penal; they're

not trying to punish anyone, they're

trying to rehabilitate," he said. "Kids

are all going through a hard time in

their lives; the kids in the juvenile jus-

tice system are going through an even

harder time. They're like your children

-- you don't want to put them down;

y o u w a n t t o g i v e t h e m

encouragement."

This philosophy guided Judge Jim dur-

ing his 20 years on the bench and influ-

enced his decision to join the FLY Board

of Directors upon his retirement in

2010. "I really am committed to the FLY

program. I'm a believer in not leaving

kids behind," he said. "Everybody can

make a mistake. They're the future, so

they need to be cared for."

Now, when he is not advocating for FLY

or the Santa Cruz Art Museum, for

which he also serves on the board, or

helping people solve problems in his

job as a part-time mediator and arbi-

trator, Judge Jim likes to go sailing

around Santa Cruz, enjoy art, travel,

and do cross-fit-type work-outs at the

gym. "That goes with my philosophy

about living large and living long and

having an impact on society," he said.

About James Emerson

FLY Board Member "Judge Jim" retired

from the Santa Clara County Superior

Court in January 2010 ater 20 years on

the bench. He first became acquainted

speak to groups. He finds it helps him

to stay balanced and release tension

when he can share his thoughts

through words.

He credits his time with FLY staff and

volunteers, like Susie, Michele, and

Yuni, for making the difference in his

life, because, as he said: "When people

believe in you it makes hope happen,

and, like Tony said, 'hope changes ev-

erything!'"

He wants them to know that anything

is possible.

When Nick is not working as an Ameri-

Corps volunteer, serving on FLY's

speech committee, or advocating for

juvenile justice system reform, he can

be found running along the trails with

his energetic little terrier, Ace, or prac-

ticing his martial arts, Muay Thai and

Jiu Jitsu. He also likes to write and

Nick sees beyond himself

Here at Showcase, you will hear from

Nick about his personal journey - his

challenges and his great accomplish-

ments. What you may not know is that

Nick's hard work is not just for himself.

It's for the children he may have some-

day, and for the younger brother he

feels so lucky to have in his life.

FLY Alumnus-Nick,

Retired Judge says system-involved youth need support, encouragement

FLY Alum Works for the Future

"Having hope has allowed me to see the best in people."


2003

FLY secures rent-free office space, cour-

tesy of the Sobrato Center for Nonprof-

its, and moves headquarters to

Milpitas.

2012-2014

FLY is one of 15 organizations chosen in

the United States to participate in Edna

McConnell Clark Foundation's Propel-

Next initiative to help organizations

build their capacity for sustainability,

impact, and scale.

2005

FLY plays a key role in the Santa Clara

County Juvenile Detention Reform

Movement.

2002

FLY expands services to reach youth re-

leased from long-term confinement.

2001

FLY receives City of San Jose's Human

Rights Award and incorporates FLY

Peer Leaders into our staff and volun-

teer interview process.

2015

Along with our system partners, FLY pi-

lots the Court Appointed Friendly Ad-

vocates (CAFAs) program that recruits,

trains, and matches volunteer mentors

to work one-on-one with minority

youth in Santa Clara County who have

disproportionate rates of probation

failure. FLY expands into Alameda

County, and is on pace to reach over

150 youth there.

2000

FLY is incorporated as a nonprofit

based on key elements learned from

incarcerated youth. FLY receives its first

git from the 49ers Foundation.

2004

FLY starts a new law program for

youth incarcerated in Santa Clara

County Juvenile Hall; FLY expands

into San Mateo County, providing ser-

vices to middle school youth at the

49ers Academy.

"With hope, there is always a future. With hope, kids have a chance to mature and succeed. Without hope, there are no possibilities except for failure."

-Tony, FLY Alumnus

Thousands Become So MuchFLY celebrates 15 years

"Having hope has allowed me to become a better person and bring out the best in other people."

-Judge James Emerson


2016

"My hope for 2016 is that we embrace

the power we have to provide support,

guidance, and compassion to our

young people, which catapults their

tenacity and resiliency to change. To-

gether we can ensure that all our kids

get the chance to become so more

than their past mistakes, no matter

their zip code." - Christa Gannon

2006

County of Santa Clara Public Defender

Office invites FLY to share research

findings and youth perspective on en-

hanced methods of communication

and representation of minors. FLY re-

ceives a grant to expand mentoring

and case management work.

FLY youth participate in a mock trial through the Legal Education Program

2011

FLY's Founder and Chief Executive Offi-

cer, Christa Gannon, receives the

James Irvine Foundation Leadership

Award for her efforts to implement in-

novative and effective solutions to a

critical state issue.

2008-2010

FLY discovers that its approach to its

transformational work with juvenile

justice youth is validated by Motiva-

tional Enhancement Theory, giving the

agency a new language and foundation

for training its entire team; with the

help of Tipping Point Community and

Bridgespan, FLY develops a strategic

plan.

2007

FLY staff serve on five steering commit-

tees related to juvenile justice system

reform and youth violence; FLY invests

in a database to begin tracking out-

comes.

Alameda County FLY staff at local school

of young lives transformed

More Than Their Past Mistakes


Numbers help tell the FLY story. But as

FLY's evaluation and learning analyst,

Julia Cuevas has a different perspec-

tive - the story behind each number. In

the process of gathering data, Julia

gets to know each FLY youth's person-

ality, culture, perceptions. "These are

somebody's children," she said. "And

despite facing dire circumstances, and

having been written off by many, they

still move forward; they still have

hope." That understanding reinforces

her dedication to serving each one.

Still, with young children of her own at

home, Julia is also dedicated to keep-

ing her work-life balance in check. She

knows balance is critical to being the

best mother and wife - and the most

competent and caring professional -

she can be. Her impressive list of

achievements is proof that she knows

how to tackle challenges; long before

she made her mark as an accom-

plished professional, a wife, and a

mother, Julia was a FLY client.

Thanks to our 2015 Speech Commit-

tee Youth!

Amy Nguyen

Anastacia Duenas

Rebecca Esparza

Christian Paronable

Cindy Baldovinos

Danny Casillas

Diana Urias

Jose Lopez

Lorenzo Nava

Miracle Teó

Nick Jasso

Nick Tran

Tony Aguilar

Ronald Fernando

Ramon MunozJulia would love to see greater aware-

ness of juvenile justice youth circum-

stances and their great potential for

change.

FLY's Evaluation and Learning

Analyst, Julia Cuevas

• Opal $10,000: Gibson & Dunn,

George Brown

• Topaz $5,000: Xactly Corp.

• Pe r i d o t $ 2 , 5 0 0 : N et S co u t

Systems, Inc., The Strickland

Group

• Emerald $25,000 and above: San

Francisco 49ers Foundation

• Diamond $15,000: Wilson Sonsi-

ni Goodrich Rosati

• Opal $10,000: Fenwick & West

LLP

FLY Speech Committee 2015

Corporate Sponsors

“Eighty percent of FLY youth report...”FLY staff and Showcase speaker gets full story


FLY alumna, Anastacia says,

"Completing FLY is my biggest

accomplishment and most recently I

applied for funding from the Bay Area

Inspire Awards to formalize how FLY

alumni can keep giving back."

Jones' observation comes from close

to 14 years working directly with young

people in the juvenile justice system in

our county. We are grateful to him for

sharing his perspective and insights

with our Showcase guests today, and

for all he does to help youth in our

community.

About Rashad Jones

A San Jose native, Rashad grew up in

the Evergreen area and attended Bel-

larmine College Preparatory before

earning a Bachelor's degree in sociolo-

gy from the University of Southern Cali-

fornia. Rashad began his career in the

Santa Clara County Probation Depart-

ment as a group counselor in juvenile

hall. In 2005, he became a deputy pro-

bation officer in the Juvenile Services

Division. He is currently a supervising

probation officer in the Dually Involved

Youth Unit, which is co-located at the

Family Resource Center.

Knowledge and hope promote transfor-

mation

When Rashad Jones is not spending

time with his wife and two beautiful

daughters, or competing on the golf

course or basketball court, he is help-

ing juvenile justice youth in his job as a

supervising probation officer. Speaking

at Showcase is another way Rashad

shows his support for young people,

and for FLY in particular, because he

believes FLY programs provide the

knowledge and hope needed to help

young people change.

"If you know better, you'd do better!"

said Jones. "A lot of the people we en-

counter on a daily basis just don't

know. FLY can provide them that av-

enue and arena to change and make

better choices."

• C h i e f E x e c u t i v e Off i c e r &

Founder: Christa Gannon, JD

• Chief Operating Officer: Ali

Knight, MPA

• Chief De velopment Off icer

(Interim): Lisa Breen Strickland

• Director of Events and Client En-

gagement: Susie Rivera, JD, MS,

CPCC

• Director of Government Affairs:

Alex Shoor, MPA

• Director of Talent: Michelle Mc-

Cormick

• Director of Evaluation and

Learning: Monique Johnson, MS

• Director of Finance and Opera-

tions: Carlos Garcia, MS

• Director of Strategy and Growth:

Vamsey Palagummi, JD

• Director of Grants Management:

Katie Clark, JD

• Law Program Manager: Randi

Perry

• Law Program Site Manager:

Matthew Henry

• Law Program Coordinator: Vianni

Garcia

• Mentor Program Manager: Cas-

sidy Higgins, PhD

• Mentor Program Match Manager:

Mary Ann van Westbroek

• Mentor Case Manager: Carmen

Talavera

• Mentor Case Manager: Courtney

Portal

• Mentor Case Manager: Victor Fer-

nandez

• Leadership Program Manager:

Vince Cabada

• Leadership Program Lead Case

Manager: Reyna Martinez

• Lea d e rs h i p C a s e M a n a ge r :

Patrick Spink

• Leadership Case Manager: Cy Fa-

iaipa'u

• Leadership Program Assistant:

Vasthi Arredondo

• San Mateo County Manager of

Programs: Nicole Haley

• San Mateo County Law Program

Facilitator: Maryam Nemazie, JD

• San Mateo County Law Program

Facilitator: Joshua Orcine

• San Mateo County Leadership

Lead Case Manager: Jefferson

Bautista


Case Manager: Trevor Arceneaux


Case Manager: Yuni Cisneros

• San Mateo County Program Co-

ordinator: Melissa Delbon

• Alameda County Program Man-

ager: Jamela Joseph

• Alameda County Lead Case Man-

ager/Facilitator: Joy Hernandez

• Alameda County Case Manager/

Facilitator: Joe Bates

• Alameda County Program Coor-

dinator: Danielle Ross

• GOLD Program Case Manager:

Kristopher Scott

• GOLD Program Case Manager:

Uyen Nguyen

• Atercare Case Manager: Manny

Cardenas

• Atercare Case Manager: Tina

Tellez

• Executive Assistant to CEO: Anna

Nguyen

• Executive Assistant to COO:

Elaine Bostwick Smith

• Utility Practitioner: Arely Carde-

nas, MS

• Operations Manager: Whitney

Henry

• D e v e l o p m e n t A s s o c i a t e :

Stephanie Sieveke

• E v a l u a t i o n a n d L e a r n i n g

Manager: Ashley Eng

• Evaluation and Learning Analyst:

Julia Cuevas

• Operations Assistant: Rachel

Henry

"Hope has allowed me to push myself and others so we can all achieve greatness."

-Anastacia,FLY Alumna

-Christa Gannon,

Probation Officer Shares Insights

FLY Founder and CEO

FLY Staff

"Hope has the power to fuel our will to overcome any obstacle and inspire others along the way."

Knowledge and hope promote transformation


Showcase guests can help reshape lives.

Introduce your friends to FLY. Invite

them to our next event.

Share the news that young people can

and do change!

Make a financial git to support FLY's

programs.

Ask your company to match your git!

Like FLY on Facebook, and share our

posts!

Volunteer to facilitate the FLY Law Pro-

gram.

Spread the word to neighbors: FLY pro-

grams are 1/10th the cost of incarcera-

tion.

Join us at Taste of FLY in the spring!

Involve FLY youth in your next compa-

ny volunteer event.

Start your own fundraiser for FLY dur-

ing Silicon Valley Gives. (It's easy with

the tools provided by Silicon Valley

Gives, and we'll help too!!)

Ask your company about hosting a spe-

cial event to expose FLY youth to busi-

ness environments.

Become a FLY mentor and spark

change for a young person!

Follow FLY on Twitter and retweet our

Tweets!

Join us to celebrate our joint accom-

plishments every year!

For more information on how to get involved, visit www.flyprogram.org.-Diana Urias,

FLY FANS CLAMOR FOR WAYS TO HELP

"Having hope has allowed me to accomplish short-term goals, have more confidence, and self-fulfill my potential."

FLY Alumna

Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) -...

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