by Gloria Sohacki

The holidays are over, the decorations have come down, the kids have gone back to school. The staff is tired, but CCAC still moves on each and every day. We tried our best to meet and greet everyone during the holidays but if we missed someone, we’re surely sorry. A big thanks to all the merchants who donated toys to our kids – your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. We invite you stop by the center any afternoon if you haven’t already, and meet some of our greaaaaat kids!

In November we helped council offices CD13 and CD1 along with the Los Angeles Dodgers pass out turkeys with all the trimmings, providing twenty of our families with a holiday meal. We also had our annual Thanksgiving dinner, and fifteen of our kids and staff participated. The kids also participated in writing what they are thankful for at this time of year. Hometown Buffet is a big hit with our youth as they just love mac ‘n cheese!

During the school holiday vacation, we were able to have a few rummage sales and the kids raised enough money to go out to eat. They can really eat, eat and eat, so we went to Shakey’s this time. There were movies, hiking trips, ice skating, more movies and more food.

Thanks to the wonderful weather while the kids were off, we were able to even take them to the park so they could run around. Wouldn’t you know it, the one Sunday we went to Magic Mountain it was extremely cold. Amazing that no one got sick.

The New Year is upon us and who knows what will happen. The youth and staff are cleaning the Silver Lake library twice a month and they kids receive a stipend for their efforts. Most of our kids are in high school. The demands of school come first. Not being from California the school system is still confusing to me. It is a proud heart that watches these youth as they climb life’s ladder hoping to move on in order to make their education the top priority.