Left to right: Tori Mordecai, one of the donors who helped fund the new recreation room at Hillsides, and Hillsides Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Costa at the Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting ceremony to dedicate the redesigned room.
Football anyone? How about a game of air hockey or ping pong?
These are some of the new activities available to the children of Hillsides, a premier provider of child welfare services serving children in foster care in Los Angeles County, compliments of a newly designed and equipped recreation room. The renovation was made possible by a corporate sponsor and numerous individual donors, and was spearheaded by the Hillsides recreation department.
Besides the above-mentioned games, the revamped room also contains an X-Box 360, a Nintendo Wii U, board games, and movies. Previously the room was bare bones, containing only the most basic equipment.
The room is dedicated to the recreation, rehabilitation, and recovery of children who live in Hillsides residential treatment program or attend its special-needs school, Hillsides Education Center. The space is a fun, engaging safe place where children can use their leisure time to explore, play, and learn new skills. Hillsides also plan to use the space for families visiting with their children.
Funds for the new room were provided by two donors, Tori and Al Mordecai, and through an Indiegogo campaign created by the Hillsides recreation staff. Fandango , the nation’s leading moviegoer destination, donated games and equipment for the room. Volunteers from Thomas Safran & Associates (TSA), a Los Angeles affordable housing developer, painted the room.
During a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony held on February 19, Hillsides Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Costa thanked the donors and staff for “making the extra effort to make this dream come true.†He remarked that Hillsides is in the middle of a $12 capital campaign, which includes an expressive arts wing on main campus. “This room will serve as a model for what we plan for our new facility,†he said.
Hillsides Residential Treatment Services provide a safe and stable environment where children and youth who cannot live at home, have suffered trauma, or have severe emotional or behavioral challenges, can thrive. Hillsides Education Center is a therapeutic residential and day school offering individualized education for students with social-emotional, learning, and/or behavioral challenges. Both are located at Hillsides Pasadena campus, located at 940 Avenue 64.
Hillsides, headquartered in Pasadena, has locations in 19 Southern California sites, ranging from the Hollywood Hills to Echo Park to Baldwin Park to Pomona. For more information, please visit www.hillsides.org.
