President’s Corner: Transition Time
By Children Rising | July 5, 2017
As many of you know, I am retiring from serving as Children Rising’s president as of June 30, 2017. It’s time for fresh vision, energetic enthusiasm, and discerning wisdom for Children Rising to move into the next level of mission impact.
During this time of transition, one of our founding principles comes to mind: “Children Rising is committed to continuity and therefore strives to sustain what we start, to count the cost and to build a mission that will outlast its founders.” Our Executive Director search 
team has taken this to heart and will make an announcement soon regarding my successor.
With your sustained support, encouragement, and prayers, Children Rising can and will go deeper and wider in its outreach to at-promise children and youth. My wife Diane joins me in expressing heartfelt appreciation for 16 years of fruitful, fulfilling ministry. We will miss our day-to-day direct involvement, but we won’t retire from supporting Children Rising in other ways.
My years of service here have led me to this heartfelt conviction: You can craft impressive programs, but programs don’t change kids’ lives, people do. Pairing a child with a caring, attentive, and positive adult role model has the potential of changing the trajectory of that child’s life.
At our Excel Reading Clinic closing celebrations, students receive certificates of achievement and positive 
feedback from their tutors. The students then get the opportunity to say something about their tutors. I’ll never forget the second grade girl who looked out on the entire tutoring team and blurted: “When I get older, I want to marry all of you!” This was her way of saying, You’re my extended family.
This is the heart of Children Rising: We are an extended family to hundreds of children, thanks to the tutors and mentors who walk beside them, cheering 
them on, holding a crown before them and watching them grow into it – all of which is made possible by generous financial donors.
Together, we can. Together we will make Hope for Children Now a reality for vulnerable children in Oakland and throughout the East Bay. So here’s my challenge:
Get involved, stay involved, recruit others to join this great and urgent cause. Our children are our future!
For the children,
Founder of Children Rising