San Mar Inc

“San Mar gives me a reason to hope.” 

That’s what 16-year-old Karla has to say about San Mar Children's Home.  The at-risk teen had given up on school and could only read at a third-grade level when she arrived at San Mar where the staff is challenging her to take ownership of her life.  And she is!

There is no shortage of challenges at San Mar Children’s Home.  Reduced payments by the state’s child-placement agencies mean that the chasm between what San Mar is reimbursed to care for children in need and what it actually costs to provide our accredited care continues to widen.

This economic reality however, does not compare with the realities the adolescent girls in our group homes and the girls and boys in our foster care homes relive every day.

They deal with realities of past neglect and abuse, of having been treated like throwaway kids, of falling so far behind in their school work—like Karla—that they simply gave up.

Because people like you care, San Mar Children’s Home has been able to provide these troubled children with a balance of structure, nurture and opportunity to restore hope; helping them understand and overcome their past and prepare for their future as productive members of society.

Abuse and neglect in the home never takes a holiday, especially during times of economic stress. For the children of families that crack under the pressure, San Mar is a haven where the children can get their life back on track. 

In fact for many of these hurting children in our group homes and foster care, San Mar Children’s Home means everything.  It means the world to them because a talented and dedicated staff works very hard with very little to give these children a chance in life.

Many of the adolescent girls at San Mar are survivors of some of the worst ordeals imaginable.  They are survivors of circumstances, neglect, physical and/or emotional abuse.  Some have been only able to survive by withdrawing deeply into a shell. Others found survival by acting out, running away, making poor decisions.  Life taught them to expect the worse to be waiting around every corner. Often they found it.

At San Mar they find the unexpected; caring staff members who welcome them and provide them with kindness, respect and love in a safe environment.

Helping a child heal, grow and realize accomplishments is a tough, complex process.  No two traumatized children are alike.  No two respond in the same manner or timeframe.  With their childhood innocence stolen, all deserve our help and opportunity to heal and to gain the confidence, self-esteem and education needed to become successful adults.

Your contribution will help provide the opportunity for growth—the opportunity for at-risk girls and boys to discover their self worth and to take charge of their lives.