October 18, 2011, Baldwin Park, CA –Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services, a Los Angeles County based non-profit agency, was one of 2,163 schools/day programs across the United States that made new friends at lunchtimes today. As part of Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, MIX-IT-UP is about celebrating the differences that make up one race- The Human Race, and participants were urged to break out of their comfort zone today and mix it up -- to knock down social barriers and shake up cliques. Beth Gramling, LMFT and Ettie Lee’s Director of Intake and Probation Liaison, remarked that, “Any time we can discuss the importance of building self confidence with the young men in our care we are willing. It was one more opportunity where the young men could practice interacting in socially appropriate ways. Plus the young men were introduced to a much broader community than their own.”

 

Mix-It-Up Organizer Beth Gramling (left) with staff members Alison McLaren and Odis Haney 

 

For more than 60 years, Ettie LeeYouth & Family Services has served the complex needs of at-risk youth with emotional and behavioral problems and their families in Southern California. When Miss Ettie Lee opened the first group home in 1950, she introduced the model of providing a family atmosphere. Although Ettie Lee has grown significantly since 1950, providing a family atmosphere has been so successful that we still follow that model in all of our nine group homes and 30 foster homes. Last year, Ettie Lee served 342 unduplicated boys and girls and their families: 69% were Hispanic, 17% African-American, 11.5% Caucasian, 1.3% Asian/Pacific Islander; .4% American Indian; .8% other and over 97% were from low-income and/or disadvantaged families.

Ettie Lee’s residential group homes expertise is in serving older children – teenage boys (aged 13-18) – who are on probation. All of group homes are located in residential areas and provide family-style residential treatment that focuses on the importance of being active in the community to develop the skills for success in life. 

Ettie Lee also operates a therapeutic Foster Family Agency and Adoption Agency. It is located in Covina and the boys and girls are placed in the loving homes of foster parents who are fully trained and licensed.

Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services is a nonprofit child welfare agency serving the complex needs of at-risk youth who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Its mission is to assist troubled youth who are in need of guidance and support to develop values and skills that will facilitate their success in life. Ettie Leecomplies with the highest standards of Community Care Licensing, Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services, and Los Angeles County Department of Probation. Ettie Leeis accredited by theCaliforniaAlliancefor Children & Families and the Council on Accreditation.