We are happy to have the opportunity to share, through our website, what we are working on at Bay Area Women's & Children's Center. As usual, we have many different community programs, projects and coalitions that we are sponsoring, and we always have ideas and plans for additional community programs.

All of the programs that we planned for and envisioned as we led the effort for the creation of the Tenderloin school are in operation now. These programs are described on the page called The Family Center.

One of BAWCC’s most important areas of work is our community-building among organizations working with our neighborhood’s thousands of children, youth, and families.  Every month (except our 2 month summer “break”), BAWCC sponsors the Tenderloin NETWORK of Children, Youth & Family Services.  These meetings have been organized and chaired by BAWCC since 1983.  We meet at different agencies each month, so we can all become more familiar with other organization’s services.  BAWCC also publishes the comprehensive Resource Directory of Tenderloin children, youth and family services, which we update six times a year.  That is now available both in paper version and on-line in several languages.

To highlight one are of BAWCC's work, over the past few years BAWCC has sponsored and led the Tenderloin Youth Sports Initiative (TYSI). This initiative brings sports and physical activity programs to children and youth in the Tenderloin, especially targeting girls and children who have not had access to such programs. Through TYSI, we have implemented a: bowling league (The Tenderloin Strikers), arranged for ice skating classes at Yerba Buena, a basketball league, flag football league and a Summer Sports Program which offer many different sports opportunities to children and youth, a others.
		TYSI Boy's Basketball is a fun challenge.
		For our TYSI sports programs, we are using the positive coaching principles detailed by Coach John Wooden (who we were fortunate to have spent time with when we started our sports initiative). This program is described in more detail on the Tenderloin Youth Sports Initiative page.
TYSI girls learn to cheer and turn on some 1,000-watt smiles.

Another of BAWCC's favorite projects is sponsoring the Tenderloin Family Fair. On a beautiful (knock on wood) spring day, we have more than 300 children, parents and other family members enjoy a great festival with games, activities, way-more-than-enough food and terrific prizes (many kids go away with 6-7 brand new books as well as other coveted prizes that they have “won”). You will find more on the Tenderloin Family Fair page.
		The Tenderloin Family Fair provided an opportunity for families to spend time together and for children to have fun and win prizes!
And of course BAWCC's traditional women, children, and family programs continue at “full-speed.” Our Drop-In Services Programs, Food Pantry, Parent-Child Program, Tenderloin Scholarship Fund and many other continue to provide much-needed resources for our community.
			Midge holds Mika, the beloved former BAWCC mascot.
				Midge and Ashley Wilson on their visit with Coach Wooden to talk about the Tenderloin Youth Sports Initiative.

If you would like any more information on any Bay Area Women's & Children's Center's work, would like to visit us, or would like to help out, please feel free to contact us. Our golden retriever receptionist, Taya, is always ready to welcome visitors—actually, we all are!

Cordially,
Midge Wilson, Executive Director