ABOUT US ...our organization, our mission, our programs, and our service to the community

Since its inception in 1994, the Long Beach Bar Foundation has operated the highly successful SHORTSTOP Program, which diverts non-violent juvenile offenders ages 10-17 away from the juvenile justice system through legal education for juveniles and their parents. The goals of SHORTSTOP are twofold: To improve the lives of youth and guide them towards productive citizenship by providing legal education, strengthening parenting skills, improving family communication and emphasizing the importance of education To keep youth from becoming repeat offenders by holding them accountable for their behavior and providing them with information that will assist them in thinking about the consequences of their actions, thus leading them to make better choices. SHORTSTOP was brought to Long Beach as a pilot project through the Long Beach Bar Association and the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office in 1993, and is based on the highly successful, proven effective model developed by the Orange County Bar Foundation. The Long Beach Bar Foundation was created to administer SHORTSTOP and other programs to benefit Long Beach area youth in 1994. A small paid staff oversees and operates the program. Each year, the SHORTSTOP Program serves approximately 350 culturally and economically diverse young offenders and their parents, giving youth a second chance to move toward productive citizenship and STOP SHORT OF CRIME. The Long Beach Bar Foundation partners with many law enforcement, educational and youth services agencies in a joint effort to make the greater Long Beach community a safer place in which to live, work, learn and play. Attorneys who volunteer their time teach all SHORTSTOP classes. Other professionals in the community volunteer to be interviewed by SHORTSTOP youth as part of the homework assignments. These valuable volunteers are the heart of the SHORTSTOP Program, devoting over 1000 hours annually in order to make a difference in the lives of young people. During their time in the program, SHORTSTOP participants visit the courthouse lock-up facility, get a dose of reality from California Youth Authority wards, engage in peer group discussions, practice communicating with their parents, complete intensive homework assignments and are held accountable for their behavior. Program statistics for the calendar year 2000 show that 97 percent of the young people who completed SHORTSTOP had not re-offended during the subsequent 12 months. In addition to administering the SHORTSTOP Program, the Long Beach Bar Foundation partners with the Long Beach Bar Association to support the youth of the greater Long Beach community through a scholarship fund. Each year, more than $20,000 in scholarships is provided to deserving high school seniors to assist with their post secondary educations.

"SHORTSTOP is one of the most effective youth crime prevention and intervention programs offered in Long Beach."     -- Deputy Chief of Police Timothy Jackman   "It is important to make an effort, through programs such as SHORTSTOP, to salvage young people early on. Early deterrence is essential. It is good for the individual and it is good for society."    -- Judge Richard F. Charvat (retired)

LONG BEACH BAR FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS	BOARD MEMBERS
Pamela Swindells, President Valerie de Martino, Vice President Anne Johnson, Secretary Michael Munn, Chief Financial Officer THE LONG BEACH BAR FOUNDATION STAFF Carolyn Bell, Executive Director Gabriela Santoyo, Program Assistant Ryan Hilton, BASW Intern Patricia Bermudez, Program Coordinator	Ashley Adams Charles Clay Andrea Davalos Karen Hilburn John Ing Jeff Johnson Jesse Marr Leonard Matsuk Barbara McDaniel Daniel McDonald Kenneth McDonald Thomas Reeves Maria Rohaidy Marc Rothenberg Toby Rothschild Susan E. Anderson Wise