Blog

By Rosa Zavala, Child Abuse Treatment Program Manager

October 21, 2020

(Rosa Zavala with her 3 sons.)

Going through a situation of sexual abuse can be extremely difficult. There are even less resources and information available to non-English speakers in our community. This is why we were inspired to write a section of blogs in Spanish, to inform Spanish-speaking survivors, parents and relatives on how to support their loved ones in these moments of anguish and uncertainty. 

Also, through these blogs you will have the opportunity to learn a little more about the history....

Our Prevention Team (from left): Nicole, Diana, Carl, Devan, and Rita.

We asked the Prevention Education (PE) Team to talk about what they are most excited about for this school year, or one improvement the team has made over the summer: 

Ms. Diana: Student Engagement

I am most excited to be connecting with students and providing them a space to connect and develop social and emotional support, even while distance learning is in place. Our Child Safety Presentations are designed to be engaging for online learning. I’ve been engaging students by asking them to use the chat box....

Esta publicación fue escrita originalmente en español. Lea la versión en español aquí.

These last few months have been full of different emotions. Changes have been inevitable in our community. For many of us in Monterey County, March was the month this quarantine began. From one day to the next, stores, restaurants, schools and workplaces went through great changes. These places closed their doors to start a "virtual" world.

The changes and transitions have not been easy; having to change our lives and routines from one day to the next was not something we were prepared for. For some....

September 3, 2020

“I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, then moved to Vancouver before moving on to Milan and Paris, then returning to Cape Town, only to set off again to Italy and end up years later in Monterey, California.

I am a fashion designer by trade, but over the years have ventured into fashion buying and start-ups. 

Growing up in South Africa opened my eyes and my heart to the multiple facets of life. On returning to live in Cape Town after many years in Europe it was particularly difficult to adapt to the high crime and everyday dangers of living in a country where....

August 28, 2020

by Erin Ortiz, Community Engagement Specialist

The other day, I unlocked our Monterey office and walked into the darkness, by myself, to do some work alone. I have two kids and a small living space, so it’s nice to be able to find a quiet workspace. As I walked in, everything felt so still and empty. Not eerie, not exactly sad, but lonely enough to make my every move seem giant and loud.

I miss the way it used to feel walking into our bright, cheery space each morning, greeting people and observing the hum of activity. Standing in the kitchen for a moment to catch....

July 20, 2020

Josef volunteering at our Together with Love Run. Photo credit: Kim Birdsong

"I consider it an honor and a privilege to be part of a very special agency where I have met great people for the past 24 glorious years of service."

We are pleased to introduce you to Josef London, who has been a volunteer Advocate with MCRCC since 1996. We are privileged to have kept him on our team for all these years!

Josef works at the Esalen Institute as the Safety Manager. He was born and raised in Brazil.

MCRCC: Could you talk about any of your life experiences that have....

July 7, 2020

Photo: Here is Sheryl at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, January 2018

“Education, compassion, empathy and understanding. These ideals put into action inspire me daily.” 

Sheryl Embler has served as a volunteer survivor advocate for MCRCC since November of 2015. She grew up in South San Diego, Imperial Beach, California. Sheryl is a certified massage therapist, specializing in Thai Massage therapy, Sports massage and Geriatric massage. She also works as a substitute teacher for MPUSD. We are incredibly fortunate to have her on our team of volunteers.

We reached....

June 18, 2020

What is it like to start a new job virtually, when that job normally involves lots of face to face interaction? Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have welcomed two new staff members to the MCRCC family. Their onboarding process looked quite different from how it normally would, since we haven’t been sharing office space for months. Here are Leslie and Cristina’s thoughts on the experience so far:

Leslie Donato, Crisis Intervention Specialist (hired in March)

            MCRCC: What has been a highlight of beginning this new job remotely?

Leslie: Totally....

"I could feel the rage and heaviness building in the room and knew this was a lot for them to recognize that many of them experience more oppressions than privileges." 

June 15, 2020

by Devan Haddad, Prevention Educator

I’m an educator working mainly with high school-aged youth. I’d like to share a story about how fellow educators can begin talking about privilege and oppression openly with students.

Here’s how I started that conversation:

In the My Life Club we cover a variety of topics -  including privilege & oppression. When I decided I wanted to start talking about....

June 8, 2020

by Deborah Pembrook, Human Trafficking Outreach Manager

Survivors of human trafficking deserve safety, support and the opportunity to thrive in our community. Those who advocate for survivors of human trafficking in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are committed to work together to make our community a place where survivors can feel rooted, accepted and valued. 

On May 29, all four direct service providers who serve survivors of human trafficking in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties shared with other Bay Area anti-trafficking activists about our network of support. This....