HIGHLAND, CALIF. Olive Crest, building upon its 50-year legacy of preventing child abuse and neglect, recently celebrated the opening of their new Coachella Valley Children and Family Resource Center (CFRC). Funded by a $1 million grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the CFRC’s Community Involvement Center features a pantry with non-perishable groceries; an urgent needs closet with personal and household items; a community partners area for learning and coaching opportunities; and a volunteer staging hub to support ongoing community efforts to support projects for families in need.

“We have expanded our capabilities to strengthen families, empower individuals and break the generational cycles of trauma that follow child abuse and neglect, thanks to this gift from San Manuel,” said Tracy Fitzsimmons, Executive Director of Olive Crest Inland and Desert Communities. “We expect to serve 800 total children and families this year through the CFRC – a 25% increase in the Coachella Valley made possible through our new Center.”  

New facility made possible by $1 million grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

According to Health Assessment and Research for Communities, the Riverside County child abuse hotline receives over 60,000 reports of alleged neglect and/or abuse in Riverside County per year of which approximately 1 in 5 are from Coachella Valley. Olive Crest is looking to change the narrative for families in the Coachella Valley by providing comprehensive services to children and families. There are four distinct services onsite at the CFRC to fulfill the need for comprehensive services: the Community Involvement Center, Connie and Bob Lurie Counseling Center, Education and Training Center, and the Family Resource Center.

In 2023, Olive Crest served the needs of 5,000 children and families, provided 83,148 counseling sessions, and helped 318 transitional-aged youth prepare for independent living across the regions they serve.

For more than 20 years, San Manuel has supported the important initiatives of Olive Crest. Olive Crest answers the call of Yawa’ by providing for children in crises. Their efforts align with the Tribe’s giving pillar of Reinforcing Healthy and Resilient Communities.

San Manuel’s charitable giving program, San Manuel Cares, is committed to supporting education, self-determination for all, community development – primarily in our ancestral lands, and we focus on the development of opportunities for Native nations and causes across the country.

Since 2003, the Tribe has awarded more than $350 million to tribal governments and tribal nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, and qualified nonprofits providing services in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

To learn more about the Tribe’s 2024 grant cycle, visit www.SanManuelCares.org.