Agency Details:

The Gary Center

Mission Statement:to provide quality, affordable community based services to children, youth, adults and families. Our primary emphasis is on child well being, educating and supporting the entire family and fostering a healthy community.

Description:
Current Programs of The Gary Center:
Youth Intervention Program
• Anger management for individuals and groups educating life skills for children/adolescents
• Drug and alcohol programs for adolescents
• Legal awareness
• School-Based Counseling in 17 area schools which are without counselors due to State budget cuts
Community Counseling
• Free emergency crisis counseling
• Family, individual and group counseling/ support group sessions
• Domestic violence program for victims
• Domestic violence programs for perpetrators (Probation approved 52 weeks)
• Substance abuse program (State certified and Probation approved 38 week program)
• Child abusers' treatment program (Court ordered and voluntary, 52 week program)
• Parent education program (24 week court ordered or voluntary, runs concurrently with child abusers' program)
Education Programs
• English Learning Classes
• Literacy Development (Spanish)
• 12 week nutrition, parenting, budgeting classes, mandated for food distribution recipients
Health Programs
• Full mouth restoration dental clinic for children and adults Free mammograms
• Free eye exams for children to age 18
Community Assistance Programs
• Weekly food distribution to 150 families; more than 4,700 individuals annually
• Referral services for food, shelter and medical emergencies
• Document preparation and translation for non-English speaking residents
The Gary Center is open five days per week for counseling services. The Gary Center Dental Clinic is open six days per week including one evening and Saturdays.

History:
The Gary Center is a non-profit community outreach center located in La Habra, CA. The Stafford Family founded our unique agency in 1971 in memory of their son Gary, a young man of 19 who died as a result of drugs. Since then The Gary Center has continued to respond to community need with professional, caring and cost accessible education programs to better family dynamics. An active Board of Directors composed of a cross section of the local community, oversees all programs. The current President is John Rees, retired captain of the La Habra police force and currently, Head of Emergency Preparedness for the City of La Habra. Martha Lester is the Executive Director. The center is financially sound and practices generally accepted accounting principles. There are no unresolved audit issues. All programs and services are on a sliding scale. Accomplishments: The Gary Center and its staff have received numerous certificates and awards, among them the United Way North County Agency of the Year award for both 1999 and 2000 and Certificate of Congressional Recognition for 2001. The Gary Center’s Dental Clinic opened in 1984.

Because of the high demand for cost accessible and access to treatment, expansion was necessary. In 2000, The Center launched a successful capital campaign to raise funds for a new clinic. In 2001 we purchased the building next door and now operate a four chair, state-of-the-art clinic, providing full mouth restoration services. Our most rewarding accomplishment is our ability to adapt and expand with new and innovative programs. Expansion enabled a greater capacity for additional group and individual counseling rooms, and for a larger Food Distribution Program service capacity. We are proud to have served the Orange County and surrounding area for 38 years, and proud of the trust and respect we have earned from the community.

Contact person: Elizabeth Steves, Fund Development, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (562) 691-3263
Office fax number: (562) 690-5063

Address:

341 S. Hillcrest St. La Habra, CA 90631 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.garycenter.org

Last updated on December 17, 2009