Note to Editors: To schedule an interview with Alex Morales, please call the CSULA Public Affairs office in advance at (323) 343-3050.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Friday, May 8
‘Innovations in Caring’ for children, families
Children’s Bureau chief to present
Mendez lecture at Cal State L.A.
Los Angeles, CA – President and CEO of Children’s Bureau of Southern California, Alex Morales, will present “Innovations in Caring” at the 2009 Margarita Mendez Lecture in Social Work on Friday, May 8, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., in Cal State L.A.’s Golden Eagle Ballroom.
Morales has a long career of leadership in the arena of child welfare and family services. He is a nationally recognized expert on foster care and partnerships that nurture and support families.
His background includes work in public policy reform, family resource centers, school readiness centers, parent education, home-based services, mental health counseling, foster care and adoptions. He has also addressed the value of family resource centers and the family support movement.
For 100 years, the Children’s Bureau has worked in the prevention and treatment of child abuse in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Its research and expertise also have helped children and families nationwide.
This lecture series memorializes Mendez, a former adjunct faculty member for Cal State L.A.’s School of Social Work, who served on its advisory board and helped establish its graduate program.
According to Rita Ledesma, a social work professor at Cal State L.A., “Ms. Mendez was a passionate advocate for social justice and strengths-based practice in the culturally diverse communities we serve. She maintained a special relationship with our School; and this event gives us a chance to honor her legacy and our community partnerships—and to promote the ideals and values that were exemplified by her career.”
Previous Mendez speakers include Judy Chu, State Board of Equalization vice chair and former assemblymember; Jacki Lyden, author of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba and an NPR correspondent; Terrence Roberts, who as a student in 1957 pioneered the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.; and Juan Ramos, who helped found the Latino Behavioral Health Institute and worked with the National Institute of Mental Health.
For details, call the Cal State L.A. School of Social Work at (323) 343-4680 or email Rita Ledesma at [email protected].
What & Who:
The Seventh Annual Margarita Mendez Lecture in Social Work will present “Innovations in Caring” by Alex Morales, president and CEO of Children’s Bureau of Southern California.
When:
Friday, May 8, 2009, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
(Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.)
Where:
Golden Eagle Ballroom, on the Cal State L.A. campus. The University is located at the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino (I-10) Freeway, at the interchange of 10 and 710 Freeways. Public permit dispenser parking is available in Lots 2 and 7 or upper level Parking Structure C. (For campus map or directions, go to /univ/maps/cslamap.php)
Info:
(General admission, $40; student admission, $15.) For details, call the CSULA School of Social Work at (323) 343-4680.
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