It was Stephanie Ballmer-Holland's own childhood experiences with her siblings that made her feel so keenly for children who are separated from their brothers and sisters when placed in foster homes.
"I came from a large family, and I cannot imagine being without my brother and sisters," says Ballmer-Holland ('92 BA Psychology). "I believe that keeping siblings in contact with each other is very important."
It was that belief that led her to found Child Focus, a nonprofit agency dedicated to keeping foster children in contact with their siblings and to increasing educational opportunities for foster kids.
Ballmer-Holland, a Las Vegas clinical psychologist specializing in the evaluation of children in the legal system, first became aware of the challenges faced by children in foster care while earning master's and doctoral degrees at California School of Professional Psychology in Pasadena.
"My parents taught me to find something that you're passionate about and (about) the importance of community service. My passion is helping children in foster care," says Ballmer-Holland. Estimates are that 800,000 children are in foster care and that about 3,000 of those are in Clark County.
"I just wanted to help these kids. I'm not a business person and I had no idea of how to create a nonprofit organization. Child Focus pretty much snowballed from a grassroots group in 1999 into a medium-sized nonprofit organization focused on helping foster kids in Clark County."
The organization and its 150 volunteers are focused on children's social and educational needs. Its Sibling Preservation Program organizes activities for siblings placed in separate homes. "The activities range from barbecues to going to see the Nutcracker ballet, but the actual activity doesn't really matter because the kids really just want to hang out together," explains Ballmer-Holland, adding that 15 to 50 sibling groups attend each event.
Child Focus is also affiliated with Camp To Belong, a national organization that holds a weeklong camp for sibling groups. Last summer, Child Focus sponsored five of the 20 Clark County children attending the camp in Colorado. Plans are in the works to bring the camp to Southern Nevada in 2006.
The educational component of Child Focus includes a tutoring program for children ages 5 to 18. "The focus is reading, and we are trying to expand it into math and science as people with these skills volunteer," Ballmer-Holland says.
Recently, a mentoring program was launched in which five ninth-grade students per year are paired with mentors who help them throughout their high school years. "Child Focus rewards these students monetarily for good grades and participation in sports and extra curricular activities, so that by the time they graduate from high school they can earn up to $15,000 for continuing educational purposes."
In July, Clark County awarded the organization a $1.3 million contract to oversee the federally funded Step Up Program in which young adults ages 18 to 21 who opt not to stay in the state system receive assistance for such things as rent, medical expenses, and education.
Ballmer-Holland says her education at UNLV has influenced her direction in life.
"I went to UNLV because my older sister was attending and I thought that it would be fun. I not only had fun, I also received a great education and I used it as a springboard for graduate school and my career in psychology."
