Children’s champion

Deepa Bharath

Sally Kanarek gets emotional when she talks about the nonprofit

organization she founded 20 years ago.

Parent Help USA was a product of the abuse Kanarek endured as a

child and the violence she continued to see in the world around her.

But now, 58 and exhausted from facing one personal tragedy after

another, Kanarek is ready to retire. And her baby, the nonprofit she

founded to prevent parents from physically abusing their children, is

at a crossroads.

Parent Help USA is now located in a building at 330 W. Bay St.,

soon to be demolished to make way for condominiums. The organization

must be out by Jan. 30.

“I’m concerned for the future of this organization,” she said.

“It’s important to so many parents who come to our classes.”

A majority of the parents who attend classes have problems with

controlling their anger toward their children. Most of them are

referred through the courts, Kanarek said. In 2000, Parent Help USA

received the Life Achievement Excellence Awards from the California

Assn. of Nonprofits.

From time to time, Kanarek organizes galas and benefits to raise

money to run these programs. But a holiday benefit on Wednesday could

be her last one as the organization’s director, Kanarek said. What

really took a toll on her was her fiance’s death in May. He died of a

sudden heart attack three weeks before they were about to be married

in Hawaii.

“It has devastated me,” Kanarek said. “Nothing’s the same any

more.”

She plans to move on to other endeavors such as writing the story

of her life, she said.

The organization is in danger of collapsing without Kanarek, who

has been more than just a support to it, said Viviane Oglevie, a

family child therapist who volunteers to lead the parenting classes.

“Unless we can get enough money and donations and have a strong

leadership like we have in the past, it’s going to fall apart,” she

said.

And that would be a devastating blow to parents who look to Parent

Help USA as a last resort to solve their problems, Oglevie said.

During Thursday’s parenting class, Kanarek held back tears as she

translated to the rest of the class, statements made by one of the

parents in Spanish about how the program has helped her.

“I’ve learned that you can take care of children with love,” said

Esmeralda, who did not want to give her last name.

It’s parents like Esmeralda who have kept her going for 20 years,

Kanarek said.

“I love parents as much as I love children,” she said. “And I love

being able to help these parents have the tools to raise their

children with love instead of violence.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or by e-mail at

[email protected].