SB group pushes education, career preparation
A San Bernardino organization is building roads to success for residents.
The Making Hope Happen Foundation was founded to support the educational mission of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, providing programs for learners from cradle to career. In the past few years, Making Hope Happen has expanded beyond the district boundaries, helping strengthen families and build an educated and engaged workforce.
One of its primary programs is Dr. Albert Karnig Infant-Toddle Success, which gives parents and families the tools to prepare children up to age 5 for their future. The program is built on the lifetime of work in education by the late Karnig, who served as president of Cal State San Bernardino from 1997 to 2012. In his research, Karnig solidified the need for supporting pediatric neurodevelopment at its most critical stage, which is from birth to age 3.
KITS is one way that Making Hope Happen is combating achievement gaps in the community. The program addresses that in the first five years, what a child sees, hears and experiences creates a base for future success in learning. KITS supports parents through classes that teach positive child guidance, developmental milestones and enrichment activities.
It also helps parents manage stress through the KITS Club. Members participate in activities such as yoga for stress and fun workshops. Participants receive free child care, which is provided by trained child development staff. Parents often build friendships in the program, creating their own group of supportive peers.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup,” said Erin Brinker, the organization’s director of programs and development. “Parent stress leads to abuse. Nurturing families helps them deal with significant generational trauma and abuse.”
The majority of Making Hope Happen’s staff live in San Bernardino and are dedicated to the city and its residents. One of the organization’s coordinators started as a KITS participant after she moved from Los Angeles and was raising four boys. Recently, she became a homeowner and is thriving, according to Brinker.
“We love the city,” Brinker said. “The work that we do is not abstract and it’s not just the job we do, it’s who we are.”
Making Hope Happen also provides mentor-supported scholarships to graduating San Bernardino high school students. Recipients get a $3,000 scholarship and a paid mentor. Recipient Melyssa Karcher grew up in a low-income family, faced much instability but focused on her future. Drawn to medical clubs in high school, she was able to shadow a nurse anesthetist and found her calling. This led her to joining a group of health students in 2021 that assisted medical professionals offering treatment to children and families in Haiti. Karcher now attends UC Irvine, where she is studying public health.
“She set the tone for a lifetime of service,” Brinker said. “Reading scholarship applications, you can see our kids are remarkable. It is wonderful to be a part of helping them to the next level.”
Recently, Making Hope Happen Foundation received a grant from the Community Impact Fund through the Inland Empire Community Foundation. The organization depends on funding to provide many of its services and scholarships.
San Bernardino has often been ignored by institutional sources of funding outside of the region, according to Brinker. Making Hope Happen is working to change that and get more attention for the city’s programs. In 2020, Uplift San Bernardino, a collective impact initiative with more than 50 partners, joined the Making Hope Happen Foundation. Uplift San Bernardino focuses on creating human capital, economic opportunity and neighborhood development.
“We’re a catalyst and a change-making organization,” Brinker said. “We see San Bernardino. We are San Bernardino. We are thinking about the residents and the kids in the school. We are seeking to uplift so that San Bernardino residents can be successful however they define it.”
For more information, call 909-245-1454 or go to makinghope.org/.