Working at the Shoah Foundation for 8 years was an incredible experience for me.  I directed the nonprofit's grant-seeking program so there would be additional money, besides that contributed by founder Steve Spielberg, to cover the costs of interviewing over 50,000 people who survived the Holocaust. 

I'm so proud I was a part of this massive oral history project and had the opportunity to meet amazing people who worked there.  Though it was painful, I listened to many stories of what happened to individuals during the Holocaust. 

Little did I know that hearing those stories would inform my later work in private practice in Atwater Village helping people who experienced emotional trauma when they were younger.

My new love is the nonprofit organization Bikers Against Child Abuse International.  As chapter groups, they provide protection to children who have been physically, sexually, and emotionally abused. They are often called by police, judges, and even by relatives of these children.  They ride up as a big, noisy group and nobody bothers the kid again!

The organization was founded in 1995 by John Paul "Chief" Lilly, a Native American Licensed Clinical Social Worker working with abused children. 

I cried when I read their creed, below, which was written by the organization's founder:

I am a member of Bikers Against Child Abuse. The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I wont look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past has prepared me, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. Im finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I dont have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by the faith in my works, and lean on the strength of my brothers and sisters. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with power.

My fate is set, my gait is fast, my goal is the ultimate safety of children. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are tried and true, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I wont give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and showed up for all wounded children. I must go until I drop, ride until I give out, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me, for He will see my BACA backpatch and know that I am one of His. I am a member of Bikers Against Child Abuse, and this is my creed.

Here's the website: http://bacaworld.org/