A Contra Costa County child abuse prevention program has been selected as the recipient of an approximately $30,000 grant from the Orinda Woman’s Club.
The Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) of Contra Costa County sponsors programs in area schools that teach children how to recognize and respond to dangerous situations.
“This money will help me expand the program so more students can be served,” said Carol Carrillo, CAPC’s executive director.
CAPC uses “Speak Up Be Safe” (SUBS), a program developed by the national organization Childhelp, to teach public school children in Orinda schools and surrounding areas how to identify when they might be at risk, and also to report those situations to school staff and/or other government agencies such as Child Protective Services or local police.
CAPC has offered the program in Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Concord, Richmond and Antioch, and would like to do the same in Rodeo schools.
Alison King, chair of the Major Beneficiary Committee of the Orinda Woman’s Club, was tasked with finding a worthy cause to fund with its upcoming 2026 Festival of Trees fashion show, lunch and fundraiser that is currently slated for Nov. 20 at the Marriott in San Ramon.
“We carried out due financial diligence using both the application form and publicly held information,” said King. “Three very worthy agencies presented at our general meeting.”
Among the agencies up for consideration were the Trinity Center in Walnut Creek, Child Advocates of Contra Costa County and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County.
King said that the key criteria used in awarding CAPC the money were that the program had an impact on women and children in Contra Costa County, and that the agency must have a budget of less than $3 million a year.
The winner, the SUBS program, provides lessons to students in first through sixth grades, serving a total of 11,642 students.
“The program offers two lessons per classroom, which emphasize that adults are responsible for child safety and by using key safety rules, children can help those adults keep them safe. Following the presentations, all children are encouraged to approach SUBS and/or school staff to ask questions and discuss any issues they have,” according to CAPC.
Carillo said that most elementary school children would not likely know about how to identify and report abuse without this program “giving them the tools to talk about those things” and the ability to “stop abusive situations. No one else does this type of program in the area.”
The exact amount of the funding will not be determined until the fundraising for this fall’s 40th annual Festival of Trees has been completed.
The $30,000 figure is based on the proceeds from last year’s event. The award beneficiary in 2025 was the Assistance League in Walnut Creek, which also serves women and children.
More information about the Orinda Woman’s Club and The Festival of Trees can be found at orindawomansclub.org/.
