Child Advocates 40th Anniversary Celebration

June 21, 2022

Thank you so much for that warm and generous introduction.
In so many ways, when I think of home, I think of
Indianapolis and many of you – the people in this room.
This is where I feel most rooted.
This is where Mark and I raised our family.
This is where I feel the deep connectedness of community.
My deep appreciation and congratulations to Child
Advocates. For forty years, this organization and the many
people who support its mission have been the voice for
thousands of children who are abused and neglected each
year.
As a long-time member of the National Council of Jewish
Women, I am passionate about the many causes that NCJW
supports and I am proud that NCJW had the incredible
wisdom and vision under the leadership of Caron Goldstein
at the Indianapolis Chapter of NCJW to conceive of the
concept of Child Advocates, develop its mission, and deliver
on its promise to change the lives of children.
I see so many familiar faces here, and I have so many fond
memories of my family’s time in Indianapolis. I wish I could
thank each of you, but for the sake of time, I can only
mention a few.
Thank you, Cindy (Booth), and your dedicated staff at Child
Advocates for everything you do for children. And, of course,
thank you Steven (Stolen) for inviting me to be here today,
your important work at Child Advocates and your
longstanding friendship. And, of course, thanks to Rob, as
well.
Thank you, Rabbi Sandi for your inspiration…. To this day, I
am guided by your wisdom, …and so appreciative of the
spiritual leadership you and Rabbi Dennis have given to our
family over decades of our lives, including during the most
important milestone events for our family.
I know that we’re also happy to have Rabbi Brett Krichiver
from Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and Rabbi Ben
Sandrow from Congregation Sharrey Fefilla with us in
community today.
And, of course, I am forever indebted to Dr. Richard
Schreiner, the former Chair of Pediatrics at Indiana
University School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at Riley
Hospital for Children, who first hired me to Indiana University
and Riley Hospital in 1988. Rich, you continue to be a true
friend and mentor.
Also, I see Gil Peri…my successor as CEO of Riley Hospital
for Children… Gil, thank you and your entire team for all that
you and Riley do on behalf of Indiana’s children and families.
I see so many other dear friends from Riley, IU, the Jewish
Community and the community at large. This is truly a
homecoming for me…and I am grateful to all of you for
“coming out” to support my visit, and especially for
supporting Child Advocates.
I’m here today with my partner, Dan Walsh. Dan spent three
years as a cardiologist at St. Francis during the time I was a
senior vice president at Eli Lilly and Company from 2014-17,
and Dan also grew to love and appreciate the terrific
Indianapolis community.
I am so proud to call myself a Hoosier.
Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier.
Today, I am so proud to return to Indianapolis to honor and
celebrate Child Advocates and to share my thoughts on a
topic that is at the heart of the challenge facing child
advocates everywhere and really, a challenge that faces all
Americans:
- What kind of world do we want to live in…. and
  what kind of world are we handing to our children
  and our grandchildren?
As child advocates, we are ardent believers that we must
work together for a better world….
A more compassionate world…
A world where we share responsibility for acting for the
common good and for supporting those who are in need.
There are many reasons for the social, economic, cultural
and political problems plaguing our communities and our
nation. And, if we think about the complexity and weightiness
of those problems, it can be overwhelming and give us a
feeling of helplessness.
But as child advocates we know better. We are not easily
overwhelmed.
We don’t wait for answers. We believe in action.
The best way to make a difference in a child’s life is to
approach each child’s situation as unique….…. to help one
child at a time, to stand up for the rights of children and
those children who cannot stand up for themselves or who
have been victimized or mistreated in some way. In the end,
we set out to make each child feel the connectedness of
belonging to a family and a community.
Our aspiration is to create a world that puts an end to
childhood poverty, homelessness, hunger, abuse, poor
education and other forms of injustice.
Idealistic. Hopeful. Determined.
That’s us.
Coming back to Indianapolis inspires so many fond
memories.
One cherished memory that is particularly salient as it
relates to today’s celebration comes from a talk that I gave
upon the occasion of being named to an Endowed
Professorship at Indiana University made possible from a
donation from the Estate of Edwin and Nora Letzter to the
Riley Children’s Foundation in 1998.
Like the NCJW founders of Child Advocates, on that
occasion, I also drew upon the deep connection to the
Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam – the idea of repairing the
world.
Tikkun Olam sets forth a challenge, and confronts us with a
simple question: What are each of us doing to make the
world a better place?
Repairing the world begins with words.
But it is given strength by our commitments.
And it is made real by our actions.
Caron Goldsmith used that principle to establish Child
Advocates. And I have been inspired by that principle during
my work at Riley Hospital, Indiana University and today, at
Oakland University.
In 1998, the executor of Edwin and Nora’s estate was moved
by my words and our work. And after that speech about
Tikkun Olam, I received several gifts from the Estate of
Edwin and Nora Letzter.

< NOTE: REVEAL THE PRAYER BOOKS…. >
I received these…. Edwin Letzter’s prayer books.

< NOTE: REVEAL THE RINGS…. >
I received these….. Edwin’s diamond ring, and Nora’s 24-
caret gold wedding band that symbolized her commitment to
her marital vows.
I was overwhelmed to receive these gifts.
It has occurred to me that our commitment as child
advocates – much like Edwin and Nora’s lifetime
commitment to each other – is a pledge that requires our
hearts and our souls.
After that talk, Kevin O’Keefe, who was then CEO of the
Riley Children’s Foundation, was inspired by the concept of
Tikkun Olam, and had this memento made for me.

< NOTE: REVEAL THE MOMENTO…. >
For me, these mementos are cherished reminders about the
lasting power of Tikkun Olam…and over the years, they
have provided encouragement to me…. and given me
insight into how each of us plays a role in changing the world
for the better – one person…one child at a time.
Our task as child advocates can be compared to the work of
gardeners, particularly those who care for the often-times
moody and not-so-easy-to-raise fig tree.
It’s a metaphor that Rabbi Sasso has used in her amazing
and compelling recent work with Amy-Jill Levine, “The Good
for Nothing Tree.” Their collaboration, inspired by the
parable of the Barren Fig Tree, reminds us that the sweetest
figs, like so many other things in life, are worth the wait.
The lesson is clear: Children are not born a finished piece of
work, but they require tending…nurturing. Simply….Children
require our attention and love.
Like a child struggling amid a difficult social environment, the
tiny fig tree is weak, and easily uprooted in a strong storm,
and possibly shaken by even a mild, unexpected tempest.
But with care, cultivation and love, an amazing thing
happens.
As the fig tree perseveres the many ups and downs of the
four seasons….it is strengthened.
Among the vital ingredients needed to raise a healthy fig tree
are sunshine and adequate room to grow.
o Sunshine… perhaps that’s the faith we have in children
to believe in themselves.
Every day, from my position as president of Oakland
University, I see the miracle and the power of education…
Education provides more upward mobility than any other
single factor and nowhere is that more apparent than in the
story of the Bickers brothers from Detroit.
Michael Bickers and his brother grew up in an east side
Detroit neighborhood infamous for gang violence and the
dearth of resources. What are the odds of a child making it
out of that neighborhood?
Michael’s brother didn’t.
He was five years older than Michael. He was involved in
neighborhood gangs. When he was in his teens, he was
killed by gang violence…never having an opportunity to
realize his full talents and potential.
The same fate should have just as easily befallen Michael.
But it didn’t.
Largely because Michael benefited from services similar to
those offered by child advocates, he worked hard and was
recognized for his academic and athletic potential. Because
of the fostering of his abilities and self-focus, Michael was
nurtured like the fig tree in Rabbi Sandy’s story.
He was selected as a teenager to attend the prestigious
Cranbrook School and then Oakland University, where he
earned a finance degree.
A child advocate stepped in and made a fundamental
difference, and that changed the trajectory of Michael’s life.
Now fast-forward…
In February of this year, Michael was appointed regional
president for PNC Bank in southeast Michigan after serving
as a retail banking market manager. He has worked for PNC
since 1990.
Michael came to visit me a few weeks ago. He talked about
how Oakland University impacted his life and how committed
he is to using the resources of PNC to invest in underserved
communities, and to “give back.”
Two brothers. Two different paths.
What made the difference?
Early childhood intervention in the form of child advocacy
and the power of education.
I’d like to share just one more story.
Jared Barnett is one of three brothers.
Jared transferred to Oakland University from a community
college after graduating from Pontiac High School, located in
Pontiac, Michigan, a city of about 60,000 people where more
than half of the children under 18 years of age live in
poverty… and where more than half of household families
with children are headed by a female with no male presence,
a stark contrast to Oakland County, where married couple
households are the majority. By the way, Oakland County is
the ninth wealthiest county in America.
The Barnett parents died when Jared was just 13 years of
age, leaving three sons.
Three brothers.
The oldest brother became intwined in the life of the streets,
and succumbed to a day-to-day subsistence.
Jared was raised by his middle brother and supported by
child advocates along the way.
Remarkably, both Jared and his middle brother, despite not
having a parent in their household, graduated from college.
Three weeks ago, Jared graduated from Oakland University
with a 3.92 GPA. Not only that, he worked full-time at a
nearby hospital, and received one of the highest university
awards we offer, the Alfred G. Wilson Award, for his
leadership during the pandemic, and tutoring Pontiac
students on academic and life skills.
What made the difference in Jared’s life?
Two catalysts: Child advocacy and education.
And, of course, Jared’s amazing older brother.
I have been a university president now for five years. Never
did I think I would have to work so hard to convince people
of the need and value of a college degree.
As we grapple with a world with too much poverty, too much
economic inequality, and too much violence, the most
effective defense against the negative waves of ignorance
and intolerance is education, knowledge, civility and a
deeper appreciation for the great diversity of cultures that
make up the mosaic of humanity.
When we look around, one thing is for sure: We have work
to do.
As advocates, we must be mindful of the profound
challenges facing children as they navigate a culture of
increasing violence, isolation, apathy and mindless
materialism.
Compassion can make all the difference, but we cannot
delude ourselves into believing that if only we were more
compassionate, then the world would be a better place.
Children everywhere face challenges that require a response
and fundamental solutions. As child advocates, we must
work together to find answers to pressing questions…
- How do we ensure access to health care for all
  children?
- Why is it that children of young mothers do not get the
  proper child care due to a lack of funding and other
  means of support?
- Why are so many children not getting proper nutrition,
  and go hungry, and some must rely on after-school
  programs for their daily meal?

Why do immigrant children face the daunting task of
navigating what is often an intimidating and frustratingly
bureaucratic American legal system?
- Why are so many children not getting proper
 education? And, what can we do for those children who
 are exasperated by the last two years of disrupted
 education because of Covid-19?
- What must be done to address income inequality and
 profoundly unequal K-12 public education systems
 around the country?
- And, finally, why do we still have to demonstrate the
 value and power of a college education and its potential
 to transform lives? As we seek answers, let’s keep in mind the examples of Michael Bickers, Jared Barnett and other children.
- They remind us of the task that each of us has
 accepted.

So, given the many challenges we face, how do we go about
“repairing the world?”
Our mission as child advocates illuminates our path ahead.
For the past forty years, Child Advocates has been part of a
proud and passionate movement that includes people who
take responsibility to stand up…. to speak their minds… to
fight against injustice and inequality in the world…and, of
course, to advocate on behalf of children.
The impact of the legacy is truly remarkable and
demonstrated in so many success stories……and yet, there
is so much left to do.
My years in medicine… at IU, at Riley Hospital… and then
as the CEO at the University of Michigan Health System,
and now as president at Oakland University have given me a
first-hand view of the need to protect, defend and advocate
on behalf of children and those who might not have the
ability to advocate for themselves.
Today, a pressing question has emerged:
- How can we succeed as advocates in healing a
  country and a world with widespread political,
  racial, environmental and cultural conflicts and
  injustices where healing seems more like a distant
  ideal or dream rather than an achievable reality?
Perhaps we can find solace in contemplating the conditions
necessary for the fig tree’s ascent.
Fig trees are a cornerstone of tropical forests, where they
produce fruit year-round and provide food sources for
thousands of animal species.
Raising a fig tree, as Rabbi Sasso reminds us, provides a
“life lesson.”
And that “life lesson” is that with patience, care, and love,
we, as individuals and as “part of a movement of advocates,”
can cultivate a seed into a sapling…and a sapling into a
fully-realized fruit-bearing plant.
As child advocates we are proud idealists…. But we are also
realists….for to heal the world, you must first see the world
as it is ….with your eyes open wide.
Idealistic. Hopeful. Determined.
And committed to repairing the world.
That is who we are as people, advocates and champions….
- … that is also the lasting legacy of Child Advocates,
  which, for forty years has inspired us….
- …and has made a fundamental difference in all of our
  lives.
Thank you.