A Memorial Tribute
Robert J. Martin
12/16/1942 – 4/04/2026
Bob Martin served on For The Child’s board of directors for eleven years, leading the board as President for four of those years. He cared deeply that abused and neglected children were given safety, protection, and hope for their futures. Bob was committed to the importance of hope in trauma recovery and healing. He often said “Hope can be measured, it inspires change.” Another of Bob’s favorite sayings was “Most of being useful is about showing up.” And Bob always showed up. In addition to his leadership for nine board meetings a year, Bob was front and center for our children and families during family support events. He walked in with 70 new backpacks for children and teens during our Back-To-School Drive last August. He packed food boxes for many Thanksgivings and gave out new toys during Santa’s Workshop events.
Bob met with our clinical staff to talk about safety in the workplace and understanding threat assessment. His experience in law enforcement with LAPD and his expertise on personal safety made him always attentive to the welfare of therapists and social workers working in risky situations. Bob always reminded us to be kind to each other, to support each other, and to value the precious moments with our families and loved ones. He was incredibly proud of his children and their families. We heard all about individual talents, dancing and sport competitions won, professional achievements, and personal difficulties overcome.
Bob was a life-long learner, regularly attending workshops and classes to help him be an even more effective leader and board member. He loved meeting new people and mentoring leaders for the future. Bob was a true gentleman, with a kind and loving spirit that inspired all of us to be better people. He leaves a hole in our collective hearts and will be missed and always remembered.
Our Board & Staff
For The Child
We recently celebrated For The Child’s 50th Anniversary and half a century of making a difference in the lives of children. The room was filled with steadfast child advocates and dedicated change makers who help us fulfill our mission daily.
Kicking off the next 50 years will be the dedication and ribbon cutting of the John Gogian Teen and Family Center in the coming months. The call to address the many challenges that teens face today reminds us that we have children to protect and work to be done on their behalf.
Congratulations! You made it possible and we are grateful! We reached our goal of $85,000 in this year’s #LongBeachGives campaign. Thank you to our wonderful donors, volunteers, staff and board members who led the way and invited their friends and family members to support us. THANK YOU!!
Thank You Columbia Bank for the $25,000 matching fund donation to support Long Beach Gives.
Thank you Beatriz Arteaga AMFT, For The Child therapist, for participating with All Children Thrive Long Beach and Best Start Central Long Beach to get the message out about reporting suspected child abuse.
One Child’s Story
These are real stories of children who received our help.
Her husband was unemployed. She had no health insurance and had not received any prenatal care. She was worried and anxious about her pregnancy. Her group leaders helped her sign up for health insurance with Covered California. She saw a doctor the next week. Her baby girl is now a healthy nine month old.
Jennifer was close to her Grandfather and would do anything to make him happy. She felt confused about the sexual things Grandpa did to her, but he told her that he loved her and that if she told anyone, he would go to jail and break up the family. She finally told her Mom, who called the police. DNA evidence proved that he had abused her. Jennifer came to therapy for several months to sort out all the confusion and emotional pain that sexual abuse creates. At first Jennifer was scared, cried a lot, and felt guilty and sad. Her grades took a real nose dive in school. Her therapist spent counseling time with Mom and Grandmother, rebuilding the broken trust in the family and helping the adults learn how to emotionally support Jennifer. The district attorney talked with Jennifer, explaining what would happen with Grandfather and what to expect in court. Jennifer was afraid to testify, and the District Attorney asked her therapist to come to court with her for support. Now Jennifer is sleeping well, doing well in school, feels happier again, and has a much better understanding about sexual abuse and her Grandfather’s responsibility for abusing her. She is likely to need more therapy in a few years when she becomes a teenager, when body changes, hormones and dating stir up more feelings and thoughts about her abuse. For The Child will be there for her if she needs us.
8 year-old Marcus was sexually abused by a 9 year-old in the school bathroom-more than once. His family discovered the abuse after he began soiling himself, something he didn’t usually do. When questioned, he told them what had happened to him. They had called the school principal, who told them to take Marcus to the emergency room. His aunt brought him immediately to the hospital after the phone call.
For The Child’s CART team met Marcus and his aunt at the hospital. The volunteer helped them through the process, gave the aunt referrals for treatment service and gave Marcus a teddy bear to hold onto through the process. He named him “Roger.” “Roger” went home with this young man whose crisis had not ended. He was going to have to return to school after the weekend. The police would be following up with the principal and with the 9 year old offender and his family.
For The Child worked with Marcus, his family and the police to help him feel safe and protected when he returned to school.
Teren came to the superior court with his Mom for a restraining order because of domestic violence. His Mom’s boyfriend argued with his Mom a lot, sometimes pushing and hitting. He could hear them fighting while he hid under the bed covers. At Kids’ Place he felt scared at first, but soon he settled down and got comfortable. He worried about what would happen- would his step-dad go to jail, would they live together again- but for now he was in a fun place where he could relax and just be a kid for a few hours. He had so much fun playing with the other kids that he did not want to leave when his Mom came to pick him up.
