Connect With Us
Mailing Address:
FASD Network of Southern California
PO Box 595
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267-0595
The Network lacks a physical office. The Network connects with others virtually, and in person at events, trainings, and meetings.
These are the FASD Network of Southern California contacts for each county within our network. They can help you best in identifying resources in your county.
Imperial County
OPEN
Kern County
Evelyn Mora
Organization: Parents 4 Kids Support Group
Phone: (661) 829-5071 (home) or 661-448-4945 (cell)
Email: pmomofseven@aol.com
Comments: Adoptive mother of three children with FASD.
Los Angeles County
Annette Kunzman
Organization: FASD Network of Southern California
Phone: (310) 717-9763
Email: annettek@fasdsocalnetwork.org
Comments: Annette is the current President of the Network’s Board of Directors. She has two adult children with FASD, and she coordinates Network support meetings in Los Angeles County on Zoom.
Tyla Sawyer
Organization: Bill Dubovfsky FASD Memorial Lending Library
Phone: (310) 210-4237
Email: fasd@ca.rr.com
Comments: Adoptive parent of two children with FASD. Extremely knowledgeable.
Orange County
Michelle Carey
Organization: Southern California FASD Information & Support Network
Phone: (714) 283-3400
Email: michellecarey1125@yahoo.com
Comments: Adoptive parent of FAS-affected child
Riverside County
Eva Carner
Cell: (951) 805-6551
Comments: Adoptive parent of adult son with FASD. Very knowledgeable and helpful.
San Bernardino County
OPEN
San Diego County
Valerie Lipow
Phone: (760) 845-1650
Email: vallipow@aol.com
Comments: Adoptive parent of an adult son with FASD. Very knowledgeable. Founder and past President of FASD Network of Southern California.
San Luis Obispo County
OPEN
Santa Barbara County
OPEN
Ventura County
Joeli Gutfleisch
Organization: FASD Network of Southern California
Phone: (805) 495-4887
Email: joelig17@gmail.com
Comments: Adoptive parent of adolescents with FASD.
Danielle Onstot Shaw, M.D.
Organization: FASD Network of Southern California
Phone: (805) 479-7905
Email: DanielleShawMD@gmail.com
Comments: Adoptive parent of a young adult woman with FASD. Dr. Shaw no longer practices pediatrics, although she has maintained her pediatric board certification. Dr. Shaw’s experiences with her daughter and patients in her pediatric practice led her to obtain training in psychiatry to help others who were struggling to get services. She trained in psychiatry and child & adolescent psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
The FASD Network of Southern California discussion group (a Google Group) is a way to share information about living with the issues and challenges of FASD and to find effective resources for diagnosis and treating people affected by FASD in Southern California. Participants in the group also vent frustration and share triumphs, ask questions, and share resources.
This email discussion group is designed for persons who live or work in San Diego, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and/or Kern Counties. Anyone whose FASD-affected client, student, patient, congregant, romantic partner, coworker, customer, classmate, neighbor, friend, or family member lives or works in Southern California may also participate in the discussion group.
To join a Google Group, you need a Google email account or a Google account under your own email. Follow the steps below to join our Discussion Group:
How do I join?
If you have a Google email account:
- Sign in to Google Groups
- Locate FASD Network of Southern California (select All Groups in the search dropdown)
- Click Ask to join group
- Look for a confirmation email sent to your Google email address. NOTE: the Network needs to approve your request before you can receive the confirmation.
If you do not have a Google email account:
How do I leave the group?
To leave the group and stop receiving email messages:
- Go to the Google Group. Click Leave Group. Then click Yes, Leave Group.
The Network began in 2011 as informal lunch get-togethers attended by a small group of parents of teens and young adults who had either been diagnosed with FASD or who were suspected of being affected by it. We originally connected via one of a number of email lists for parents to discuss FASD.
These meetings became the cornerstone of the Network.
The camaraderie, experience and referrals to resources throughout Southern California for our children was helpful. The face-to-face contact made a special difference. It helped to ease the sense of isolation many of us felt. The attendees “got” FASD. We understood what it takes, and how it feels to care for and advocate on behalf of an individual with FASD.
Over time, we formalized these gatherings into regularly-scheduled meetings that combined the emotional support and an educational component.
The Network is committed to providing you, your organization, and your community, with relevant and current information about FASD.
CLICK HERE TO REQUEST TRAINING
At these events, respected experts on FASD from across the U.S. delivered training on understanding the physical, emotional and psychological characteristics of FASD, and taught participants ways to assist our loved ones or clients living with the condition.
Today the Network intends to present at least one professional-level training program every year. We pride ourselves on sponsoring training programs that attract both professional who serve individuals with FASD or their families and family members who struggle to provide both a loving home and the structure that many persons with FASD need.
When parents and other loved ones of persons with FASD and the clinicians and other professionals we rely on for help meet together to learn more about FASD, we improve our ability to understand each other’s challenges and priorities, and we improve our ability to work together on behalf of Southern Californians living with FASD.
To find an upcoming Network-sponsored meeting, training, or event, CLICK HERE.