About Shield4Kids

Empowering and protecting vulnerable children through compassion, support, and hope.

Our Mission Meet the Founders

Who We Are

Shield 4 Kids was created after years of witnessing the distressed and puzzled faces filled with fear and apprehension of abused children as they were placed in emergency foster care.

Often arriving in the middle of the night without so much as a toothbrush to call their own, these children face not only trauma but also the challenge of entering a new home with unfamiliar people. They often feel a loss of hope as authorities prosecute those at fault, sometimes even family members.

Our goal is to be a small part of restoring that hope and rebuilding a child's will when their lives feel bleak. Shield 4 Kids is there to provide empowerment and joy in one compact, customized, child-appropriate care package.

Each package is filled with kid-friendly toiletries and clothing needed for their transition, as well as fun items like toys, games, and books. This package serves as a shield for children, giving them a sense of ownership over something that is completely theirs—something they can take joy in and keep with them regardless of future circumstances as they face the journey ahead.

Our Mission

Shield4Kids is devoted to providing child abuse victims with essential support and renewed hope when they need it most. We strive to make a lasting positive impact in the lives of children affected by abuse and neglect.

Vision

A world where every child feels safe, valued, and has the opportunity to thrive.

Values

Compassion, Integrity, Empowerment, and Collaboration guide our work every day.

Impact

We measure our success by the positive changes we bring to children's lives.

A Message from Our Co-founders

Dan Perez

A retired Los Angeles Police Detective assigned to The Abused Child Unit, Dan spent years investigating child physical and sexual abuse cases as well as undetermined deaths of children under the age of 11 years and child homicides. Dan witnessed when children were removed from their home and put into foster homes or temporary care, and saw that there was a gap that could be alleviated during this traumatic event, while simultaneously restoring hope for children when all was lost.

Marcella Perez

A former foster child, Marcella went through this experience after her mother's death and her father turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Marcella was placed in different foster homes and was separated from her sisters. This continued for years, until her father changed his life, and the courts awarded Marcella and her sisters back to him. Marcella recounts the impression that those years of distress left on her as a child and her purpose now.

Our Ethos

Dan's professional life met with Marcella's personal experience, which created the genesis of Shield 4 Kids. Both of their close ties to these events allowed them to understand what children placed in protective custody are going through, and the difference we can collectively make.

Backpacks of Hope & Excursion Sibling Reunion Program

Backpacks of Hope

We provide backpacks to children as they are placed in foster homes by Police or Children Services. These backpacks offer a bit of joy, distraction, and a sense of ownership as they and their contents will solely belong to the child, regardless of where their personal journey takes them.

Backpacks include toiletries, clothes, toys, activities, books, and more.

First Priority Items

  • Backpacks
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Child Mask
  • Tissues
  • Wipes
  • Blanket
  • Comfort Toys
  • Deodorant
  • Shampoo & Conditioner
  • Toothbrush & Toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Lotion
  • Body wash
  • Body Spray
  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • New Clothing
  • Hair ties
  • Hair clips
  • Hair brush/combs
  • Body Wipes
  • Q-Tips

Second Priority Items

  • Paper: lined/copy/construction
  • Spiral notebooks
  • Index cards
  • Pencils & Pens
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Pencil case
  • Colored markers
  • Crayons
  • Highlighters

Excursion Sibling Reunion Program

Children separated from their siblings often only have the opportunity to see one another at court hearings, which could last several years. We aim to provide children with the opportunity to see their siblings for an approved and supervised day out filled with joy.

Excursion Locations

  • Los Angeles Zoo
  • Knott's Berry Farm
  • Disneyland
  • Universal Studios
  • Kidspace
  • Pacific Park
  • Skyzone
  • Sporting Events
  • Sherman Oaks Castle Park
  • Chuck E. Cheese
  • Adventure City

Shield4Kids - Our Founders' Story

A Message from Dan & Marcella

Both Dan and his Wife Marcella have personal experience with child abuse.

Dan is a retired Los Angeles Police Detective. As a Detective, Dan spent several years working the Department's Abused Child Unit.

The unit consists of specially trained Detectives who investigate cases of Children who have been physically or sexually abused or murdered by their Parents or Legal Guardian.

Marcella, at the age of 5, lost her Mother to breast cancer, leaving her Father to raise 6 children on his own. This tragedy led her Father to alcohol.

The Department of Children and Family Services stepped in and placed Marcella and her sisters in foster care pending the court hearings.

Marcella was placed in several different foster homes and was separated from her sisters. The emotional distress Marcella felt as a little girl helps her understand what children placed in protective custody/foster homes are going through.

This continued for about 4 years until the Courts were pleased with her Father's life changes and awarded Marcella and her sisters back to her Father.

It was during the years of foster care that left a lasting impression on Marcella. Memories, such as not being able to re-unite with her sisters other than at Court proceedings, as well as not having some of the nice toys and clothes that other girls, boys, or classmates had.

Marcella's father, and her siblings, have moved forward and now have a loving relationship and know the true meaning of family.

Dan and Marcella know that all a Child wants is to be part of a loving home and feel safe.

Dan and Marcella also know that there are thousands of Children in our Communities that are being taken into protective custody who become scarred and frightened, not knowing what the future holds for them.

Help Us Make a Difference

Your support can bring comfort and joy to children in need. Join us in our mission to protect and care for vulnerable children.

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Children smiling on ride