PROGRAM A `MIRACLE WORKER' : INTERFACE GIVES KIDS A NEW START ON LIFE.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

Ruth Tiedemann was in and out of the foster care system from the time she was a toddler until she turned 18.

She ran away from home when she was 15 after being abused by her biological parents and by her adopted parents. Then she went to another foster home.

Today the 20-year-old from Simi Valley is in her sophomore year at California State University, Northridge, and getting good grades, thanks in part to the guidance she's received through the Independent Living Program, operated by Interface Children Family Services.

Tiedemann's mentor, Debbie Cota, has been been like a guardian angel, friend and adviser wrapped into one. Through the program, Tiedemann has learned essential life skills, and with Cota's help, she has earned nearly $4,000 in scholarships.

``Debbie has always been there for me,'' Tiedemann said. ``The (Independent Living Program) has been like a miracle worker. . . . I don't have any family that can support me or help me out. And she never stopped being active in my life just because I'm out of the foster care system.''

Since it started 25 years ago with a youth crisis program, Interface Children Family Services has grown into the Wal-Mart of social service providers in Ventura County.

The Interface umbrella covers 29 programs that helped 195,000 people last year - one in four county residents. Its army of volunteers numbers 1,200, plus a paid staff of 170, including part-timers and contract therapists. Some 350 doctors, dentists and other professionals around the county donate their services.

``When somebody has a problem, it will usually impact the entire family,'' said Beverly Viola, an official with the United Way of Ventura County and longtime admirer of Interface. ``So they link other services for the client and the client's family.''

Because Interface is so broadly based, it can run more efficiently and effectively than single-mission agencies. Last year, 82.7 percent of Interface's revenues went toward program services, significantly higher than the 70 percent goal suggested by the National Charities Information Bureau, a watchdog organization.

The United Way funds 10 Interface programs. The balance of the organization's $6.9 million budget is from grants and state, county and city contracts to provide services.

Chris Rutter, Interface's community resources director, said the organization has always grown in response to unmet needs of Ventura County families. When Interface started in 1973, it focused on helping youths in crisis. But that problem was linked to a host of other social problems from domestic violence to drug abuse.

Twenty-five years after she co-founded Interface, Kate McLean looked back on her legacy. She recalled Interface's first site, two rooms above Smiley's Bar in Newbury Park. Sometimes the noise from below shook the walls and forced them to cut short training and counseling sessions.

``It's always been an organization that's been built on the theory that the more people get involved in responding to community problems, the healthier communities you are going to have,'' said McLean, who left Interface in 1990. ``Obviously, I feel so proud to have been a part of building Interface for the community. It always was and still is a remarkable organization that has always been ahead of its time.''

For information on Interface services 24 hours a day, call [phone]. To contribute or volunteer, call [phone].

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PHOTO (Color) Ruth Tiedemann, 20, of Simi Valley is now majoring in psychology at CSUN.

Joe Binoya/Daily News