Dear Family Tree Stakeholders,
As always, Family Tree is grateful for your care and concern for the individuals and families in our community who seek safety and support. The holistic approach provided by Family Tree is changing how individuals and families respond to and overcome child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and homelessness. This is an unprecedented time demanding an unprecedented response to ensuring service delivery.
Family Tree serves individuals and families with a multitude of safety issues and concerns before you even factor in the complications caused by COVID-19. Our three residential facilities are providing safety and shelter to individuals and families experiencing major upheaval in their lives. Family Tree’s community and home-based services providing support individuals and families will continue, using phone or other virtual services.
Our challenges as we ensure service delivery include:
- The need to keep our three residential programs stocked with food and supplies
- Dramatically reducing in-person volunteers and interns at this time because of the increased risk to an already vulnerable population. Volunteers and interns perform essential duties and positively impact our programs
- Managing the financial impact of over-time pay for employees covering multiple shifts and sick pay for quarantine and illness. This situation could become direr as people are exposed and/or become sick
- Serving clients who may be at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness as shut downs decrease employment opportunities
- Our largest fundraising event, Celebration of Achievement, scheduled for May 7 is postponed until further notice
Family Tree has been proactive in preparing to care for clients and our team members. Of utmost concern is keeping programs running at capacity to provide effective and impactful services to people in our community who need our help. All programs are stocked with cleaning and disinfectant supplies. Employees and residents are taking precautionary measures to help manage the risk of infection. Every program has written a critical preparedness plan in order to maintain services.
We do not know what the financial toll will be at this time. We will begin to understand more of the impact over the days and weeks to come.
How can you help? Financial support is the most helpful way to assist Family Tree at this time. Additional financial resources allow Family Tree to meet the unique needs of our clients and our team being presented at this time. Monetary contributions will help the organization fill the gaps in funding as they arise. Every dollar contributed to Family Tree makes an impact. Please contact Katherine Lawson, Chief Development Officer, for assistance.
Thank you all very much,
Scott Shields
CEO, Family Tree
Important announcements:
- Access to Family Tree facilities are restricted during this time in order to maintain necessary low building occupancy needed to promote social distancing among Family Tree clients and team members
- Family Tree Treasure Trunk will be closing to the public beginning on March 18, 2020 until further notice, while still striving to meet client needs