Together We Can Make a Difference Howard Center Spring Appeal

Dear Friend:

I hope this note finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. Since our daily lives have been consumed by the pandemic, I have found some comfort knowing Vermonters have come together to care for one another to lessen the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Similarly, at Howard Center, we continue to work diligently to minimize the disruption of care of those we serve, while working to ensure the health and well-being of our clients, staff, providers, and all who live and work in our community. For example, we realized early that to be able to continue to provide services to our clients electronically via telehealth, we had to ensure our clients had the necessary technology, so we purchased additional cell phones for those who needed them. By the end of May, we had provided over 25,400 telehealth services to those in our community.

As we continued to provide needed services to our clients throughout the past months, we also had to learn to pivot quickly during this challenging time. Howard Center colleagues have swiftly adapted to new situations and circumstances, all while staying focused on providing the compassionate care and support our community has come to expect. Our Street and Community Outreach teams delivered more than 5,000 meals to our vulnerable community members, our teachers and educators quickly moved to supporting students and families in distance learning, and many administrative staff secured donations of thousands of masks and hand sanitizer for our clients and Howard Center community.

It is our priority to continue to be prepared with innovative, meaningful, and effective ways of interacting with our clients and the community.

Through our work, we know the pandemic will increase levels of anxiety and depression, and we need to be ready with the supports and services our community will require. While we continue to seek any federal or state relief an organization of our size and industry is eligible for, the reality is we are experiencing significant revenue losses and a vast increase in expenses that we have no guarantee will be addressed through state or federal funding. Despite these financial challenges, we continued to serve all those seeking our support and services, and will continue to do so. 

I am so grateful to those in our community who have demonstrated their confidence in our work by reaching out to provide financial support and in-kind contributions to Howard Center during this critical time. If you are able, please consider making a donation to Howard Center to help us continue to ensure that Help is here

Thank you for your understanding, support, and dedication to Howard Center.

Best,

Bob Bick, CEO