OCTOBER 2020
B OARD O F D I RECTO R S
of the Palm Beaches, Inc.
Penny Heller Board Chair Kirstin Turner First Vice Chair Heather B. Ferguson Secretary John C. Elder Treasurer Bill Peterson Immediate Past Chair Lynda M. Murphy Member-At-Large Chris Oberlink Member-At-Large Matthew Constantine Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Bain Sean P. Bresnan John C. Castronuovo Thomas Frankel John P. Marasco Elizabeth Morales Tequisha Myles Cristina Nuñez de Landaluce Jeff W. Preston Garth E. Rosenkrance
Adopt-A-Family is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit, charitable organization established in 1983. Our mission is to strengthen families with children in their efforts to achieve stability and self-sufficiency by providing access to all-encompassing services.
OUR YOUNGEST CLIENTS
Keeping Kids Safe, Healthy, and Engaged During COVID-19 The families served by Adopt-A-Family all have children whose lives were interrupted by COVID-19. These children lost the grounding influence of the classroom, worried when their parents got laid off, and grappled with the sudden loss of inperson support services. But the generosity of our faithful partners enabled us to care for our youngest clients in a variety of ways.
School readiness:
On the first day of the 2020-21 school year, AdoptA-Family rolled out the Voluntary Outdoor Tutorial Assistance initiative (top photo) designed to ensure children had the technology, connectivity, and guidance needed to navigate online learning. The program met outdoors each day and offered one-on-one support. Children were prepared to return to school with backpacks and supplies donated by community partners.
Acts of compassion: When you’re a child living in a shelter during a pandemic, birthdays can pass without much fanfare. Program REACH recently launched a Birthday Club to celebrate each month’s
birthday boys and girls. Each child receives a present and a cupcake (complete with candle, for wish-making).
Nutrition: By providing non-
perishable food, grocery store gift cards, and fresh meals, our community partners made sure the children we serve don’t go to bed hungry.
Personal safety: When
masks were difficult to find, some single parents were unable to grocery shop because they couldn’t safely take their children out in public. Agency friends responded with handsewn masks and PPE. All families were eligible for free COVID-19 testing on our Lake Worth campus.
Toys and activities: Donated toys, art
supplies, games, and books gave children new ways to pass the time during lockdown and the months of isolation that followed. These gifts were distributed to families living in motels, our shelter, and agency housing. During an unsettling season for young children, our donors helped us provide consistency, reassurance, and joy.
PROJECT GROW SUMMER CAMP Project Grow provided 12 full weeks of summer camp, its longest camp ever, after extending the program for three weeks to bridge the gap to the delayed start of school. Students “met” the baby turtles at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center; studied art, math, poetry, and science; and got moving during yoga, ballet, and soccer classes. Because a faithful agency supporter provided Chromebooks, new doors have opened for the students. Not only was an introduction to computer coding offered during camp, the students have started an eight-week coding course! With school back in session, Project Grow has again shifted to virtual afterschool programming while working ambitiously toward resuming the face-to-face interaction that is so critical to the students’ success.