Continues Mission in Changing World
Community Support More Important than Ever
Gina Coufal is the Founder and Executive Director of Development at FRIENDS of Broomfield. We would like to thank her for taking time to provide us with an interview about how FRIENDS is adjusting their programs to continue serving their participants. ~ Megan Mayes
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How would you describe FRIENDS of Broomfield? FRIENDS is a nonprofit organization providing services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For the last 20 plus years our mission has been to enhance our community by creating opportunities for individuals through an innovative and person-centered approach.
they lose ground and have to relearn tasks they had made progress with. The hardest situation has been with participants in our Supported Employment program. It’s hard enough to find a job, especially for someone with an intellectual/developmental disability. Of 20 participants, several lost their jobs permanently, six are back in job development, and the rest are waiting for word they can return to their job. The lack of income has been tough on them as well, given they all fall below the poverty level anyway. Still, they are the most positive individuals I’ve ever met.
How have your programs changed in response to the pandemic? We were forced to close on March 15 and it devastated our participants and families. We only re-opened for “in-person” services recently, serving a very small few. We realized early on that we needed to find a way to support our Friends. Staff creatively developed and quickly offered about 20 online classes for participants to ZOOM into including art, cooking, science, music, hiking, social hour, DIY, health and safety classes, and more. Online classes have been very popular as most seriously missed seeing their peers. As restrictions have changed, we have been able to provide split schedules for up to seven individuals on site at a time, and several more receive one-on-one staff support at home or in the community.
How have your FRIENDS responded to these changes? Our participants do best with structure and routine. They have had a rough time with being quarantined, schedule changes, and not having the ability to participate in activities the way they did before the pandemic. In addition, without constant opportunity to work on skills for everyday living,
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What can community members do to support FRIENDS during this time? Being a non-profit is challenging. FRIENDS is a service provider agency and we can only bill for services that are provided. Without programs operating, we may not recover the revenue needed. We are fundraising what we can but it’s tough in the current environment. Grant funders are also focused on front line Covid relief (food insecurity, housing, and healthcare) so FRIENDS doesn’t qualify. Participating in our GirlFRIENDS virtual Luncheon on August 1 and making donations to help us provide PPE and other program supplies will go a long way to helping us ensure our doors stay open for our Friends! We need our community to accomplish this. Please visit when it’s safe to do so, and see firsthand what your support can do. It’s truly heartwarming to see our friends living their best lives!
For more information visit: www.friendsofbroomfield.org 14
Our Broomfield™ Magazine | August 2020
