Cancelled due to COVID-19
The 29th Annual Arts Performance Event Benefiting Vogel Alcove Presented by Neiman Marcus
Article by Karen R. Hughes, President and CEO, Vogel Alcove:
Vogel Alcove’s fundraising and donations have been impacted greatly by the cancellation of our largest fundraising event, the Arts Performance Event, held each spring. This year, the event was scheduled for Saturday, May 2 and must be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is greatly impacting our community’s most vulnerable residents, children and families effected by homelessness. Vogel Alcove is responding, and we wanted to share how you, your family, or your company can help.
Vogel Alcove is an early childhood education and Parent Opportunity Center that is working to Break the Cycle of Poverty for homeless children and their families in Dallas. Vogel Alcove provides educational, developmental and therapeutic services to children and families affected by homelessness. Using its “Two-Generational” approach to solving homelessness, services are provided to client families through the early childhood education program and Parent Opportunity Department. All of these services are provided for free, in a safe and nurturing school environment, in which the families can learn and grow together.
THE CHALLENGE
All of our families are living in trauma on a “normal” day and now COVID-19 has exponentially increased that trauma. Approximately 50% of our families are currently homeless and reside in an emergency shelter or transitional living program. We have successfully helped move the other 50% of our families into housing, but, they are still living in poverty. The high majority of these families are led by single-moms with no support system, and they have little access to food and critical supplies during shelter-in-place. We are very concerned with this segment of our families.
VOGEL ALCOVE’S RESPONSE
We are working hard every day to help our families in need. Through “Vogel Eats” we support families who have moved into housing by cooking meals in our kitchen. Our staff delivers approximately 300 meals (breakfast and lunch) to 41 families each day. Our “Vogel Bags” are also delivered to our families in need. “Vogel Bags” include household supplies, toilet paper, diapers, wipes, sanitation supplies, clothes, activities, and toys for kids. On Monday April 6th, we re-opened the childcare center for parents who are employed by an essential business so that they can return to work and not lose their job. We also welcomed our “Summer Camp” early which serves school age children - Kindergarten through 5th grade. They now can work on their “eLearning” assignments in our computer lab. Our Family Service team began providing case management meetings through phone calls and video chats to continue identifying all our family’s needs and how we can quickly assist with solutions. Through the use of virtual technology, we continue to provide developmental therapy for the children unable to return to Vogel Alcove and we are also providing mental health work to our parents on an ongoing basis.
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
We need your help more than ever. Vogel Alcove is an essential service and member of the Dallas Homelessness Continuum of Care. Our major fundraising events and corporate funding have been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Our biggest concerns are: (1) to continue to retain and pay our very qualified staff throughout this timeframe; (2) ability to pay for our rent and other regular operating expenses; (3) ability to expand programming to meet the very specific COVID-19 needs of our families; (4) our ability to keep our families safe, healthy, and stable during this time; and (5) our ability to continue to receive cash and in-kind donations. We are working diligently and very creatively to work through these challenges. And we will make it through these challenges.
Please visit the website at www.vogelalcove.org