Vogel Alcove Continues to Serve Its Families | Presses Pause on Reopening Progression
As the governor revises restrictions on the state, Vogel Alcove continues to evolve its services. Phase I, The Essential Services Phase was a tremendous success! See details below.
Phase II: Open Texas continues to evolve. As President and CEO Karen Hughes details in the video here, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYwiq213n8c&feature=youtu.be) this phase includes:
- Childcare Program Open for All Working Parents
- Summer Camp Begins (K – 6th Grade Children, Great Outdoor Adventure)
- Continued Practice of Health and Safety protocols as directed by the CDC and Health Department
- Continued Virtual Case Management
- Resource Bags
- Continued Mental Health and Developmental Health Therapies for Children
- Telehealth Mental Health Therapy for Parents
How You Can Become Involved:
Though volunteers are not currently permitted in the building due to health concerns, there are opportunities in the backyard and garden, summer camp, and Vogel Alcove is open to any creative ideas! Other opportunities include making Bye-Bye Bags at home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL-z9QY77fg)
and Volunteer Virtual Story Time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzZD5koxkYk) Or visit the Volunteers page on the Vogel Alcove website and fill in the volunteer form here: https://vogelalcove.org/get-involved/ Email volunteers@vogelalcove.org for more information.
Phase I: The Essential Services Phase was a tremendous success!
From March 30, 2020 to May 22, 2020, Vogel Alcove shifted with each twist and turn of this pandemic and the challenges its effects presented the school.
The school for children of essential workers opened and Vogel Alcove staff implemented three brand new programs: Vogel Eats, Vogel Bags and Virtual Casework. For eight weeks Vogel Alcove’s staff, volunteers, and generous donors committed to doing whatever necessary to continue to serve children and families impacted by homelessness.
Courtesy photo.
They prepared, packaged, and delivered 15,742 meals to 73 families and over 200 resource bags containing necessities such as cleaning supplies, toiletries, clothes, and even educational toys for the kids at home. Vogel Alcove could not have done any of this without the commitment of its staff and supporters.
Services and Operations During Phase I Included:
- Childcare program open for children of essential workers
- New HR/CDC/DHS guidelines implemented
- Vogel Eats program delivered 15,742 meals to 73 families
- 200 Vogel Bags delivered to families including needed supplies: clothing, diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, etc.
- Virtual case management with all families two times per week
- Gap Camp opens for school-age children/support for E-Learning
- Virtual Volunteer Story Time
- Furniture drive for Vogel Alcove families that have secured housing
Courtesy photo.
Because of Vogel Alcove’s Supporters
None of this would have been possible without the support of some of Vogel Alcove’s biggest allies. Mark Cuban, Santander, and so many others provided generous monetary support toward the Restoring Families campaign.
Even during one of the toughest storms restaurants have ever weathered, they still found ways to support the community. Ellen’s Southern Kitchen graciously provided breakfast and lunch for the entire Vogel Alcove staff each Wednesday and Friday. They also provided 6-8 members of their service staff each day to drive meals and resources all over Dallas, part of the Vogel Eats and Vogel Bags programs. Redbird Capital and Little Caesars Pizza donated over 400 hundred pizzas giving families food for the weekend. Country Burger and New York Subs treated Vogel Alcove’s staff to lunch as well. Union Coffee held a special drive for the items that were urgently needed.
Courtesy photo.
The safety and hygienic needs of the organization’s staff and families were tended to as well. Hill & Wilkinson provided resources for the Vogel Bags program and hand sanitizer for the school. Temple Emanu-El sent resources like anti-bacterial wipes. Dallas Heritage Village sewed and donated cotton masks to send home to client families.
Southwest Airlines and Pepsico donated pallets of snack food for the families.
Countless individuals and those from the Alcuin School, Bank of America, Allstate Insurance, Mix Master Mike, and Houlihan Lokey sent their virtual story time videos via email. Check out some of the story time videos on the Youtube page here (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5RlsFLfTgGWxgPEbdRQQviMBZWdeA9wp ).
In addition, all of this could not have been done without those who spent time with their families and co-workers building “Bye-Bye Bags” such as United Healthcare, Celanese, Chat-N-Chew, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and all of the individuals who built them from home with their children.
Four Vogel Alcove families were able to move out of the shelter system and into housing during this phase. So many individuals answered the call by donating beds, mattresses, tables, chairs, sofas, and more to help shower these families with furnishings for their homes. Wildcat Management provided a warehouse to store this furniture as logistics were coordinated.
Thank You
So many have shown kindness and love during this time. Everyone at Vogel Alcove is so grateful to all of the donors, staff, and families. Without their support, all might have been lost.
For information and more details, visit the website at www.vogelalcove.org and the blog at https://vogelalcove.org/news/
About Vogel Alcove:
Vogel Alcove is a 501c3 nonprofit agency which provides therapeutic early childhood services, school-age programs and family support services for homeless children ages six weeks to 12 years old, and their families.
Fueled by extensive research from the Casey Foundation, Vogel Alcove features “two-generation” approach to support homeless children and their parents. Through this strategic initiative, Vogel Alcove has committed to ensuring that our work truly helps homeless families break the cycle of poverty. These services are offered through the Parent Opportunity Department and include one-on-one counseling from a team of licensed clinical social workers, as well as Job Ready, Career Ready, and Support System programming in the Parent Opportunity Center lab.
Since 1987, the agency has served more than 16,000 Dallas-area homeless children. We’re on a mission to help young children, and their families, overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness. It is our vision that every child in our community has a home, a self-sufficient family and a foundation for success in school and life.
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent Vogel Alcove. Contact Sharon to know more about how your organization or business can be published here: adamscomm1@aol.com.)
