For the latest details on United Way of Central Alabama’s response to the Cornovirus and resources available, please click here.
As we all adjust to these most unusual circumstances, we wanted to take a few minutes to connect with you on behalf of all members of the Bold Goals Coalition. We want to share some general updates with you about how we plan to work during the coming weeks, and also share some highlights we’ve seen in the community response during this crisis.
First, the updates. The backbone staff of the Bold Goals Coalition is on-duty, working from many locations, and is well-equipped to facilitate meetings and connections as needed through phone and web platforms. Where needed, we have re-focused our staff time on supporting the immediate community response, especially related to the continued availability of meals for children.
Many of our regular meetings have been postponed. We’re communicating changes to meeting schedules via email as needed. We’ll continue other meetings on a virtual basis as circumstances permit. Other work will continue, such as preparing the annual update to the Bold Goals scorecard and data center. We’re working to pass along helpful information through all of our social media channels on a daily basis.
And now, the highlights. It’s been inspiring to see our communities collaborate to support one another during this time. We’re especially grateful for the collaborative effort across multiple Jefferson County school systems to make meals broadly available for children. Similarly, community organizations have stepped up in Walker County. Others are working to continue serving seniors; you can volunteer for that here. Still others are focused on ensuring that healthcare workers and first responders have childcare. The business community is pulling together, as well. United Way of Central Alabama’s 2-1-1 Call Center continues to be a vital resource to direct people to resources, 24/7.
We know that many of you are on the front lines of this challenge, and we’re grateful for each of you and your organizations. We’ll continue to do all we can to support our communities.
If you are able to donate funds, most non-profits in our area need extra resources right now, and we encourage you to connect with your preferred organizations to see what they need. There are also options to donate to some broader emergency funds, through United Way of Central Alabama, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and the Walker Area Community Foundation.
We’ve always been convinced that we need to stick together for the common good. Now, more than ever, let’s work alongside each other to get to the other side of this challenge.
The Bold Goals Coalition is 200 organizations solving big community problems by aligning partners, resources and agendas.