To the family and friends of IWC:
First and foremost, we sincerely hope this note finds you happy and healthy. Know that your friends at Irene Wortham Center are thinking of you during this time of uncertainty. If there's anything the IWC family can do to help you and your loved ones during this time, do not hesitate to reach out . Now more than ever our community must support one another so we can come out of this difficult time stronger than before. Our mission has always been to help individuals in disadvantaged situations live happier and healthy lives and, in the midst of this pandemic, our ability to support our community is crucial.
We have adjusted programs in response to COVID-19
The Adult Day Activity Center remains closed for the time being. We continue serving 24 Residential consumers in on-campus houses under strict "stay at home" guidelines and staff health and safety protocols. 5 consumers are receiving off-campus home-based care. Our Early Learning Center opened all 8 classrooms on April 2nd, with NCDHHS support, to children of parents working essential jobs during this time. We're incredibly grateful to our amazing staff who continue showing unwavering support and love for the consumers and children in our programs.
We are helping those who are helping others! Our Early Learning Center is open to children ages 0-12 whose parents are working essential jobs.
Our Finance Director is the best! She made masks for all of our staff and provided materials to make them for all of the kiddos in the ELC. We are still looking for PPE donations. If you can donate or know of resources, please reach out here .
Our staff are committed to the safety and well-being of our consumers and we cannot thank them enough for their hard work. A surprise pizza delivery as a token of our appreciation is a start.
PPE items, classroom resources are big needs
We are taking all necessary health and safety precautions to ensure our consumers and staff remain healthy. Donations of paper masks, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies are much needed in our homes and school. Our classrooms, which normally enroll children 0-5, are now caring for children 0-12. We need resources for the older children. You can see our teachers' Amazon wish list here . For any questions about in-kind donations, please contact Sydney, at sreichert@iwcnc.org or 828-274-6053. Thank you!
Golf Tournament is postponed to Fall 2020
The safety of our community is priority and, as much as we would like to stick to May 8th, it is not the responsible thing to do. The funds raised through this event are critical to our organization's work and we will do everything possible to host the tournament this year. The event is officially postponed and we will keep you informed as we work with Mount Mitchell Golf Club to reschedule for Fall 2020.
We are grateful to our community partners
The closure of our regular Early Learning Center and Adult Day programs puts a financial strain on our organization. The generosity of donors and partner funding agencies has enabled us to continue serving our community during this time. CFWNC contributed an emergency grant to support our ELC program. VAYA contributed funding to support our home-based services. We were approved for an SBA loan to help cover payroll and utilities for 8 weeks. This loan allows us to bring all staff back on payroll and portions of the loan may be forgiven. We cannot thank our community enough for the incredible support.
Any amount you are able to donate to our organization will help us continue providing much-needed resources to vulnerable populations and children of essential workers during this time.
We must continue working together as a community and supporting one another.
Matthew Henry
President & CEO
Irene Wortham Center