Hey Beautiful People!
The last few months have been beautiful and exhausting for Urban Triage and our staff. We've been so busy--from events to an audit--which has been traumatic--I'm laughing out loud, and this audit has been intense. It's our first federal-level audit, and I found out so much---whoah...my bad, I digress.
We've hosted multiple events and launched two new initiatives. Our Thoreau student and parent Healthy Black Families workgroup and our Homeless Youth Transitional Housing facility--which we haven't officially announced--and yet here I am.
We've supported community members from police raids to family deaths and the loss of newborn babies--to incarceration and domestic violence--to school advocacy and housing multiple families. Our work is in our name: we are Urban Triage--the place people come to when they're sick, lost, hysterical, uncertain, and in need of any and everything.
The work we do, on the level we do, is a miracle. We could NOT do what we do without the heart work of our staff. Their commitment to the work is extraordinary. They show up every day, and they show out--every day. And, of course, as the Founder and CEO of Urban Triage, I will accept nothing less than Black excellence. It's more than an expectation--it's a way of Being.
Last week we celebrated the premiere of Black Panther. And I kept thinking, look at all these beautiful Black people--coming as they are in celebration of their greatness. Black Panther created and imagined an African community that colonization has not touched. It explores "what liberation looks like in the hands of Black people." We celebrated the possibility of "Black as we are," and it was a wonderful experience. Check out the photos below.
We've hired a Chief of Operations, a Chief of Development (we'll announce her next month), a Bilingual Navigation Specialist, and a New Office Manager--because our previous one has accepted my ask for her to be my new Executive Assistant. My Executive Assistant will become our Youth Engagement Specialist. As said, there's been a lot happening. Good things. Exciting things. Exhausting things.
The fact is...we need you to continue the work. We need you to donate.
Why do we need your financial support?
Dane CORE 2.0 will end in a few months, and our other restricted funding is ending in May 2023. Some donors stopped donating, I'm sure, for personal reasons, and some people don't think we need it. Some folks believe we're "not in the middle of a crisis." I get it. And, we've been so busy working and recruiting to increase our capacity that we didn't do what we needed to do: donor cultivation—calling people and following up when they stop donating—hosting events that target donors and engage them. It's cost us big time.
As we practice doing more for our donors and onboarding our Chief of Development, whose job is to coordinate our efforts, my ask of you is if you believe in our work, if you know what we're up against as a Black lead organization--if we've ever touched your life, showed up for you in any way--if we've hired you, done business with you, educated you, etc.--become a recurring donor. Give what you can monthly. If it's $5, give it. It matters. Support us as we continue to fill the gaps in services. Support us as we embark on an initiative that can and will change the trajectory of vulnerable youth in Dane County.
Join us by supporting the sustainability of an organization that doesn't just talk about it; we are about it. Donate below and check out our updates.
Sincerely,