I want to start by acknowledging the heroic efforts being made 24/7 by our MAB Adult Disability Services staff. We are in the thick of it. Across the country, group homes, nursing homes, and rehab facilities are dealing with positive cases amongst staff and residents, we are as well, and we continue to take every life-saving precaution. We will get through this and so appreciate the efforts of community members who have donated masks, face shields, or made monetary donations, including Masks for Heroes and Our Lady of La Vang for delivering 100 masks yesterday!
Your support of the
Emergency Response Fund
is helping to provide the critically needed funds for the added costs of keeping our residences safe. Here are some details:
- We are providing services to 200 individuals including 100 residential participants
- 80 participants are in 20 group homes
- 20 participants live on their own
Each house needs: hundreds of gowns, N95 masks and face shields in addition to hand sanitizer, additional cleaning supplies, thermometers, and blood oxygen monitors which are used to test each participant every 2 hours. Your support today of the
Emergency Response Fund
can immediately help cover the costs for these items.
Your support also provides the resources during this emergency for the
Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired
(MABVI) which has completely retooled their model for providing services. The stories from the field say we are making the right moves. It starts with a simple check-in call that signals to our blind and visually impaired consumers that we are thinking of them and leans in from there.
With close coordination with state and local organizations, we developed safety guidelines for our volunteers to do grocery shopping. I’m happy to say that we were able to fill all the requests we received last week. During this National Volunteer Appreciation Week, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to our stellar volunteer management team and to the amazing volunteers who continue to make all the difference.
Finally, I want to thank everyone at
Ivy Street School
including the teachers who took on the difficult task of quickly adapting to distant learning, for our Occupational Therapists who now do their work virtually, and to everyone working at the school to ensure our residential students are cared for and maintain their school work.
Again I'm proud of everyone in each of MAB’s divisions who have transitioned their flow of work during this unprecedented time with the professionalism and dedication that make our MAB Community so special.
Thank you and stay safe!
