Ada Jenkins Center Leadership Expresses Gratitude

Friends,

Your support of the Ada Jenkins Center inspires us, and is vital in our mission to help people create solutions for economic stability. Especially now, as the world struggles with the effects and uncertainty of COVID-19, you can help us assist even more of our neighbors whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.

Last year, thanks to generous community support, 901 neighbors received assistance through 11,330 visits to the Ada Jenkins Center. 199 uninsured patients were served at our Free Medical Clinic; 156 patients were treated at our local Dental Clinic; and 58 students received academic enrichment in our LEARN Works program.

This year, we began a LEARN Works ‘pandemic pod’ Day Program, where Classroom Coordinators help students with their virtual learning so their parents can go to work. Since March, our food pantry has served more than 1,500 people, and 275 families have come to us seeking emergency economic assistance for basic needs such as mortgage, rent, and utilities –nearly 10 times the amount of assistance we typically distribute over a seven-month time frame.

That’s why we hope you will support our work today.

Your inspiration will help people like our neighbor, Zaneta. She first visited the Ada Jenkins Center in 2018, shortly after she moved to the area. She had found a job, and safe and secure housing, and was looking for access to additional community resources. Her son Nathan had excelled at school before they moved, but due to the change and resulting lack of family support, he seemed to lose faith in his ability to succeed. Working with Mary S., one of our case managers, Zaneta was able to enroll Nathan in our LEARN Works afterschool academic program; in just a few months, our teachers helped him regain his confidence – as well as his good test scores!  Mary also helped Zaneta find links to online information about entrepreneurship, and now Zaneta is on her way toward launching her own business, Above & Beyond Senior Care Services, leading a team of compassionate caregivers.

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zaneta says, being able to rely on the Ada Jenkins Center has been crucial. When the school year turned remote, she had to transition from a full-time to part-time work schedule to reduce the time that Nathan was home alone during the virtual school day. Financial assistance from the Ada Jenkins Center was the lifeline that enabled her to work part-time without fear that she wouldn’t be able to pay her bills.

“It can be tough for me to accept help when I need it,” Zaneta says. “I don’t like feeling indebted to others, and I believe you should work hard to provide for your household yourself. However, in this unprecedented time, without the support of the Ada Jenkins Center, my son and I would be in a very vulnerable position, so for that I’m grateful.”

With community support, the Ada Jenkins Center has helped Zaneta and Nathan overcome many barriers in two short years.

If making a donation will not create a financial burden for you given these difficult times, please help us serve even more families with a gift that’s comfortable for you. Please send your donation along with the remittance slip enclosed or give online: www.adajenkins.org/?form=Donate

Thanks to good friends like you, we will continue serving even more families like Zaneta’s this year, helping them create lasting solutions for economic stability.

With gratitude,