It has been almost surreal to watch the Coronavirus cause unprecedented disruption and uncertainty for our communities, our nation, and much of our world.
In working with justice-involved youth, we are working with the most vulnerable kids in our culture; youth who eagerly await our people to show up. Now, we are faced with the challenge of trying to relationally impact these youth at
one of the most perilous times in their young lives.
Yet even in the midst of this crisis, there is an unprecedented opportunity to bring hope. And One Heart is in the business of hope - bringing hope to the youth we serve, and inspiring hope in those we serve alongside.
We believe now is the perfect time to use our collective voice and give hope and compassion to these youth at a time when they need it most.These youth may one day grow beyond the skills and tools we provide them, but they will never outgrow the messages we leave with them.
With juvenile facilities being on lockdown, the hundreds of youth we serve will have no one from the outside world having in-person, life-on-life contact with them, including our mentors and facilitators. This means the feelings of being alone and
separated from meaningful relationships can be intensified, which leads to an increasing sense of hopelessness and despair. Hopelessness doesn’t stop, even when the world does.We can’t let that happen.
The One Heartteam is determined that nothing should stop us from reaching these youth. Therefore, we are
working with the leadership of the facilities we partner with on ways to continue our regular connection with these youth through technology, allowing for real-time, live group mentoring via distance-learning, and live, virtual, face-to-face mentoring from separate locations. We are adapting to the circumstances so that we can continue to touch the lives of the youth we serve without placing them or our team members at risk.
We are also initiating what we are callingOne Heart Notes. In a new take on the old school pen pal concept, One Heart mentors and volunteers will be able to bless our youth with regular notes of encouragement. We would like for you to participate in this opportunity. It is as simple as penning or typing a quick note to encourage a youth and mailing it to the address we provide you. All return mail will come to us, rather than you, and we will forward on to you, in order to keep your personal information secure. Please join us in this most crucial time and be part of bringing hope to these youth.
With the technology needed to carry out our plan to continue to reach kids during this lockdown, we will incur additional expenses. Any investment you can make into this need would be so appreciated.
More than ever your support, engagement and prayer are needed for the youth we serve and for our team. We are grateful for you and for all you are doing to make a difference for these kids. Please be safe and stay healthy.
With One Heart,
Steve Riach CEO
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