eConnection
Community Newsletter | March 2020
An Update from Rainbow Days
To our valued Rainbow Days supporters,

As the COVID-19 health crisis continues to impact our community, never has Rainbow Days’ mission been more relevant and critical. During these challenging and unprecedented times, I would like to share with you how Rainbow Days is responding.

We remain nimble, flexible and creative in how we can continue to provide our services to those who need them most. We are adapting new methods of service delivery, increasing critical need services and creating new content so we can best meet the important needs of those we serve, including the following:

  • "Project Hope" Food Program – We are continuing our monthly delivery of fresh food, meals and staples to low-income families residing in area motels. We are also responding to the increased need in the community by working with the Dallas ISD Homeless Education Program to expand the program by identifying and serving more families in need. Learn more about this critical initiative below!

  • Virtual Lessons for Students in Community Connection, our School-Based Program – We are exploring ways to make virtual connections with our students so they continue to receive emotional and mental health support from our staff.

  • Tangible Lessons & Activities for Children in Family Connection, our Shelter-Based Program – We are in the process of designing care packages, which will include session reminders, tangible items and supplies, to deliver to children, parents and staff in the shelters to support their emotional and mental health during this time.

  • Training, Equipping Adults to Facilitate our Programs – We are in the process of shifting all of our in-person trainings to a virtual and interactive format.

  • Curricula Development & Innovation – We are being intentional with our time to focus our efforts on curricula updates, Spanish language translations and revisions, and new content creation to make us even more effective and impactful in our service delivery.

As we anticipate an increased need for our services and create new delivery systems, we would like to ask for your continued support . In addition to monetary donations, which can be made on our website and allow us flexibility to meet needs, we are seeking in-kind donations of cleaning supplies, school supplies and kid-friendly individually wrapped snacks to benefit the children and families we serve.

As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership with us in our mission.

Sincerely,
Tiffany Beaudine
Interim Executive Director
Program Spotlight:
"Project Hope" Food Program
“ Project Hope ” is an initiative of Rainbow Days' Family Connection program serving homeless children. Launched in 2017, Project Hope exists to meet the critical needs of children and families living in extended-stay motels across the community.

One key offering within Project Hope is the Food Program. On a monthly basis, Rainbow Days partners with Crossroads Community Services to deliver a month’s worth of fresh, nutritious food and groceries to families living at three area motels. Currently, 15 families — consisting of 46 children and 22 adults — are enrolled in the Food Program. For these working families, whose parents work full-time jobs but cannot make enough money to get by, the Project Hope food program is a critical and supportive service they can depend upon each month.
Due to indefinite school closures, children do not have easy access to the consistent meals they get during a regular school day. Additionally, some of the parents have expressed fear over losing their jobs during this outbreak; many are hourly workers within the food service industry.

With this in mind, Rainbow Days is working to increase the frequency of our food deliveries to our existing families. Additionally, we are working with the Dallas ISD Homeless Education Program to identify additional families in other motels who need this program.

If you would be interested in joining a small team of staff members and volunteers to help with an upcoming delivery, please contact Sunni Roaten for more information.
Thank You to Our Easter Donors!
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Rainbow Days' annual Easter Eggstravaganza family outing was canceled. The event, which was scheduled for March 28 at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, would have brought together an estimated 500 homeless children and family members from local shelters for a day of positive family bonding.

While the event has been canceled, we still want these kids to know that 'some-bunny' loves them! Thanks to the generosity of countless in-kind and financial donors, Rainbow Days will be bringing joy to these children and families in the form of Easter eggs and themed baskets filled with treats and necessities. We look forward to delivering these baskets and goodies directly to the shelters in April. If you would like to join a small team of staff and volunteers to help with these deliveries, please contact Sunni Roaten for more information.
Pot of Gold Luncheon =
Going VIRTUAL
Due to the health crisis and restrictions on events, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Pot of Gold Luncheon. This annual fundraising event was scheduled to be held in person on April 17 at the Omni Dallas Hotel. Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors , whose commitments and generosity are invaluable to Rainbow Days.

Later this spring, Rainbow Days will moving Pot of Gold to a virtual event format ! This meaningful online experience will feature honorary chair and keynote speaker Darren Woodson as well as an outstanding online silent auction . Please stay tuned for more details!
#ShareTheSunshine with
Rainbow Days' Sunshine and Cloud
Rainbow Days' " Sunshine and Cloud " is an activity from our support group curricula that our staff uses at the beginning of our groups. It is also a great way to check in with your own children , especially given the uncertainty, stress and anxiety they may be facing.

In Rainbow Days, a "Sunshine" is something that makes you feel happy, and a "Cloud" is something that makes you feel sad or angry. We begin each and every support group with this activity, which is also a great tool to adapt and do each day in your own home.

We would love to #ShareTheSunshine with you by offering this free resource to use with your own family :
Rainbow Days 101:
Marissa's Story
Hear from Tiffany Beaudine, our interim executive director, about the long-term impact of Rainbow Days' services in the lives of children and youth. In this video clip, Tiffany shares the success story of Marissa, a former program participant who later became a Rainbow Days employee !
Ways to Help:
Support Rainbow Days While Shopping!
Did you know that your everyday purchases in grocery stores and online can support Rainbow Days ? When you participate in Kroger Community Rewards , Tom Thumb Good Neighbor Program or AmazonSmile , a percentage of your purchase will be donated back to Rainbow Days! Here's how:

  • Kroger Community Rewards: Visit Kroger's website to enroll and link your Kroger Plus Card. Make sure you enter Rainbow Days' organization code — KE516 — when enrolling.

  • Tom Thumb Good Neighbor Program: Print and fill out the program application form linked on Tom Thumb's website and return it to customer service at your local store. Rainbow Days' charity number is 1503.

  • AmazonSmile: When you do your Amazon shopping through smile.amazon.com, a portion of your purchases will support Rainbow Days! Sign in to your Amazon account and select Rainbow Days as your charitable organization of choice to get started.

With these simple steps, your everyday purchases will add up and make a huge difference for Rainbow Days and the children we serve. Just be sure you continue practicing social distancing and good hygiene while shopping in store during this time!
Let's Keep in Touch
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