When life gives you lemons...

September 25, 2020

Dear friend,

If 2020 had a mantra at Saranam, it would be "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

This ability to adapt- to be resilient- in the face of challenges is something that has long been shown to be a key ingredient of success.

Throughout this tough season our families have shown extraordinary examples of their capacity to learn, adapt and stay motivated. Here are just a few:

One mother learned to trust in her community when her son broke his arm and required surgery. She relied on friends and neighbors in a way she never had before so she could be there for her son in the hospital.

A second year mom has found that online classes give her more time during the day. She uses the extra time for self-care and works out at the gym with other moms. She has also taken advantage of her more flexible schedule by offering to teach first year families how to navigate the bus systems, study schedules, and chores.

A second-year mother started an online Master's in Counseling program. Her experience with homelessness and COVID have inspired her to invest in a career that allows her to be a resource for others in need.

Building resilience requires time, support and attention. To help, we provide families with an intensive series of classes to help build the skills and confidence that they need.

In fact, this education is at the top of our priority list as we enter the fall. In total, these families will receive:

All of the families that walk through our doors have experienced unthinkable struggles. But now, they have the ability to make some lemonade to share.

Being a Good Neighbor Means More Than Ever Before

We have exciting news!!!

We have been chosen as a finalist for the State Farm Neighborhood Assist® grant! We were chosen from 2,000 nationwide causes and are the ONLY non-profit selected to the final round of deliberations from New Mexico.

The final decision is now in your hands. Your vote will determine whether we are chosen for this grant. We are among 200 finalists and the top 40 organizations with the highest number of votes each win $25,000 dollars. We have a 1 in 5 chance of winning with your help!

Every day between September 23 and October 2 VOTE for the nonprofit that makes a difference in your community. Here's how:

Voting is open between 12:00am Sept. 23 and 11:59 October 2.
Each person can vote 10 times PER DAY-you get 100 votes for your community!

There is an option to designate all 10 of your votes to Saranam in a single click.

Voters must be 18 and older with a valid email address.
You only need to enter your information once and it will be saved for subsequent votes

Please vote and vote often! It's not often that 25 seconds of your time could result in $25,000 but this is that chance. Thank you for helping us change lives!

Coming soon...

Sean Hopkins Memorial Dinner

We talk with our families a lot about building resilience so that when the going gets tough, they can still achieve their goals.

As COVID19 continues to affect our fall plans we are taking a page out of our own book!

Our Annual Sean Hopkins Memorial Dinner is one of our favorite events of the year. This year we cannot meet in person, but we still want to take a moment to pause and reflect about Sean's impact and hear incredible stories of determination from our families.

Check in with social media and our blog this fall, as we will be sharing new stories and reflecting on how Sean's legacy continues to connect families to each other.

We also hope you will consider making a gift in honor of the heart and care that Sean showed every day, and that continues to bring us together as a community.

Prosperity Kids

For months we have helped alumni set up savings accounts for themselves to save for big investments like a car, college or even a house.

Read about this partnership in our latest blog

Now, we're laying the groundwork to extend this program to our alumni's children through Prosperity Kids.

This program will allow families to create a college savings accounts managed by Prosperity Works for their children, with matched savings for education investments from Saranam, up to $200 per year.

We're so excited to extend this new endeavor so it is as 2-gen as rest of our program. We know we can build the generational success that will end homelessness for good.

Volunteer Spotlight

Keeping Us Running At The Speed of Need

This year would have been much harder without the work of our volunteer extraordinaire, Dave Campbell. For 9 years, Dave has managed all of Saranam's IT functions, building and administering our entire system and network. He even created an internal shopping network from scratch for families' monthly supplies!

The impact of a knowledgeable, creative IT person cannot be underestimated. Through all his work, he has made providing for families much easier, secure and more precise.

As our world has turned increasingly digital, his impact has been felt even more keenly. It was because of his hard work that we were able to make the transition to online learning so seamlessly and continue to meaningfully share special events like our open house with our community.

The countless hours he has given to Saranam have been a gift of heart. Dave is retired from Sandia Labs, but we have kept him more than busy with our IT needs. We're so grateful to have Dave behind our scenes, making sure all of our work is running at the speed our families need us to.

Thank you, Dave!