Growth in 2022!
Has anyone else had a moment out in public recently, where you’re thinking to yourself, “Wow there’s more people here than I remember?” As our team traveled to Atlanta in late April we heard about the increase in population there and we definitely have seen it in our program as well! Pause is in a season of extreme hypergrowth and we are welcoming record numbers of new families to the Pause family!
Since January first, we have increased Pause families by 45%, adding 61 new families (making up 152 kids). This means that 61 more families are accessing resources and opportunities for connection AND 152 more kids get to have fun at Pause and make new friends! To keep up with our family growth, our volunteers had to grow as well! Since January first, we have increased Pause volunteers by 139%, adding 231 new volunteers to our program! We expect these numbers to continue to rise as we currently have 64 families in our enrollment process totaling over 130 kids!
We also know that this season of hypergrowth can cause stress on other parts of the program. To alleviate some of these growing pains Pause (and thanks to the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund) will begin to expand programming into other counties (lookout Warren and Clermont counties!) and add more options for highly attended events like Respite On Demand and Parent’s Day & Night Out. We also will be adding a low attendance hour for our on-site Family Fun events for children with complex needs who need small crowds for medical or sensory reasons. AND…<drum roll please>... to make all of that happen we will be adding more staff to our team to make expansion possible! Look for our job postings soon!
How can I help? Glad you asked!
Donate your time! When serving as many 882 caregivers and kiddos enrolled in Pause, we need volunteers like you! Looking to make an impact over time? Ask Sara about becoming an Impact Partner! PS: serving with your friends, family, or organizations is way more fun! This summer, we have opportunities for you to “serve x 3 and get a tee” in our Unlimited program on Sunday.
Donate your talent! Are you a handyman? Do you have a passion for painting or art? Want to be featured as a Special Guest with your talent at an upcoming event? Do you have a knack for baking? The opportunities are endless! All it takes is a passion and a purpose.
Donate your resources! Pause is always on the hunt for office supplies like printer paper, lamination sheets and peel and stick nametags. Looking to donate to an upcoming event? Reach out to us and see what’s on our wish list. Have some extra gift cards laying around? We love to bless families with gift cards to Kroger, Walmart and local restaurants! Looking for another way to give? Let us know!
No matter how you give your time, talent or resources, your gift matters. The generosity of our CAN DO network makes it possible to grow our program by 68% in just 5 months. 68%. These are record numbers! And friends, this is just the beginning!
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
