Our Crowdfunding Groups
We received this note from an MSW student. Shared with permission.
I just wanted to express my thanks for the PPE grant: thank you!! As a low income, out of state student, it's been a struggle meeting my basic needs this year, which extends to PPE supplies. Although it may not seem like much, $50 a pack for N95's is extremely expensive for me right now, and without the grant there is no way that I would have been able to purchase them last semester and this semester.
The grant has been such a welcome relief that has lifted a tremendous stress off of my shoulders. I am truly grateful. I feel safe and confident in being able to focus on my learning and carry out my responsibilities when I am meeting with participants in their homes and in the field.
I appreciate all of your support and assistance - thank you again!!
In community,Danielle ZelinskyMSW Candidate 2022
Director of Field Education Greg Merrill talks about MSW students' ongoing need for PPE as they train to be essential frontline workers.
Thanks to our community’s generosity, we were able to offer a $150 grant to all MSW students to support pandemic-related costs associated with pursuing field education this Fall. Although our partner agencies are required to provide the same quality and amount of protective equipment as they provide to their professional employees, the flexibility of a cash grant allowed students to choose the options best suited to their needs:
Not only has your generosity kept our students safer this fall, but it has given them added peace of mind and the reassurance that our community supports them as they train under challenging circumstances.
But with no end in sight to the pandemic, the need for PPE and other supplies is ongoing. We still need to do everything we can to protect our students’ safety and let them know that we have their backs. Your gift today will help us continue to offer these grants for Spring 2021.
Here’s second-year MSW student Shatesha Morris talking about what the grant has meant to her.
We are proud and grateful to report that dozens of generous donors have contributed over $30,000 to date. This will allow students to start the fall semester well-supplied with PPE.
We also know more about Fall internships. After extensive conversations with our MSW students and the agencies that they will complete their training with, we were able to accommodate all students who requested remote placement due to health concerns and/or caregiving responsibilities. We were impressed by the seriousness with which our students approached their responsibilities. They are not yet essential front-line workers, but they understand the need to prepare for those roles after graduation. Approximately 75% of these students will complete their 2020 - 2021 internships in a hybrid or in-person setting, and they will need high quality personal protective equipment. For the 25% of them in remote internships, many will need devices to protect private health information and expanded data plans to support their access. We are expanding our fundraising to ensure that the students in remote placements have the tools they need to work effectively.
While the COVID-19 crisis makes many things unpredictable, even if our students complete fewer hours in person this Fall, we know that the need for PPE will continue throughout this academic year and possibly beyond.
Your support so far is deeply appreciated, but the need is great. Please help us provide protective equipment for our students.
