Dear Blue Sky Community,
Many of us are juggling family, work, mission, and personal health in a way that we could never have imagined, but here we find ourselves in the midst of an entirely different kind of daily life. Our thoughts are with all of you.
Pursuit of more equitable opportunities and transformation are central to Blue Sky’s work. This epidemic has further illuminated the need for both. We are proud that our community is uniting in a common goal of protecting our collective health and livelihood, especially of the most vulnerable.
We are humbled by Richmond Public Schools’ monumental effort to make sure that its students - our Blue Sky Fund students - and their families have food, essential supplies like toilet paper, and learning materials for homes without internet access or technology. The YMCA is offering vital childcare services to hospital employees under the strict guidelines set out by the Governor. Feedmore is continuing to get meals to seniors and others who are especially food-insecure right now. Our local hospitality industry has banded together to create an online giving campaign to support restaurant workers.
During this time, Blue Sky’s creative and compassionate staff is repurposing our expertise to develop online experiential science lessons for families to do with their children at home or any outside space available to them (while keeping a safe distance from others). These will be available soon via our Facebook and Instagram social media channels. Our Outdoor Leadership Institute staff is engaging our high school students online about how to participate in meaningful community service during this time.
Additionally, because our Explorers program and Outdoor Adventure Clubs abruptly halted when schools closed, Blue Sky has committed to compensating our part-time Explorers and OAC staff for three weeks. They are the heart and soul of Blue Sky Fund for our students and have generously self-organized to volunteer at food distribution stations with Richmond Public Schools.
We are grateful that today we can still go outside with a safe distance between us, as being in nature is essential for our physical and mental health; stay informed of how to get outside safely with these recommendations from the Leave No Trace Center. We look forward to a time when we can see you and our students again. Until then, all of us at Blue Sky Fund wish you and your loved ones well.
Sincerely,
Eleanor, Amanda, Colvin, Tanesha, Dustin, Brittany and Sarah Jane