Message From the CEO – September 2021

“We’re all in this together” still rings true more than 18 months later as we continue to battle COVID-19 and the ravaging effects on our communities. The people we care for have been very blessed to have you carrying the torch for our mission.

You’ve helped the mother who relapsed and wants desperately to recover and get her children back. You’ve helped the young boy who was removed from his home and now finds himself at our doorsteps and fearful about entering residential treatment. You’ve helped the children in our afterschool programming who get to dream and be kids when they’re safe on our playgrounds.

We need each one of you to stay the course with us through this difficult time. Youth residential programs across Kentucky continue to see increased costs in multiple areas, a burden that is placing them in crisis – and Bellewood & Brooklawn is no exception. Staffing needs go up while our cottages are quarantined, and we have a need for more frequent professional cleaning. Many of our youth cottages have been quarantined recently due to positive COVID-19 tests, so the kids must complete their classes online in their cottage with the support of our staff.

The workforce shortage has made an increase in pay necessary, and we are doing what we can to increase the pay for our current team members. Stated clearly, our youth residential program at Bellewood & Brooklawn is at a critical point with financial stress. As of right now, the state has offered no additional funding support to these types of programs, even though we’re still in the midst of an unwavering pandemic.

Could you make a gift online today? You can do so easily by clicking on the ‘Give Now’ button above. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us this year, and it’s because of the generosity of people like you that we can do what we do to help the weak and vulnerable in our community.