"THE QUEStiON ISN'T JUST ‘HOW BAD CAN IT GET?' 
IT IS 'WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WILL WE BE IN THIS MOMENT?'" 
—PREEMPTIVE LOVE COALITION

As COVID-19 has now fully disrupted daily life here in Charlotte and around the world, our UrbanPromise staff has committed to think creatively and dynamically about how to continue to support our students, StreetLeaders, and their families during this time of deep uncertainty and unrest.

Just like everyone, we are tempted to give in to the fearful question of "how bad can it get?”. But we also understand that when fear guides our thoughts and actions, we are tempted to... 

withdraw from the world
hoard resources for ourselves, 
and protect ourselves at all costs.

At UrbanPromise we are committed to being servant leaders. And servant leaders protect the most vulnerable. 

In response to the COVID-19 disruption, UrbanPromise opened a Family Stability Fund on Saturday, March 14th, specifically to support our students and families with their felt needs during this uncertain time. 

Initially we set a goal to provide a $10 Walmart card to EVERY FAMILY who has students or StreetLeaders in our UrbanPromise program. That’s 350 families — $3,500 worth of gift cards. When we reached our goal to provide $10 gift cards WITHIN ONE HOUR, we increased the goal to $20 gift cards for every family. Several hours later we bumped it up again. 

IN THE SPAN OF 24 HOURS, YOU ALL DONATED $22,750 — ENOUGH MONEY TO ALLOW US TO PURCHASE A $65 GIFT CARD FOR EVERY ONE OF THE 350 FAMILIES WE SERVE! 

For the sake of getting needed resources into the hands of families, we decided to go ahead and purchase those gift cards instead of continuing to drive up the amount.

We then increased the threshold on the fund by $8,415 to seek support for a different goal: paying our StreetLeaders their anticipated salaries for the remainder of the school year to promote stability within their families during this troublesome time.

BY TUESDAY, MARCH 17, YOU ALL DONATED $31,165 — ENOUGH TO HELP US MAKE SURE OUR STREETLEADERS HAVE DEPENDABLE PAY THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

To say we are floored at the response of this community over the last several days is a huge understatement. We cannot possibly explain the movement of hope, joy, and encouragement you all have created in the face of a truly unprecedented crisis.

FROM HERE ON OUT, WE PLAN TO USE DONATIONS FROM THE FAMILY STABILITY FUND IN TWO WAYS:

1) TO CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO URGENT NEEDS RELATED TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS AS THEY ARISE.
2) TO MAINTAIN STRONG PROGRAMMING DURING THIS SEASON AND IN THE UNCERTAIN SEASON AHEAD.

We believe that the need for UrbanPromise to be a safe, reliable space for students is only going to become more accentuated in the weeks and months ahead, so we want to be as prepared as possible to do what we do best: REACH A CHILD. RAISE A LEADER. RESTORE COMMUNITY. 

THANK YOU to each and every person who has joined us in seeking an inspiring answer to the question ‘WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WILL WE BE IN THIS MOMENT?’. We are truly blown away by your response!

TUESDAY, APRIL 22ND

—

Dear UrbanPromise Charlotte Family, 

WEEK SIX.

Back in March, our staff and StreetLeaders began furiously prepping to launch UrbanPromise Charlotte's first "Virtual AfterSchool" experience.

At that time, we knew that not even a pandemic would keep us from giving our absolute best efforts for our students! What we didn't know for sure was whether or not a "Virtual AfterSchool" program would truly catch on...

Can things like hope, joy, courage, and kindness really continue to spread more readily than fear and despair during such a difficult time?

Well, we're six weeks into "Virtual AfterSchool", and we think you'll really enjoy seeing what the experience has been like for our students and StreetLeaders... prepare to smile and make sure you watch until the very end! 

We're so humbled by what they have been able to spread — just by continuing to SHOW UP and BRING THEIR BEST SELVES!

Now our StreetLeaders and students are inviting YOU to ask yourself the same question: What do I want to spread during this time? If you're inspired, send us a quick clip and we'll add it to our social media channels — we know how these things can be contagious!

THANK YOU for your commitment to our UrbanPromise students and StreetLeaders. It's hard to put into words the movement of joy and love you're powering in our community, but we hope this video gives you a glimpse! It may sound cliche, but there's no harm in reiterating the truth: we're all in this together!

With Gratitude,

Jimmy, Ashley, and the UP Staff

PS - We are SO grateful to Silent Images for reaching out to offer their incredible storytelling skills to help us share our COVID-19 story! They've been using their passions and talents to help several non-profits SPREAD awareness during this time. THANK YOU, Silent Images, for everything you do (so beautifully!) to support UP and the greater Charlotte community!

—

FAMILY STABILITY FUND UPDATE

THANK YOU so much to everyone who contributed towards our COVID-19 FAMILY STABILITY FUND! We continue to be inspired by the generous, compassionate way this community has rallied around our UP families during such a difficult and uncertain time. We know the effects of this virus are disproportionately felt in the communities that UP serves, so we thank you for allowing us to respond quickly and effectively to urgent needs. 

As of this email, we have utilized $28,294 of the $31,165 goal of the Fund. Here's what you've allowed us to do so far:

• YOU ALLOWED US TO give EVERY family we serve a $65 Walmart gift card at the beginning of the month to assist with tangible, immediate needs. 

• YOU ALLOWED US TO guarantee pay without disruption for ALL 100 of our high school StreetLeaders through the end of the school year as they continue to creatively serve and lead younger students. 

• YOU ALLOWED US TO assist eight UP families with making their rent payments this month and one family with purchasing life-saving medication for a student. 

We will use the remaining funds to continue to stand in the gap for our resilient, hard-working families. With our whole hearts: THANK YOU.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26TH

__

Dear UrbanPromise Charlotte Family, 

“...contagion is real, but it doesn’t just work for viruses.”
— Taffy Brodesser-Adkin, NY Times

One of the scariest things about COVID-19 is how contagious it is. But personally, I’ve experienced another dangerous contagion these past few weeks:

FEAR.

When I dwell for too long on everything that could go wrong in the world or at UrbanPromise, fear spreads in my heart like wildfire. And if I’m not careful, I can spread that fear to the people with whom I interact. 

Luckily, the beautiful truth I’ve seen demonstrated by our UrbanPromise community these past 10 days is that...

LOVE, 
HOPE,
KINDNESS, and
COURAGE

...are more contagious than fear. 

Less than two weeks ago, YOU (our community of donors and supporters) chose generosity and hope over fear. You gave generously to provide stability to our UP families during this season of uncertainty. 

AND YOUR GENEROSITY WAS CONTAGIOUS!

Inspired by YOUR generosity, our UrbanPromise staff and StreetLeaders have responded with extraordinary creativity and determination during this season. We are supporting our students, StreetLeaders, and families in remarkable ways. Here are a few of my favorites:

• We established a vision for this season. Our staff committed to leading in a way that StreetLeaders would feel (1) valued by staff, (2) supported in their academic and college growth, and (3) empowered to continue making a difference for our campers.

• We began serving and delivering food to our families. All three UP Sites became feeding sites starting last Monday. UP staff members are delivering food to families who cannot pick up in person.

• We started “Virtual UrbanPromise.” Each day from 1:30-4:30 PM, our StreetLeaders and staff from each site meet via Zoom. Our staff members support StreetLeaders in their academic, college, and spiritual growth. StreetLeaders invest in our younger students.

• Our StreetLeaders continue to mentor and tutor our younger students.Our Site Directors reached out to the parents of our younger students and asked them if they wanted StreetLeaders to tutor/mentor their children virtually while school is closed. Most said “yes!” Each of our StreetLeaders is tutoring 2-3 students over the phone or FaceTime, and they report back to UP staff about each of their sessions.

• Our StreetLeaders have created “Virtual AfterSchool” resources for our younger students. For example, our South Blvd team is posting a six-minute version of “Camp Joy” every day. Check out this example! Our sites have new Instagram pages where StreetLeaders share tips, songs, and tutorials for our younger students (check out Camp Freedom’s page here and Camp Joy’s page here if you want to follow along).

• Our reading teachers continue to support our campers. Our part-time reading teachers (most of whom are full-time CMS teachers at our partner schools) are reaching out to our younger students and helping them continue to grow in their reading, particularly by continuing with their i-Ready lessons.

• We delivered the Walmart gift cards! Families have been incredibly appreciative of this tangible show of support.

During the next few months, we will all have many reasons to fear. Within our UP community, we’ve already heard from many of our students’ parents that they have lost their jobs or had their hours significantly reduced. Our students are out of school until at least May 15th and are missing out on months of important learning at school.

We believe our students, StreetLeaders, and families will need the stability and support of the UrbanPromise community more than ever. 

Please continue to stand with us. Your generosity, encouragement, and love are contagious. They keep us going.

With Gratitude,

Jimmy McQuilkin

TUESDAY, MARCH 17th

—

Dear UrbanPromise Charlotte Family, 

“URBANPROMISE ALWAYS HAS OUR BACK.”

These are the words one parent at our South Boulevard Site responded with over the weekend after learning about UP’s intention to provide Walmart gift cards to all of our families as a measure of additional support during these uncertain times.

When she says "UrbanPromise", she's thinking about the StreetLeaders and staff members who have invested in her three children, day after day, over the last SIX years they’ve attended our AfterSchool and Summer Camp Programs. 

But she also means YOU — the community of generous supporters who makes ALL of what we do possible!

To say we are floored at the response of this community over the last several days is a huge understatement. We cannot possibly explain the movement of hope, joy, and encouragement you all have created in the face of a truly unprecedented crisis. We've heard it said that justice is “just us” — we belong to each other. THANK YOU for embodying that idea in the purest, most beautiful form over the last several days!

IT IS WITH INCREDIBLE GRATITUDE AND JOY THAT WE SHARE THAT, TOGETHER, WE HAVE OFFICIALLY REACHED BOTH OF OUR COVID-19 FAMILY STABILITY GOALS!

WE HAVE $65 WAL-MART GIFT CARDS ON THE WAY TO EACH OF OUR URBANPROMISE FAMILIES, AND YOU MADE SURE THAT OUR STREETLEADERS CAN DEPEND ON RECEIVING A PAYCHECK EVERY WEEK THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.

So, what’s next? (If you know, PLEASE GIVE US A CALL!)

We’d like to take a moment share with you how we’re planning to approach the weeks ahead as an UrbanPromise community and present you with opportunities to join arms with us where you can!

First, we are going to leave our COVID-19 Family Stability Fund open for the time being, but without introducing any additional concrete goals at this time. 

Our desire in that decision is to hold space and resource for the unknown of the coming weeks, while also recognizing that our UrbanPromise Programming contributes directly to ongoing family stability by providing a safe, supportive community for our students. 

We believe that the need for UrbanPromise to be a reliable space for students is only going to become more accentuated in the weeks and months ahead, so we want to be as prepared as possible to do what we do best: REACH A CHILD. RAISE A LEADER. RESTORE COMMUNITY. 

EVERY DONATION RECEIVED ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR TWO GOALS UP TO THIS POINT HAS BEEN SET ASIDE FOR SPECIFIC USE TOWARDS WHATEVER URGENT NEEDS ARISE FOR OUR FAMILIES DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS.

FROM HERE ON OUT, WE PLAN TO USE DONATIONS FROM THE FAMILY STABILITY FUND IN TWO WAYS:

1) TO CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO URGENT NEEDS.
2) TO MAINTAIN STRONG PROGRAMMING DURING THIS SEASON AND IN THE UNCERTAIN SEASON AHEAD.

Additionally, we invite you to stay tuned to our social media channels over the next few weeks!

The move to “Virtual AfterSchool” certainly has its challenges… but it brings opportunities, too! We’ll be sharing glimpses on our social platforms into how our StreetLeaders and students are staying connecting and supporting one another from afar, while also offering some broader “programming” that you’re invited to participate in as well!

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM TO STAY CONNECTED TO WHAT YOU’RE MAKING POSSIBLE FOR OUR STUDENTS!

As we reflect back to the quote we shared at the beginning of this letter, we can only think of one thing to say:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING OUR BACK in such a chaotic, turbulent time. The stability of your support and encouragement is what holds UrbanPromise together. 

With Gratitude,

Jimmy McQuilkin, Ashley Sullivan, and the Entire UP Staff

sunday, march 15th

—

WOW.

There is no way to adequately express just how blown away we are by your response to the email we sent yesterday. When we invited you to support our UP families during this uncertain time, we believed you would show up… we just didn’t anticipate how quickly and generously!

If you were following along yesterday, we reached our goal to provide $10 gift cards to every family we serve WITHIN ONE HOUR. We then increased the goal to $20 gift cards for every family, and several hours later we bumped it up again. 

IN THE SPAN OF 24 HOURS, YOU ALL HAVE DONATED ENOUGH MONEY TO ALLOW US TO PURCHASE $50 GIFT CARDS FOR EVERY SINGLE FAMILY WE SERVE — ALL 350 FAMILIES. 

WE ARE IN AWE.

You are literally filling in the gaps for these amazing, hard-working families who are strong and resilient AND who are also often just one minor expense away from crisis.

In the time since we communicated yesterday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg has officially cancelled school for the next two weeks per a mandate from the state. Consequently, our AfterSchool Programs will also be put on hold for as long as school is out.

It has always been our intention that UrbanPromise would be a stable, consistent, reliable presence in the lives of our students and StreetLeaders, and that guiding principal remains true today, perhaps more than ever. We are thinking creatively about ways our StreetLeaders might still be able to lead and support our younger students in safe, appropriate ways in the weeks ahead (perhaps delivering meals to students, conducting online tutoring, or leading Facebook Live versions of AfterSchool Programming). 

BUT REGARDLESS OF HOW THE SCHOOL YEAR AND OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS UNFOLD, WE HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO CONTINUE TO PAY OUR STREETLEADERS THEIR TYPICAL SALARIES OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS... AND WITHOUT INTERRUPTION THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

ALL OF OUR STREETLEADERS COME FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND USE AT LEAST PART, IF NOT ALL, OF THEIR SALARIES TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THEIR FAMILIES' BASIC NEEDS. AS SUCH, WE VIEW THIS DECISION AS AN ADDITIONAL MEASURE TO HELP PROMOTE FAMILY STABILITY DURING THIS TROUBLESOME TIME. 

THAT SAID, WE HAVE INCREASED THE THRESHOLD OF OUR COVID-19 FAMILY STABILITY FUND ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME BY AN ADDITIONAL $8,415 TO COVER THE COSTS OF ONE FULL ADDITIONAL WEEK OF STREETLEADER PAY. WE DID NOT ORIGINALLY BUDGET TO PAY STREETLEADERS DURING THE WEEK OF SPRING BREAK, BUT WE FEEL THIS IS NECESSARY NOW. 

As we stated yesterday, any additional funds we receive beyond what we are proactively allocating will go directly towards whatever urgent family needs arise in the coming weeks. We believe that we are still in the early stages of this journey and know that, like all of us, the families we serve are only beginning to feel the effects of this disruption.

There is really no other way to say this, so we’ll just say it again: THANK YOU.

THANK YOU for being a community who, with your generous, ongoing support, has allowed us to spend years building deep roots of trust with the students and families we serve. That trust is the foundation of our ability to show up when things get challenging.

THANK YOU for being a community who jumps to action when situations arise that none of us could have anticipated.

And THANK YOU for advocating for our students and families within your own networks during this time of additional need!

If you have any questions at all today, tomorrow, or in the weeks ahead, please do not hesitate to reach out. We could not do this without you!

With Gratitude,

Jimmy McQuilkin | Executive Director

saturday, march 14th

—

"THE QUEStiON ISN'T JUST ‘HOW BAD CAN IT GET?' 
IT IS 'WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WILL WE BE IN THIS MOMENT?'" 
—PREEMPTIVE LOVE COALITION

As COVID-19 has now fully disrupted daily life here in Charlotte and around the world, our UrbanPromise staff has committed to think creatively and dynamically about how to continue to support our students, StreetLeaders, and their families during this time of deep uncertainty and unrest.

Just like everyone, we are tempted to give in to the fearful question of "how bad can it get?”. But we also understand that when fear guides our thoughts and actions, we are tempted to... 

withdraw from the world
hoard resources for ourselves, 
and protect ourselves at all costs.

At UrbanPromise we are committed to being servant leaders. And servant leaders protect the most vulnerable. 

Our students are now facing unexpected, prolonged time away from school and our AfterSchool Programs. And whether school is held or not, whether we are able to hold UrbanPromise programming or not, our campers’ and StreetLeaders’ needs for food, community, education, and/or a paycheck remain. 

As one leader wrote last week, “economic, social, and political equality affect everything — including who is more likely to get the coronavirus, how are they treated, their chances for recovery, their job security, etc. Those who are in poverty, those suffering from illness, immigrants, and/or refugees are the most likely to be severely impacted.”

These are the students and families who UrbanPromise serves. 

As such, we’re calling on our greater UrbanPromise community to join us in focusing in on the question: 'what kind of people will we be in this moment?' 

Many of our UrbanPromise families make ends meet as hourly wage workers whose lives will be severely impacted by the ripple effects of COVID-19. Others may still be able to earn an income but now face impossible decisions because of the cancellation of school and our UrbanPromise AfterSchool Programs. 

Income insecurity leads to food insecurity and concerns over other basic needs. We cannot allow the basic needs of our UrbanPromise families to go ignored.

In response to the COVID-19 disruption, we have opened a donation form specifically to support our UrbanPromise students and families with their felt needs during this time.

Every dollar donated to this form will go directly towards supporting our students and their Families in urgent, tangible ways. 

As a starting point, before the last day of school on wednesday, march 18th, we are aiming to provide a $10 walmart card to every family who has students or StreetLeaders in our UrbanPromise program.

That’s 350 families — $3,500 worth of walmart gift cards. 

***WE ARE ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY! DUE TO AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE WE HAVE INCREASED OUR GOAL TWICE, NOW TO $17,500 TO PROVIDE EACH FAMILY WITH A $50 GIFT CARD! THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY!***

Because this is a developing situation and the needs of the families in our community are yet to fully emerge, we are asking you to trust that we will use any resources beyond the initial $7,000 to support the most urgent needs that come to our attention in the weeks ahead. We expect this to be a marathon, not a sprint. We promise to provide additional information and updates along the way and a full report on the use of all donated funds in the months to come.

So, what kind of people will we be in this moment? 

Our experience at UrbanPromise Charlotte has always been that we are a broad community of compassionate, generous servant leaders. We wouldn’t trust you with this urgent request if we didn’t believe the same was still true today, even amidst the precariousness of the moment.

Thank you so much for your ongoing care and concern for our students, StreetLeaders, and their families. We could not support them in stable times, or in times of uncertainty, without you.

With Gratitude,

Jimmy McQuilkin | Executive Director

UrbanPromise Charlotte will continue to follow Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as our guide for operating our AfterSchool Programs. When school is cancelled, our AfterSchool Programming is cancelled as well.

New to UrbanPromise Charlotte? We invite you to learn more about who we are here and take a look at our financial stewardship history and commitment here. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions: jimmy@urbanpromisecharlotte.org or (704) 980-7768.