At Crossnore, we are blessed to be a family. Whether it’s the children we care for, our staff, our Trustees, community partners, donors, and volunteers, we are one big family. Now faced with the COVID-19 crisis, we are doing what any family does. We have battened down the hatches and are rolling with the punches to keep the organization on its feet.
At the heart of it.
The heart of what makes this work is our staff and our training in building a trauma resilient community. Even in the middle of a global pandemic, it is exciting to see our staff come together, make a plan, and execute it with excellence to keep our children and ourselves safe.
We have also had so much support from our communities. Corporate partners, DAR chapters, local foundations, and other donors and volunteers have provided necessary supplies for our campuses. Businesses and individual donors have stepped up to send food trucks and pizza deliveries for special lunches for our children and their cottage parents.
Continued positive outcomes for our kids.
Even in the midst of social distancing, we’ve seen some very positive outcomes for our children. Grades have improved as many kids have had less distraction while working on their studies, as well as receiving extra one-on-one help with their homework. Parents who haven’t been able to visit with their children on campus (often because of transportation issues) have been able to see their children more frequently and consistently using online methods.
Our incredible staff.
For our staff, the order of the day has been working from home. The Program Excellence team has kept the referral line open and has instituted ways to get kids into the services they need during this difficult time. The Clinical Services team has learned a whole new way to offer therapy services through tele-health via online avenues. Again, our community partners have stepped up to help us provide tablets and care packages for those children receiving remote therapy services.
The Day Treatment team on our Winston-Salem campus has also moved to a tele-health model to provide services for the students at Kingswood School. In between those sessions, Day Treatment staff have also worked with our residential children to help them with their online schooling.
Our Medical Services team has led the way in creating guidelines for social distancing, the use of masks, as well as testing and potential quarantine protocols. Dietary Services has worked tirelessly to keep us supplied with food and cleaning products. Facilities has continued to care for our grounds and buildings, while keeping the campuses closed to outside visitors. Facilities also learned a lot back in the spring about strawberries as they were instrumental with this year’s strawberry crop.
The continued move forward.
Williams Academy staff has prepared lessons and taught both online and in person on our Avery campus to keep our charter school moving forward. Additionally, staff used the Academy’s 3-D printer to make ear guards to hold the elastic away from a mask wearer’s ears reducing the pressure of wearing a mask all day. Speaking of masks, while the Crossnore weavers continued to weave garments, table linens, and household goods, they’ve also made masks for our campuses.
It is truly a family affair. And we will continue to stay #crossnorestrong for however long this crisis lasts.
