Day 13: How to Help

"Good morning Mr. Rob, I want to thank you for your daily emails of encouragement, knowledge, humor, and LOVE for Christ. I want to thank the UPA high school for keeping in touch with me and Cassie. Their help in setting up Zoom was invaluable. URBANPROMISE IS THE BEST!! Thank you"

- Sandi, mom of Cassie, 9th grader

UPdate Summary

Thank you! Crisis Plan complete, you helped! Cyber schools are beautiful.
Join our Cyber Corps® volunteers! (see how!)
Give! Your gifts, big or small, tell our staff you’ve got their backs!
Make Biscuits! What!!!??? Find out why below! We’re launching a YouTube channel

Dear Friend,
Our two week Crisis Plan is history. Our 8 week Perseverance Plan begins (we're optimists!). Our 6 month Survive Plan awaits us.

I share Ms. Sandi's quote to say thank you. UrbanPromise is not me, it is us. I just happen to send and receive the emails. It's you Ms. Sandi is thanking - staff and volunteers, donors and prayer partners, foundations and businesses. And we are thankful for her words of encouragement, reminding us that our connection makes a difference. Ms. Sandi, her daughter, you, and I - we are partners. It’s God in all of us, working out His love, together. To those who have need, from those who can give. Yesterday I could give. Today, I was in need. Ms. Sandi gave to me. Your emails of encouragement, offers of help, and commitment to the UrbanPromise community have been a deep, sustaining blessing. I praise God for all of you! Thank you!

I'm asking you for 3 things today:

1) Give, 2) Invite, 3) Make solidarity biscuits (I'll explain; cream of tartar optional).

1. GIVE: Whether you can give $5 or $500, we’re asking you to give as a statement of solidarity to our staff. Several staff came to me, unasked, offering to reduce their salaries (I did not take them up on it yet). What amazing people! You’ve seen how hard they worked and what they have accomplished. Show our staff and kids what you think with a gift, no matter what size. I would love to tell them that hundreds of people see what they are doing and have their backs. Thank you! Click here to see an English class in action.

Donate Now

2. Invite: Cyber Corps is nothing more than a cloud of UrbanPromise volunteers who are willing to help remotely during the crisis. Can you read? Add and subtract? Play games? Pray? Solve computer problems? Any of those would be great. By clicking on this link simone@urbanpromise.org you can email Simone, our volunteer coordinator, that you are willing to be contacted to explore volunteering. It is not a commitment, just a conversation. Then decide if you can volunteer. Click here to hear from a few volunteers who are part of Cyber Corps!

3. Make Biscuits!: Netflix shmetflix! Aren’t you getting tired of your internet go-to’s? Now you can watch PromiseU! UrbanPromise is launching a YouTube channel for all of you stuck in Cyber Land (that would be pretty much all of us). Of course you can watch a hundred people on line tell you how to make biscuits. But here’s the difference – those sites won’t be somebody you know, somebody from our community. For example, Larissa was on my first staff 22 years ago. Hundreds of our families know her, many of you, and it’s a whole lot cooler to connect with resources that have heart together. We all need more heart right now. Besides, Larissa’s biscuits will be better! Her video is short and fun, take a look!

Click here to make Biscuits! I highly recommend it!

Click here to learn more about PromiseU and maybe even contribute.

Lastly, I invite you to read tomorrow’s letter. No asks, no UPdates, just a reflection that I hope will be helpful and hopeful. Kicking COVID Day 14: Choose Life. Look for it.

Thanks and be healthy!

Rob

P.S. As always, we encourage you to forward our Kicking COVID letters to whomever you think would be encouraged by them and grow our community.