Thank you to all who participated in our Give to the Max fund drive!  UMA received over $9,000 in donations to support experiential learning through “school to home kits”.  Donations can still be made through the weekend.  A particular shout out to our challenge match donors, and our gratitude to everyone for your commitment in helping UMA create new and different ways to support student learning, engagement, and connectedness during these challenging times.

• The Ramsey County Child’s Mental Health Collaborative has many resources for schools to help support children’s mental health. I have attached their Youth Mental Health Crisis Guide to this email for your reference.
• The MN Black Community COVID-19 Hotline is staffed to support Minnesota’s African American Community Through the Pandemic, 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The hotline is 612-254-1145 and staff are available to provide callers with important info about virus testing sites and resources that support food security, physical and mental health, employment, housing, childcare, legal rights and other COVID-19 related challenges.
• HACER (Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment Through Research) is staffing a COVID-19 Hotline, providing information in English and Spanish about testing, self-isolating, and resources. The hotline is 651-304-6145 and is answered Weekdays from 8 am – 5:30 pm.
• Testing remains an important strategy for our fight against COVID-19 and there are more options for testing today than ever before. Those who have symptoms should be tested right away. For those who have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, they should be tested 5-7 days later. You may find local and state testing resources at https://www.ramseycounty.us/covid-19-info/health-information/covid-19-testing-sites and the Department of Health website https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/athome.html
• The National Parent Helpline has trained advocates who can provide you emotional support with the goal of helping you feel more empowered and stronger as a parent. National Parent Helpline:Hours: 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.                        1-855-4A PARENT; 1-855 427-2736
• Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health (MACMH)  MACMH was founded by and for families and is anchored in helping families navigate through the journey raising a child with mental health challenges.  They have a variety of free resources designed to help parents and caregivers support  your child's mental health as well as your own.  To access the Family and Caregiver Resources you will be asked to register for a free account using an email address. Family Support and Caregiver Resources macmh.org 1-800-528-4511

Guided Mindful Breathing
Mindful breathing can make it easier to do difficult things by grounding into the present moment. It can also help reduce anxiety and stress and increase feelings of calm and promote alertness.  Interested in trying some different breathing techniques?  Try the guided breathing videos below: