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Dear Friends,
Most of us likely delayed or canceled plans in 2020. Evergreen has made some big adjustments, but our commitment to serve, provide for and champion individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is as strong as ever. If your summer plans have changed and you’re missing out on gathering with friends and family, JOIN us on June 25, at 6pm CDT for our first Virtual Celebrity Waiter Dinner! You will enjoy seeing your Evergreen family and help us to further our mission.
Tickets are $25 and sponsorships are still available. Even if you can’t attend, you can still support us by participating in our online auction. The auction has just gone live and there are nearly 300 items available to bid on, from sports memorabilia, jewelry, handbags, vacations and more.  Note that you do not need to purchase a ticket to participate in the online auction. For more details visit our website.
All the states where Evergreen provides services are well into their reopening phases, and every single one of them is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. We are all tired of COVID-19, but the risk this virus poses to those we serve remains. In fact, new findings show that people with intellectual disabilities and autism who contract COVID-19 die at higher rates than the rest of the population. They also contract the virus at higher rates. Click here for a recent NPR article detailing the latest research.
So far Evergreen’s Oklahoma divisions have reopened its work crew program for individuals who either live alone or with one other person. These individuals are fulfilling work contracts in the community and do not use public transportation to get to and from work. Our staff is preparing for future openings by performing a comprehensive risk/benefit assessment on every single person we serve. Those whose risk of contracting COVID-19 and getting serious complications outweigh the benefit of reentering the community, will continue with the stay-at-home policy.
We know that many of you are missing your loved ones and are ready to reunite. We are now welcoming drive-by visitations for those who would like to send love from a safe distance. We are also trying our best to change up the scenery for those we serve with driving-only outings and outdoor activities at each separate community home.
HEAVENDROPt, our largest social enterprise, is scaling up production of a new facemask design based on feedback we received from our board members and customers. The mask will be available to purchase by next month and you can preview what it looks like here.
I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as you can. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. I look forward to visiting with you at our virtual event next week!
Thank you,
Sue Buchholtz
President/CEO