Disaster Response Strategy:
Augmented Capacity of Our School Districts + Provided Critical Support to Our Non-Profit Partners Taking Care of Our Most Vulnerable Children
J2W Foundation supported short-term COVID-19 disaster response efforts within our service areas. We transitioned our COVID-19 disaster response grantmaking efforts to long-term disaster recovery strategy that will support partner organizations for years to come.
Developed a cadre of 14 tutors to work with 53 elementary and middle school students in Dorchester County during the virtual learning period. Goals were to:
- Assist the students with completing the school take-home materials and to better understand content
- Create an income stream for out-of-work high school/college students and retirees
“We had one 10th grader at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School tutoring five elementary school students at his home. He ran his program like school. They were given breakfast, lunch, and snacks. They also had gym time, which included basketball and/or swimming and then more schoolwork. He worked with them for about 7 hours daily. He even put two in detention. Our tutor said he now sees why his teacher has sent him out of class for talking in the past!”
“The program was great, and a blessing because my kids needed the extra help!”
Funded an innovative, mixed-delivery Out-of-School Time summer “academic boot camp” program
- Brought in 3 Winchester Public School teachers to work within an in-person, non-profit summer camp – The Kids Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley – to provide a two –week, high-intensity, academic enrichment boot camp to better prepare the students for the fall semester
- Provided last dollar funding to support The Kids Club 3-week extension of their summer camp as a result of a delayed public school start date
- Partnered with our Dorchester Academic Support Coalition (DASC), consisting of New Beginnings and the Empowerment Center
- Helped ensure successful launch of both 7-week camps, and provided funding assurance for successful completions of both
Purchased and piloted a Chromebook program for a cohort of 9 Dorchester County Public School at-risk elementary and middle school students, using IXL software to augment and enhance learning
Supported low-tech methodologies to augment distance learning provided by the school districts
- Purchased work-from-home packages for 140 low-income pre-kindergarten children in partnership with Winchester Public Schools
Ensured bridge funding/revenue recovery of lost operating expenses for our non‑profit partners
- Contracted regionally-based certified public accounting and consulting firm to assist partner non-profits with navigating the CARES Act to maximize revenue recovery which created a 3:1 Return on Investment
- Issued non-repayable, unrestricted operating grants to three after-school non-profits in Dorchester County, MD to ensure non-profit sustainability for the duration of the crisis
Supported localized Community Foundation relief funds
- Provided immediate-release grant to the Mid‑Shore Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund to support non-profits in Dorchester County, MD
- Provided immediate-release grant to the Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah Valley’s COVID-19 Response Fund to support bridge funding for Winchester Day Preschool in Winchester, VA