December Newsletter 2020
When Others Give Up, PHILLIPS Finds a Way
During a year that's felt like an endless obstacle course, our team has stepped up every day to help the youth we serve overcome barriers to success. The progress our Career Partners program made this year, despite the pandemic, exemplifies the innovative, optimistic spirit that drives everyone at PHILLIPS Programs.
While students are away from their indoor farm at PHILLIPS School ~ Laurel, they’re literally planting the seeds of success at home. We sent them growing kits so they could continue developing their skills. Pretty soon, crops of pea shoots like these were sprouting in their homes.
At the same time, we are pressing ahead with plans to launch SpringForward™, a social enterprise built on the success of the Growing Futures program. Our goal is to create meaningful jobs with fair wages for young people with behavioral health needs, making them active stakeholders in the business.
Agritecture.com just published an article about SpringForward, featuring an interview with Business Operations Manager Julie Buisson.
The key to learning for our Designing Futures students is to be able to 3D print the designs they create, evaluate the results and make improvements. When school buildings shut down in the spring, they lost access to the printers at school. While shifting to online classes for teaching 3D design software, we ordered small desktop 3D printers and delivered them to our students so they can continue turning their creative ideas into tangible objects at home. As you can see, Andrew is happy to have his 3D printer and he's doing a lot with it.
A few students have returned to the Fairfax campus and recently started 3D classes in the newly opened Designing Futures Lab. Click here for a brief video tour.
Four years after construction began, this house in Annandale built by our students will be going on the market in a few weeks. It will list for about $800,000. Even more valuable is the life-changing experience for our students, who learned in-demand job skills and equally important social skills while building the house.
The need is great, but together we can make sure that our youth and their families have the support they need to thrive where they are.
Support Our Annual Campaign
BE A SOLUTIONARY
Help PHILLIPS provide revolutionary solutions that change young people's lives
Building FuturesThere's still time to make your tax-deductible contribution for 2020
What Can Your Donation Buy?
$100 = Grocery gift card for one family
$500 = Emergency rent and utility assistance for families on the verge of homelessness
$1,000 = Scholarships for advanced education
$2,500 = 3D printers for Designing Futures students
$5,000 = Seed funding for SpringForward™ indoor farming social enterprise
How to Cope With Ambiguous Loss During the Pandemic
By Rose Ann M. Renteria, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation
A reflection on ambiguous loss is an important consideration in our efforts to provide quality educational, behavioral and thriving opportunities. COVID-19 has essentially created a setting for ambiguous loss. What is lost? For many youth, educational and real-world rituals are on pause such as being with peers and staff physically close by or having the option to play outside as part of a social group. Others miss the structure and process that is embedded in a school or social environment; and, some are experiencing anxiousness in terms of what they miss or want back in their lives to feel better – sooner rather than later.
Family therapist Dr. Pauline Boss, a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota who coined the term in the 1970s, says ambiguous loss happens in two ways: when a person is physically present but psychologically unavailable, or when a person is physically absent but psychologically present.
I first heard about ambiguous loss in a training session on protective factors. A young adult described her experiences as a former foster youth. She shared that while her birth parent was physically present (e.g., living close by), this parent was at the same time psychologically absent from her life. While giving voice to her ambiguous loss, she resolved the following: her parent remained emotional unavailable AND her extended family members, neighborhood friends, and community remained forever present in her life. This was her middle ground strategy to address ambiguous loss. To some extent, this is what we are feeling right now as our family and friends may be physically present, however, due to COVID-19, we are socially and emotionally distanced from each other; therefore, creating a sense of loss.
Dr. Boss and others recommend moving one’s thinking from fear and isolation toward calmness, breathing and hope. For example, consider using phrases like: “I’m now home for school AND also connected to my classmates using technology.” “It is not a good time AND it is a time to come together to help each other.” “Yes, I miss my school AND I know the school building is waiting for me.” This thinking reminds us that we are not helpless - we can move forward.
With safety, we can stay at home or help others. Further, we can remind ourselves of what we are able to manage or control. We can practice self-care by switching to calm music. We can also read books over again or play games to ease anxiety. During times like this, it is critical to stay connected and adopt a positive mindset that can allow these strategies to emerge.
As if they weren’t busy enough with yearend tasks, staff members put on their elf hats this month and went all-out to bring some holiday cheer to their students.
The team at PHILLIPS School ~ Fairfax quickly mobilized a few weeks ago to buy every child special gifts, wrap them and deliver them to homes along with a second batch of tote bags filled with school supplies, snacks and other goodies. On top of that, they collected enough donations to send Walmart gift cards to 17 of our most in-need families.
“This was an incredible show of love and generosity for our students and families,” said Stephanie LaCroix, who spearheaded the project along with Lauren Harper and Shannon Quinn.
Likewise, PHILLIPS School ~ Annandale distributed $3,000 worth of grocery gift cards donated by Aldi to families in need, and PHILLIPS School ~ Laurel did the same with $3,000 worth of Giant gift cards. Current and former Laurel staffers joined with other supporters to sponsor several families. In addition, Kaiser Permanente sponsored a family served by our Family Partners program.
The Annandale team also got creative to continue an annual tradition despite the pandemic. They produced a virtual Holiday Program, including a fun presentation of music and pet photos sent in by students and staff.
You're Shopping Online More Than Ever
Why not help support PHILLIPS Programs every time you do it? It's easy! Just visit AmazonSmile and select us as your charity. For every purchase you make through AmazonSmile, PHILLIPS will receive a percentage of the price -- at no added cost to you.
PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families
7010 Braddock Rd | Annandale, Virginia 22003
703-941-8810 | piper.phillips@phillipsprograms.org
PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families is a private, non-profit organization serving the complex needs of children and youth living with cognitive, emotional and/or behavioral challenges in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Through excellence in specialized education, community programs and individualized support services, we provide our children and families every advantage to ensure they develop to achieve their greatest individual success. Their potential is our commitment.