A Springtime Message from our CEO

Posted by Katie Zwiener
On April 12, 2020
CEO, Chicago, chicago metropolitan area, Chicago suburbs, children services, children survivors dv, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Domestic Violence, DV agency, Easter, non-profit, non-profit agencies, Springtime, WINGS, WINGS Program

This picture represents something WINGS does every year with the help of faith communities and other generous donors…Easter/Spring Baskets for the children in our programs. This year, we have 213 baskets that have been assembled by generous donors. Due to the shelter in place order, we will need to delay the delivery of these baskets, but anticipate the joy they will bring to the children upon delivery.

As many of you celebrate the arrival of spring and possibly a religious holiday in the coming weeks, I think about the meaning of this time of year…spring brings a renewal after the darkness of winter which is also seen in many of this season’s holidays.

The common themes – HOPE and FREEDOM.

These are the words I want you to focus on in the weeks ahead. While we are seeing sickness, death, unemployment, and hardship all around us at this time, there are also bright lights of generosity, caring, and love that are abounding.

In the past three weeks since implementing the WINGS COVID-19 Relief Fund, we have been overwhelmed with those bright lights. We have received over $160,000 in financial support and almost $4,000 worth of in-kind supply donations!

We are still facing a shortage in our budget due to the closing of our stores and the postponement of several events, but we are so encouraged by this generous support!

Like you, I do not know how long we will be in our current situation, and I know there will be a period of recovery afterward. But I do have HOPE that we will all be stronger and more united as we walk into our new FREEDOM.

In some ways, this is very much how our clients feel when they leave their abusive situations, obtain the services they need from WINGS, and set off on their new path of self-sufficiency and FREEDOM from domestic violence.

Thank you for doing all that you can to ensure we are able to continue this life-saving work.

Sincerely,