Giving Tuesday 2020

We surpassed our goal!

Thank you so much to everyone who showed their support on December 1st for Via Services! We raised over $55,000, surpassing our goal of $50,000! Keep reading to learn where those funds will be used. We always welcome continued donations – every extra dollar we earn will go towards the reopening of Via West Campus!

Reopening Via West Campus

2020 was an unprecedented year for Via Services. When the pandemic hit and shelter-in-place orders went into effect in March, Via West was forced to shut down all of our respite and summer camps, which typically serve more than 2,000 kids, teens, and adults with special needs each year. All in-person services, including our First Step occupational and speech therapy programs, were canceled, and our fundraising events had to be postponed. With dramatically reduced revenue, we had to undertake several cost saving measures to keep our organization afloat. These included a layoff of over 50% of staff, salary reductions, adapting to virtual therapy for our First Step program, applying for emergency relief grants, donor support, utilizing reserve funds, and the receipt of a PPP loan.

Via Services has been a staple in the Bay Area special needs community for over 75 years, and we will persevere through Covid-19 and the setbacks it has brought to our organization. But, we can’t do it alone.

We asked for your help to raise $50,000 to prepare for our reopening of Via West Campus, once we are safely allowed to do so. These funds will go directly to hiring new leadership for Via West and Altitude as well as to the recruitment of program managers, health care staff, kitchen and maintenance workers, and quality counselors. Our facilities and supplies will need to be cleaned, replenished, and updated to meet new Covid-19 standards. We will be designing new and innovative programs, lesson plans, and safety protocols to ensure the best experience for everyone that comes to us.

Your donation will ensure that our camps will be ready to welcome you back to the safe, loving, and fun environment that you have relied on for the past 75 years.

Just because Giving Tuesday is over, it doesn’t mean that the giving has to stop! If you would like to still contribute to the reopening of Via West Campus, please click the link below to make a one-time Giving Tuesday donation or click here to set up reoccurring gifts. You may also call 408-243-7861 to donate over the phone! Many employers in the Bay Area will match your donation, so please make sure to check in with your company. Want to pay through PayPal? No problem – Via is a registered charity with PayPal. Click here to begin.

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