7 minute read
Nonprofits survive the pandemic
Nonprofits survive the pandemic Kathy’s House and Red Cross adapt to COVID-Iq
Words & Photo Giselle Martin Gomez | Design & Illustration Leslie Chavez
Advertisement
COVID-19 forced many businesses to close, but nonprofit organizations are the lifeline of the people who rely on them. COVID does not stop the need for nonprofits, so they have no choice but to figure out how to remain open safely – but how?
Kathy’s House
Patty Metropulos, chief executive officer and president of Kathy’s House, said that the nonprofit never considered closing their doors.
“There was not much of a consideration to the idea of remaining open,” Metropulos said. “Our frontline staff didn’t even flinch. Our commitment to guests never wavered.”
Kathy’s House, currently located on 600 N. 103rd St, focuses on providing affordable lodging for individuals undergoing treatment for cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. These individuals come into the city for treatment, but finding a place for them and their family to reside temporarily can be costly. “One thing I’ve learned since working at
Kathy’s House is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the state of Wisconsin alone that have to travel for their medical care,” “Here, in Milwaukee, we have this incredible care in our own backyard.” -Patty Metropulos CEO and president of Kathy’s House
Metropulos knows what it’s like to have family suffering from critical illnesses that require extensive medical care. Both her father and brother suffered from cancer.
“The earth shifts beneath your feet,” Metropulos said. “It is a marker in time, and you have a whole new reality. The positive aspect is that you grow as a family and as a caregiver, and it just kind of makes you realize what is important.”
At Kathy’s House, they are aware of the importance of the sense of community and keeping families together when dealing with a critical illness.
“Here, we really recognize that, not only is it important for the patient to access the care that they need, but also that their family can be with them during that time,” Metropulos said. “There are so many studies that prove that having a network of support and loved ones close by really makes a difference in a patient’s recovery.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, Kathy’s House faced some challenges regarding how things ran and the way they did certain things. First, they had to reduce their occupancy limit to 15%, send their volunteers home and alter their fundraising events. Second, they had to keep a sense of community.
Volunteers used to help prepare meals for the guests, which is something that the guests really enjoyed. Currently, volunteers can sponsor a meal for the guests from local restaurants. One of Kathy’s House’s board members, Bill Severson, did this by having all of the guests look at Gilly’s custard shop’s menu and order whatever they would like.
Kathy’s House had to cancel its annual gala in May and its annual Oktoberfest. The gala, however, was approached in a unique way. They launched a Critical Operations Campaign and contacted their sponsors who have supported the gala in the past. They raised $50,000 in sponsorships, which they issued as a challenge digitally to their donors and community partners.
“Our goal was to raise $100,000, and we met our goal,” Metropulos said.
Kathy’s House partners with hospitals, like Froedert, to provide housing for patients far from home.
“The hospitals where the patient is being served will send us a patient referral for a request to stay here, and then we will ask the patients and their family a number of questions on their level of exposure to anyone with COVID,” Metropulos said.
Currently, the number of guests the house can accept has been reduced, but even before COVID-19 hit, Kathy’s House had not been able to take in every guest that came its way.
“For the past several years, we have had to turn away hundreds of families because our house was completely full,” Metropulos said.
That’s why Kathy’s House is in the process of relocating to Doyne Avenue, which can be found in the middle of N. 92nd St and N. 87th St. They broke ground on their new location at the end of May. Despite the challenges that COVID-19 could have thrown their way, their plans for relocating in summer of 2021 are on track. Their new location is twice the size, will provide better accessibility accommodations and will be closer to Froedtert Hospital.
One thing that Kathy’s House has been infected with is the drive to push through the pandemic and to keep serving the individuals who need them most. Currently, there are no in-house volunteer opportunities; however, Kathy’s House is accepting sponsored meals for guests as well as donations. For more information, go to kathy’shouse.org.
The American Red Cross
The Red Cross’ mission was also unfazed by the pandemic. If anything, the Red Cross’ mission was fueled by it. The Red Cross supplies and collects blood products and plasma, offers CPR and first-aid classes and supplies emergency help during natural disasters.
“We are still providing the same types of support as we always have, and we are doing everything we can to keep the people safe and healthy during this really wacky pandemic,”Laura McGuire, the external communications manager for the American Red Cross, said.
Within the services and support that the Red Cross offers, they are also helping individuals who are recovering from COVID-19.
“We are supplying blood products (and) we are collecting plasma to help people that are recovering from COVID,” McGuire said. “We continue to offer CPR and first-aid classes, and, as always, it is our life-saving mission to supply emergency help by volunteering and/or donating blood for the Red Cross.”
While the Red Cross continues to provide the same services, they have employed safety protocols in order to keep all staff, donors and volunteers safe. They ask about exposure to the virus, require face coverings, follow social distancing practices, continue to use sterile needles and practice enhanced cleaning protocols.
Source: kathy’s-house.org.
Kathy’s House is the only hospital guest house in the area that serves patients of all ages and their caregivers who need to travel to Milwaukee for medical care.
“We are here for people in their darkest days, and we like to keep people healthy and safe, and it has really been a record-breaking disaster season.” -Laura McGuire, External communications manager at American Red Cross
The Red Cross provides on-the-ground relief for natural disasters like wildfires or floods. Currently, some of that relief is virtual and has been modified to accomidate new safety protocols. The organization has done this while still remaining essential.
“We’re not really able to give someone a hug when they really need it during a flood, a wildfire,” McGuire said. “The need for blood is constant… It is absolutely an essential business. We have had Gov. Evers and the attorney general make statements that giving blood is an essential business, so during the lockdown we were really encouraging people to come and donate blood as long as they were feeling well.”
Hospitals are cancelling selective surgeries, and blood does have an expiration date, so the Red Cross must be very careful with how much it collects.
“Once COVID came along, we really saw that we had a really urgent need for convalescent plasma, so we were really encouraging people that had recovered from COVID to come in and give convalescent plasma,” McGuire said.
The Red Cross was FDA approved to test blood for COVID antibodies, which led to a spike in the inventory. They also received FDA clearance for their whole blood to be used for COVID purposes. The Red Cross has been
Source: redcross.org
contributing to the fight against coronavirus while also aiding in recovery from natural disasters affecting the United States.
“Last I heard, there were up to 45 different crises here in the United States, including floods, hurricanes, wildfires; so the need for volunteers is absolutely tremendous,” McGuire said. “We are out there helping people at their darkest moments.”
If you want to get involved in helping the Red Cross’ mission, go to redcross.org
Amid the pandemic, The Red Cross continues its mission to turn compassion into action and allieviate human suffering wherever it may be.
