We have all spent more time under our own roofs this year. COVID has forced us to appreciate just how important our home environment is. Many of us have been working remotely and staying at home. This is true for our individuals as well. Your family members, too, have been home, receiving supports and services throughout this crisis.

While the virus has been our greatest focus and consumed our lives, that didn’t make every other problem just magically disappear. The pre-existing costs of keeping safe roofs over our individuals’ heads remained. A year ago, we were already eying repairs and new roofs for many of our facilities, at the time we thought those would be our most significant expenses. Now that a year has gone by, the need to replace these roofs has only gone up.

The Yetta B. Sachs House in Jamaica Estates needs a new roof over their head. A new roof costs approximately $30,000. I’ve asked our Board of Directors if they would be able to raise half the funds for the roof, and they delivered. Can we count on you to help us raise $15,000 for a new roof? Between your generosity and the Board’s, we can fund the roof without dipping into our operational costs.  

This has been the most challenging year in AABR’s history. We’ve battled against a terrible virus and battled to keep our agency strong in the wake of one of the worst economic downturns. We battled the best we could. Still, tragically, we’ve lost lives. We’ve had to close programs. At the same time, we had to cancel our gala, we had to find millions of dollars in funding for so many unexpected costs, from PPE to disinfecting products to machines, tools, programs, and apps we had never even heard of a year ago. We asked our dedicated staff to put in so much overtime this year, risking their own health and energy while sacrificing time with their own loved ones. I wish I could accurately put into words how hard they worked and how appreciative we are of them.

On behalf of the AABR Individuals, Staff, and Board of Directors, I wish you a wonderful and joyous holiday season. I hope you have the opportunity to safely share warm meals and hearty laughter with those you love. Thank you for your support this year and in the coming year. May we all have a happy prosperous 2021.

Our individuals are some of the most vulnerable members of our population, and we will continue to be there for them no matter how dire this situation gets. We hope you can be there for them as well by making a donation to support our Coronavirus response.