Kids in Crisis finds new ways to raise funds
GREENWICH — At Kids in Crisis, the COVID-19 crisis forced leaders to come up with virtual strategies for providing critical counseling services to children and families coping with conflicts, substance abuse, mental health issues, school problems and other “unsafe situations.”
And the Greenwich-based human services agency, like other nonprofits, is also looking for creative ways to salvage its fundraising for 2020 after the coronavirus outbreak interrupted most of its planned events.
“We’ve all had to pivot and figure out how to reach our supporters and funders in a different way,” said Paula Barker, the new marketing and communications manager at Kids in Crisis.
Since spring, the organization’s leaders have canceled five fundraising events, at which they had hoped to raise about $950,000.
To make up for those losses, Kids in Crisis is holding its second virtual scavenger hunt from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. The first event, held in the summer, raised more than $15,000.
During the scavenger hunt, Kids in Crisis leaders will release “tidbits and facts” about the organization.
The event is aimed at building awareness about the services at Kids in Crisis, including its 24/7 hotline along with crisis prevention and intervention services for babies, children, and teens, said Shari Shapiro, the executive director.
The scavenger hunt will get people out of their houses and active within the community, Kids in Crisis leaders said.
“Our (scavenger hunt) missions are designed to get people out in nature and in the community, while being safely socially distanced,” Barker said.
Supporters can participate individually or with a team of five. A $10 ticket allows a participant access to the GooseChase app, which will supply each participant with as many “missions” it complete in a week, using their phone as a navigator.
For example, in the previous event, participants were directed to take a mile hike with their family and “snap (photo) evidence” upon completion. Another mission challenged participants to find certain GPS coordinates and send proof that they made it there. Others were asked to build a tower of pennies.
“People were into it,” Barker said. “It was a great game.”
Several students at the University of Connecticut-Stamford, who were interested in volunteering, joined in the scavenger hunt fun. Those students have remained as an integral part of Kids in Crisis’ scavenger hunt committee and are helping to organize the upcoming event.
“They’re present in meetings and I’m certainly impressed, because, remembering my days in college, I’m definitely impressed by a group of students, who have mobilized to see what good they can do in the community, Barker said.
Shapiro agreed. “College students get a bad rap sometimes, especially during these crazy times, and this group of young adults really came together during the scavenger hunt and you could see how much fun they were having while really trying to make a difference for an organization,” she said.
The students are a part of Huskies for Charity, a service organization focusing on volunteering, raising awareness and fundraising to enhance the lives of others while the UConn Stamford students work on developing professional skills.
The UConn-Stamford students were introduced to Kids in Crisis through the Center for Career Development on campus. The agency’s mission — providing a safe environment for children — “really resonated” with them.
“We’re really open to working with them,” said Vivian Trinh of Fairfield, a junior at UConn-Stamford studying human development and family services. “And one of our biggest missions is to do what we can to help the community around us and try to get the UConn Stamford students involved as well.”
Huskies for Charity club leader Sabrina Uva of Stamford, another junior with the same major, donated food from her father’s restaurant Sorrento Pizza and $480 to Kids in Crisis. The donation helped with immunizations, diapers, food and counseling for 10 to 12 children who are clients, Uva said.
The two students were so inspired by the scavenger hunt that they are leading their own from Nov. 20 to Nov. 29 to raise funds for Kids in Crisis.
“We were just really inspired by how the Kids in Crisis scavenger hunt was able to bring together the community in such an engaging way — through the challenges,” Trinh said.
“We wanted to host ours around Thanksgiving time to give back to the community and bring together the UConn students and get them involved in supporting Kids in Crisis in their cause,” she said.
To register for Kids in Crisis’ scavenger hunt, visit www.kidsincrisis.org/sub/events/. To reach Huskies for Charity, email uconnhuskiesforcharity@gmail.com.
For anyone who needs help, call the Kids in Crisis 24-hour helpline at 203661-1911.