Everyone has an issue that tugs at their heart strings. You might be passionate about special education and early intervention in schools or improving mental health and wellness for teens. Perhaps providing a safety net for foster youth or advocating for young people who identify as LGBTQIA+ is important to you.
For over 125 years, Side by Side has walked alongside youth through every adversity. Today, our organization addresses all of these issues every day with nearly 2,000 kids and their family members throughout the Bay Area. But 2020 has taken its toll.
From the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote learning, and associated economic hardships to social justice and nationwide political tension to the fall wildfires, it’s been a lot for our kids. Pivoting to telehealth from in-person individual and group counseling sessions presented its own challenges. We’ve seen a rise in the acuity of mental health needs, increased hospitalizations, more calls to child welfare and law enforcement, and the daily struggle of parents trying to cope with our “new normal.”
Our staff collaborated to keep our young people and their families engaged. Our relationships with them deepened with new insights enabled by telehealth and cross-program engagement to better serve their needs. Our staff rose to each challenge and sustained our programs and clients through this tumultuous time. But Side by Side needs the renewed support of our community now.
Marin Magazine/Make It Better Media Group has joined forces with Side by Side Board Treasurer, Dale Satake, for Side by Side’s year-end matching gift challenge! With their $5,000 challenge gifts now totaling a combined $10,000, we need your help getting across that finish line.
As Susan Noyes, Founder of Make It Better Media Group, shared with us recently, “We thrive by connecting Make It Better Media Group’s socially conscious audience to organizations that improve lives and communities. Side by Side’s commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable youth is exactly the kind of mission we want to amplify and support.”
Donate to Side by Side today. Make It Better Media Group and Side by Side Board Treasurer Dale Satake will match all online gifts received up to $10,000 through December 31, 2020.
