Emerging from COVID-19
Guest User
Thank you for supporting The Refuge for DMST™ through the COVID-19 pandemic. Still in our early years, we knew that this season of economic hardship, a full-stop in events and volunteering, and the heaviness that gripped our nation would either make or break us. It is through your sustaining support that we continue to offer the very best care to child survivors of sex trafficking.
Emerging from COVID-19
After more than a year of refining fire, our organization now emerges from the flames of the pandemic stronger than before. As the world begins to open, we step into the summer with great clarity and joy for what is to come.
Our staff and the girls in our care have been fully vaccinated, which allows for greater peace in our daily interactions and gives us opportunities to safely go off-site for field trips and activities. Summer school is in session and our summer programming, CAMP LIVE, is in full swing, including water days, art and music classes, karaoke and dance contests, driver’s ed, volleyball, mountain biking and more.
Over the last couple of months, we have joyfully reunited in person with many supporters. We have been invited to share our mission during various events hosted by community partners; volunteers are beginning to return to campus to teach enrichment classes and serve meals to our staff; and key partners have come onsite for tours, including local law enforcement, representatives from district attorneys’ offices and national foundations interested in replicating our model of care.
Fundraising events are on the horizon, beginning in October with Petals for a Purpose, a luncheon and floral design competition hosted at The Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. You can join us at this event by purchasing a table.
Innovation & Excellence
Caring for the most traumatized children in our community is a great challenge and a great joy, and we will always have room for growth and improvement. To that end, we are constantly evaluating our program and protocols, so we can continually offer the very best care to child survivors of sex trafficking.
Over the last several months, we made some key hires, including President & COO Danielle Owens and Chief Financial Officer Tracie Stookesberry, who served for 6 years as the CFO at YMCA of Austin. The expertise of these important organizational leaders allows us to continue innovating and carrying out our mission of hope and healing with excellence.
In May, we rolled out a new staff schedule that gives our around-the-clock, direct care staff more support, including three consecutive days off to maintain a healthy work/life balance, as well as overlapping schedules during shift changes for increased communication between staff. Through this new schedule, we have improved retention and promoted a greater sense of unity among our staff.
We also revamped our existing model of care to look more directly at each individual girl’s motivations and needs. By making our approach even more girl-centered, we better meet each girl where she is to build an environment that feels safe and secure to her, which increases her autonomy and drive to achieve the goals set out in her therapeutic plan.
Thank you for sustaining us on this journey! We have triumphantly emerged out of a grey season and into a bright and beautiful summer, and we invite you to look ahead with us as we offer care to many more survivors.