Mission Possible 2020

It is my sincere wish that this letter finds you and your family well. In light of the developments over recent weeks, we have decided not to reschedule this year's 12th annual Mission Possible gala. The health and well-being of our community is our highest priority, and we feel this decision best serves our role in stopping the spread of the virus. I'm confident, though, that the work we're doing in the meantime will be a cause to celebrate at our event in 2021.

It's important for you to know that our commitment to our mission is unwavering and that each Mission Kids staff member is working to make certain that every child has the access to the healing, protection and justice they deserve. School closures and other social distancing measures create an increased vulnerability among young people, some of whom are at greater risk of abuse due to being separated from their support networks and trapped with potential abusers.

Child abuse will not stop during this pandemic, and therefore neither will Mission Kids. During this pandemic, the need for our services has only grown, and we're determined to continue providing them. Every day our family advocates contact their clients remotely while our counselors hold trauma-focused sessions with their clients via video chat. Each week we have emergency situations that cannot wait for the quarantine to end; situations where the child's life may be in danger. Mission Kids staff are on-call and ready to meet during these situations. Meanwhile we are exploring technology to facilitate remote forensic interviewing and have taken the lead in assisting other child advocacy centers design and implement their responses as well. Lastly, in addition to providing these services to our clients in Montgomery County, we are also assisting our neighboring Child Advocacy Center in Delaware County with extra staffing.

While our successes over the past 11 years have prepared us to handle these uncertain times, this vital work would not be possible without your generous support. Mission Possible is our signature event, a wonderful celebration of our successes in the fight against child abuse. It is also our largest fundraising campaign of the year, providing a significant portion of our operating budget and enabling the organization to fulfill its mission. As such, we are asking you to consider directing your Mission Possible sponsorships and/or ticket purchases to a fully tax-deductible donation. This will allow Mission Kids to support families who need our services now while also helping us prepare for the spike in child abuse reports when stay-at-home orders are lifted and schools reopen.

We thank our Honorary Co-Chairs: Amy Klump, Richard Green, Meredith Seigle and Robert Mongeluzzi, our Event Co-Chairs: Chris & Wade Berrettini and Pauline & David LeVan and especially our Honoree Garrett Snider, who has been a strong and vocal supporter almost as long as Mission Kids has been supporting victims of child abuse in Montgomery County. We look forward to working with all of them to ensure a fantastic event next year.

Finally, for us to continue our celebration with all of you at Mission Possible 2021, we must fulfill our mission to provide healing and justice for victims of child abuse today. Mission Kids' Director of Development, Bill Hoblin, will be in contact with you in regards to your sponsorship. We hope you will continue to partner with Mission Kids to protect the most vulnerable children in our community. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support of Mission Kids.

God Bless,

Maripeg Bruder
Chair, Board of Trustees