Inspiring Work in Our Communities

GreenLight is inspired by the amazing work our portfolio organizations are doing in our communities during this unprecedented crisis. Their work is more important than ever, often supporting those hit hardest due to school closures, shuttered businesses and increasing unemployment.

These innovative organizations have stepped up to ensure their programs can continue to operate and provide services to participants in a modified, safe way and in some cases even expanding their offerings. Below are some examples of the incredible work being done each day across our communities.

CareMessage recently reached 4.2 million patients including more than 300,000 in Massachusetts with COVID-19-related messaging. In response to these unprecedented times, they have launched CMLight, a COVID-19 specific version offered at no cost to Federally Qualified Health Centers for at least 60 days through targeted philanthropic support.

Examples of ways the platform is reaching vulnerable populations during this crisis include:
•  Coordinating care for patients that have symptoms to prevent further exposure
•  Preventive messaging around hand-washing and self-quarantine
•  Helping patients switch care to telehealth appointments
•  Sharing information about food, medication and other local resources

A Boston portfolio organization, CareMessage is an intelligent cloud-based software platform focused solely on the underserved. It empowers safety net providers to improve health outcomes and reduce the cost of care by providing personalized, interactive messages designed to educate, remind and motivate.

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) continues to operate as many work crews as possible, utilizing safety protocols from the CDC and complying with local and state directives. CEO is now offering Pandemic Response Services to businesses who may have additional cleaning and sanitation, supply chain distribution, infrastructure, warehousing and maintenance needs during this time. This proactive, innovative initiative aims to help replace temporarily suspended work crews and address increased demand resulting from individuals who completed CEO’s program and are now experiencing layoffs. CEO has scaled to three GreenLight communities, Detroit, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

Family Independence Initiative (FII) is leveraging their technology platform to ensure families can connect virtually and continue supporting each other. FII has partnered with the Stand Together Foundation and others to launch #GiveTogetherNow. This rapid-response, community-supported campaign to deploy one-time emergency cash assistance directly to families in each of their locations who are experiencing a financial burden as a result of this health crisis has already exceeded its initial $10M goal.

FII’s program, operating in both Cincinnati and Boston, trusts and invests directly in families so they can work individually and collectively to lead their own change and support each other in removing barriers.

ParentChild+ has moved to virtual visits, maintaining critical weekly connections with families who are feeling isolated with few if any people to turn to. View this wonderful video of a virtual ParentChild+ visit in Charlotte. Using the program’s educational materials, ParentChild+ is continuing to support learning and socio-emotional growth virtually.

“I had the opportunity to see Brenda, our coordinator at SOMOS Mayfair (from 6 feet away, of course). I went to drop off any supplies I was able to get my hands on for her to distribute to families in need. They were setting up a pop-up tent, getting ready to host a makeshift drive-thru for food, diapers, essential items and books for families. She was in such good spirits, with such a big smile, I almost forgot what is happening in the world. Here is a woman, going totally outside her normal job duties, putting herself at risk to serve others. It restored me and makes me want to work even harder to make sure she has everything she needs to serve our community.”
– Whitney Evans, Regional Director of ParentChild+ in the Bay Area

ParentChild+’s home visiting, two-generation early childhood development program is in three of our sites, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Charlotte.

Per Scholas classes have moved to a remote learning format that enables instructors to connect virtually with every Per Scholas student. They have shared resources to update students and partners about the current situation, communicate adjustments to policies and operations, and provide links to support health and wellness.

Per Scholas, one of our Boston portfolio organizations, is a workforce development program that opens doors to transformative technology careers for adults. With the unemployment rate increasing exponentially everyday, Per Scholas’ ability to continue training individuals for a lucrative career in the tech-sector is vital.

Springboard Collaborative is sharing online resources for teachers and parents.

“We’re serving families through Facebook Live reading workshops, supporting teachers through virtual professional development, and making our family-facing literacy app — Springboard Connect — freely available to families who can receive daily reading tips and videos texted to their phones”
– Jeff Feinman, Vice President of Partnerships at Springboard Collaborative

A San Francisco Bay area portfolio organization, Springboard Collaborative coaches teachers and family members to help children read on grade-level.