Note from WRISE Executive Director re: COVID-19

WRISE Community,

As you likely saw in our email on March 13, WRISE has been closely monitoring the progression of COVID-19 and made the decision to cancel, postpone, or move online all of our events through the end of May 2020.

Since the situation is regularly changing, I wanted to keep you informed.

As many of you know, WRISE HQ is in Brooklyn, NY and, as of this Monday, we have been facing some significant shifts in our schedule and capacity.  Both E’Lon and I have small children that are now home with us while we are working from home.  I am working from a family home in New Hampshire and E’Lon is working from her home in the Bronx.  We are both finding new ways to balance schedules.  We are in regular communication, but at this point we are each working closer to half-time than full-time.   I’m sure over this stretch of “new-normal”, however long it lasts, we’ll fall into some new routines that allow us to continue to meet the full needs of the organization, but we will also continue to prioritize the health, safety, and needs of our families.  We want to extend our thanks and gratitude in advance for your patience and flexibility with us and we will promise to extend the same in return.

We want to encourage you to stay connected across our community online (see the note in our most recent March 19 Bulletin about hosting or joining a virtual meet-up if you are able) and we want you to continue to prioritize your families and communities too.

I want to give thanks for those of you who are caring for family and loved ones that may be struggling in new ways and a special deep debt of gratitude to all of those in our community and beyond that serve on the frontlines whether in healthcare or in the variety of other services that continue to be essential in chaotic times like these.

Thankful for this community,
Kristen Graf, WRISE Executive Director