Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Western Washington & Alaska’s Post

In the event of an employee losing a child what do you do? The death of a child is something none of us want to prepare for, but it's important that when parents go through the worst imaginable they are offered every support available. I had a 1-1 meeting yesterday with my fellow networker (at 🤝🏼 SAM Networking and Marketing 🤝🏼) Kelly Dungworth who is a regional fundraiser for Forget Me Not Children's Hospice. I learnt that the hospice not only cares for sick children and provides end of life care for them and their families; but they also support families when children (from pregnancy to age 21) die suddenly. They can provide bereavement support and also a choice in where and how families say goodbye, through their resources like the 'snowflake room' which allow loved ones to spend extra time with the deceased. Kelly told me that unfortunately, often when they need it most, families just aren't aware of the support on offer. It made me think about how in such horrendous circumstances employers can be blindsided and unaware of how they can help their employees. I would highly recommend putting in place a policy on Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay for your organisation. There are statutory rights for both leave and pay, but you should set out those for employees to access, and consider whether you offer any enhanced entitlements as an employer. The period is 2 weeks, the rate of pay is at the statutory rate, and only employees with 26 weeks' service are eligible, but you might want to offer more to your employees. Also be aware of other options available to employees who are going through a trauma - for example sick leave - here it is a MUST that you set out your organisational entitlements to leave and pay. And think about what additional support you can offer: Do you have an employee assistance programme or health scheme through which employees can access counseling? Do you consider offering to pay for counseling for employees in extreme circumstances? How will you keep in contact with the bereaved parent and bring them back into the workplace when they are ready? How are their close colleagues coping? - seeing someone you care about going through the worst imaginable has to have an impact. But whether as an employer, friend, family member or whatever capacity you know someone in; being able to signpost bereaved parents to places like Forget Me Not might be the greatest comfort you can give them at that time. If you're local to Huddersfield and would like to learn more about what they do why not pay a visit on an open day.

One of the great scandals of our time is the routine placement of children in care in homes many miles away from their close connections. The reasons for this are complex but one of them is the shortage of providers willing to reserve their places for local children (‘local’ meaning within an easy travel distance of their original home). This shortage is fuelled in part by the commercial pressures created by investor-owners to keep homes fully occupied, regardless of where in the country those children are sent from. Many areas, therefore, end up with quite a few homes occupied by children from outside the area while the local council will be forced to place their own children further afield, should a local placement not be available. Yes, it’s a form of madness, but one that is the norm in most of England. Is there a solution? Yes there is and one of them is to create more providers like We Are Juno CIC (of which I am honoured to be Chair) who explicitly commit our places to children from Liverpool City Region. This, of course, means a smaller ‘pool’ of children for our homes (which is operationally more challenging) but it does mean that a child from the Liverpool City Region area will not be sent out of area when they don’t need to be. The piece below from C4 News is a superb investment of time for anyone trying to understand the nature of the problems in the children’s social care system and what possible solutions look like. In short, what are needed are homes EVERYWHERE that prioritise local children and don’t rely on an economic model that drives the provider to take children from further afield. My own view is that chains of homes run on impact-first lines are needed, ideally where there are clear incentives to provide exclusively for local children. This is easier said than done. At We Are Juno CIC and other fantastic providers like Social adVentures and Navigo we are trying to demonstrate the art of the possible. We also need social investors to step up to the plate on this and make the capital available to create more of these places. Local homes for local children. It can’t be that difficult, can it? #childrenssocialcare #c4 #dfe #ceo #leader #guardian #safeguarding #become

Not sure this is the solution to reducing health care costs. Maybe we should let the State of DE replace local school boards as well. Not a good strategy. How do other states reduce health care costs? There is no debate that costs are increasing. What do we do about it?

"Transforming Lives, One Dream at a Time" We recently partnered with HammondCare, highlighting the incredible impact of The Dreams Project within their palliative care unit. Each year around 60,000 Australians receive life-changing palliative care, with a majority experiencing significant relief from pain and distress. Yet, the demand for these services is rapidly growing, stretching our healthcare system. HammondCare's Dreams Project steps in here, granting heartfelt wishes to end-of-life patients, funded solely by generous donations. Our task was to capture the essence of this beautiful initiative. We crafted a deeply moving video, bringing to light the profound difference each dream makes. This video isn't just a showcase; it's a call to action. It's designed to inspire and encourage benefactors and donors to support this vital cause. Our production aimed to stir emotions and motivate action, and we believe it does just that. Watch the journey, feel the impact, and join us in making more dreams come true. Watch the full version of the video here. https://buff.ly/3U5dPzR @HammondCare #PalliativeCare #HammondCare #TheDreamsProject #MakeADifference

It is National Make-A-Will Month! We spoke with Kylie Johnson, CAP®, Director of Planned Giving at Baystate Health Foundation to get her top three tips for starting your estate planning: 📞Phone a Friend: Not sure where to start? Ask someone who has been through the process. Many of Kylie’s donors were pleasantly surprised by how open their friends were to having this conversation. 📝Embrace the Process: Treat it as a meaningful project rather than just another box to check. Take the time to brainstorm what matters most to you, how you might distribute certain items, and how you would like to be remembered. ✅Take Action: Make the call to an estate planning attorney and get started. Check out your local estate planning council for additional resources and ideas Read all of Kylie's thoughts here: https://dgddi.co/3yIfl2u #MakeAWillMonth #August #EstatePlanning #PlannedGiving

Friendly reminder that our next Nonprofit Roundtable session is TOMORROW! Click the link below for more details and to RSVP!

National Public Health Week Starts Today!! During each day of National Public Health Week, the MPH team has created a one pager that focuses on a particular public health topic. The purpose is to help to highlight how each of us can make a difference on that topic. These areas are critical to our future success in creating the healthiest nation. Think about what you can do to help. Please see below to learn more about Civic Engagement and my challenge to you. Learn more at nphw.org. #nationalpublichealthweek Civic Engagement Challenge   What is civic engagement? Civic engagement is the formal and informal actions that we and our communities take to identify and address problems and shapes our opportunities to be healthy. By taking actions to get more civically engaged, like voting, we exercise our right to make decisions about our communities, like whether our neighborhoods have walkable sidewalks and how much funding goes to nonprofit organizations to help vulnerable populations. By engaging in professional or community service we help to improve a community’s health. A recent analysis of civic engagement and state health outcomes from 1996 to 2020 showed that in states where people are more civically engaged and vote more, public health outcomes are better.   I challenge you to become more civically engaged! 1.    Vote and help someone else vote in the next election within your community (e.g. provide transportation or fill in for them at work). 2.    Volunteer in your community. 3.    Serve on a committee that affects the health of your community – contact your local schools, churches, non-profit groups, state public health organization for opportunities.   Share your experiences with family and friends!

And the how to contribute....

Discover expert insights and guidance on our Verland blog! 🌐✍️ With topics like 'How Do I Find the Right Group Home Near Me?' and 'Practical Disability Caregiving Tips and Vital Resources from Verland,' we're your go-to resource for compassionate care leadership. Dive into our articles to learn from our experience and expertise in creating a supportive, inclusive environment for individuals with complex needs. Visit our blog and become part of the conversation shaping the future of care. https://loom.ly/V7U7Gs0

A recent team to Kenya helped with a free medical clinic, where doctors treated 250 patients, dentists served over 150, and 140 teeth were extracted! Miraculously, a woman who arrived on crutches left walking without them after requesting prayer. A young boy found faith in Jesus, and a 30-year-old man, moved by prayer, also chose to follow Jesus—a rare occurrence among young men in this community. Thank you to Sell a Home, Save a Child members who keep these programs running and make stories like this possible. Would you like to receive regular stories of impact straight to your inbox? When you join Sell a Home, Save a Child with a monthly gift, you will have a sustained impact on the lives of children, and you can share stories like this one with your community, showing them that you're a business making a positive impact in the world. Learn more at: sellahomesaveachild.org.