SAN ANTONIO – Our local nonprofits in San Antonio need help from the community now more than ever due to COVID-19 affecting its daily operations.
With an overwhelming response from the community, 36 nonprofit organizations reached out to KSAT Community to be potentially featured for Wishlist Wednesday.
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Instead of highlighting one nonprofit for Wishlist Wednesday this week, KSAT Community will be hosting Giving Tuesday to help 36 organizations.
If you would like to learn more about how the Ecumenical Center needs support during the pandemic, please see below on the Q&A from the nonprofit.
Q. What is the mission/goal of the nonprofit?
A. The Center is an ecumenical force for hope, dedicated to alleviating suffering and facilitating spiritual, ethical, physical, emotional and intellectual healing and growth for our community and God’s world.
Q. How does the nonprofit help the community?
A. By offering counseling services at a low cost or no cost for children and families affected by COVID-19, as well as, offering services to medical and hospital personnel and first responders. The Center has seen an increase in medical personnel, first responders, individuals, couples, families and children as young as three using the counseling services for a variety of issues including suicidal ideation, stress of COVID-19, depression, anxiety, loss of a relative or friend or job during COVID-19 and grief; marital conflict and dysfunction; marital and family communication difficulties; unresolved hurt, anger or bitterness; spiritual struggles; personal trauma; relationship issues; unresolved guilt; professional stress or burnout; changes in the workplace; parenting and concerns about children's well-being.
The programs of The Center have educated thousands of religious and health care professionals through semester courses, workshops, seminars and support groups. Those trained then make an impact in improving the physical, emotional and spiritual health of those they serve. Areas of programming reach far into the community and include school counselors, psychologists, caseworkers, parents, hospice providers, parole and juvenile counselors, as well as the medical community.
Q. How has COVID-19 impacted your nonprofit?
A. Although the Center is open for face-to-face counseling during this pandemic, many clients prefer to use tele-counseling which is reimbursed at a lower rate by insurances and Medicare than face-to-face counseling. The number of clients needing free counseling services at this time has grown.
There has been an additional cost to The Center to maintain a secure tele-counseling provider for all 20 counselors, as well as purchase cameras for computers to facilitate video conferencing with clients. Many clients have canceled appointments because they have lost their jobs and can’t afford counseling or have lost their insurance coverage. Therefore, The Center launched “Wellness Conversations” with no cost to the community.
The Center is making special efforts to provide free services to our seniors by making flyers and cards that include the information. The Center will work with “Meals on Wheels”, they will have the flyers ready to give out to the senior citizens.
All three fund-raising events for The Ecumenical Center have had to be canceled this year. Many individual donors and founders who have money in the stock market have lost significant amounts during this crisis and cannot afford to make awards and individual contributions that they traditionally have made.
Some senior citizen clients do not have computers or the knowledge of how to use their computers for video-conferencing during this crisis.
Q. Do you need volunteers?
A. The Ecumenical Center always needs volunteers to help by telling others through social media, church bulletins and telephone calls that The Ecumenical Center is providing free counseling services to children, adults and adolescents during the COVID-19 crisis.
Q. What type of donations do you need?
A. Monetary donations to fund counseling for children and adolescents who are suicidal, depressed and anxious, or who may be enduring domestic violence during this COVID-19 crisis. Counseling would be provided by tele-counseling and telephone counseling. As well as the on-site counseling for those in need.
Q. How can the community help?
A. They can post The Ecumenical Center number, 210-616-0885, on their social media accounts and mention the free counseling services for children, adolescents and adults, and especially seniors, during the COVID-19 crisis. They can donate to The Ecumenical Center to help fund the cost of free counseling to the community.
Website:
Facebook page:
Address:
8310 Ewing Halsell Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78255
Related:
If you are a nonprofit that is in need of support, click here to make a submission.
Share your appreciation for our community: Send a frontline worker a virtual message
To see the full list of KSAT Community Giving Tuesday nonprofits featured, click here.
KSAT Community operates in partnership with University Health System, Energy Transfer and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union.