Colorado Gives Day & 2020 Update from Yoga Effect
Whew! Aren't you glad 2020 is almost over?
It has been a year of radical acceptance. At Yoga Effect, we modified our fundraising efforts and offered a remote option for our nutrition fundraiser. However, due to the close physical nature of yoga, the Mariposa Center for Girls (The Center) yoga program and our efforts to launch a Colorado-based yoga program for underserved youth were both placed on hold.
Understandably, needs are basic during a pandemic -- shelter, food, water, healthcare. Young women in marginalized communities are facing the biggest obstacles they have seen in their short lives. Their schools are slowly reopening, accessing healthcare is challenging, and they face the risk of increased gender-based violence. Social distancing has created isolation in addition to the mental stress of living in close quarters with family members who may not be taking precautions. The Center is working to address these basic needs and challenging circumstances.
Our financial support of $4,500 in 2020 for The Center ensured their program will weather the storm of COVID closures and its consequences. Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness instruction will be available again, hopefully as soon as January 2021.
We will continue to work toward our goal to open a Colorado location and currently have $1,900 set aside from 2019 and 2020 fundraising for that program. Youth programs that focus on underserved communities are encouraged to contact us for a potential partnership.
In total, Yoga Effect has raised nearly $4,000 in 2020. It is our goal to raise another $2,500 more before the end of the year to help jump-start yoga programs when it is safe to gather in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received, especially during this challenging year. Despite those challenges, we are committed to serve and support the most vulnerable and marginalized communities.
