Celebrating 20 Years by Raising $20,000

The Yolo Crisis Nursery is celebrating 20 years of service in Yolo County. Since 2001, the nursery has served more than 7,500 children and their families. The need for the nursery’s services continues to grow. Last year the nursery served 67% more families and distributed 3,874 care packages.

The Yolo Crisis Nursery is one of only four crisis nurseries in the State of California. The nursery would not be here today without the commitment and generosity of our extended family of supporters and donors. Preventing child abuse and helping families strengthens our community for years to come and we are fortunate to have this vital, necessary resource. On behalf of the nursery, our board of directors, and the children and families we serve, I would like to express our gratitude to our generous community.

Tuesday, Nov. 30, is Giving Tuesday. On Giving Tuesday people from around the world come together to thank, help, give, show kindness, and share what they have with those in need. This year on Giving Tuesday, the Yolo Crisis Nursery is celebrating 20 years of service to Yolo County, and has launched the “20 for 20” campaign with the goal of raising $20,000 to help the most vulnerable children and families in our community. A generous group of anonymous donors has come together and will match, dollar-for-dollar, all gifts up to $20,000!

That means every dollar you donate to the nursery will have double the impact and will help families like Jeanette’s break the cycle of abuse and crisis. Jeannette and her two children came to Yolo County to escape a violent relationship. All three were staying on a friend’s couch when Jeanette reached out to the Yolo Crisis Nursery’s helpline desperate for diapers and formula. The nursery’s trauma-informed staff member could hear the distress in Jeanette’s voice and shared information on the many services that the nursery provides.

Jeanette was connected with the Yolo Crisis Nursery Family Specialist who referred her to the local women’s shelter and helped her obtain essential services such as counseling, Medi-Cal and Cal-Fresh. We also completed a Help-Me-Grow screening for Jeanette’s four year-old daughter, Amelia, which revealed developmental and cognitive delays that needed to be addressed.

Our Family Specialist was able to educate Jeanette on how to manage her child’s special needs and supported her in getting an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for Amelia. While at the nursery, we facilitated speech and physical therapy sessions for Amelia that were administered via Zoom. Also, the nursery’s trained staff helped Amelia learn coping skills, self-soothing techniques, and how to successfully interact with her peers.

While Amelia was lovingly and skillfully cared for by the nursery staff, Jeanette was able to focus on her own recovery, search for employment, and permanent housing. Amelia transitioned into a specialized pre-school after her time at the nursery. Jeanette was persistent and eventually found stable employment and reliable childcare, allowing her to move into her own apartment with her two children.

Day in and day out, our staff and client families are addressing unimaginable challenges. All too often, the nursery’s wrap around approach and services can mean the difference between life and death for the youngest and most vulnerable children in our community.

If you believe all children deserve to grow up in a safe and loving home, please join us with a donation to the Yolo Crisis Nursery on Nov. 30 for Giving Tuesday. With the first $20,000 in donations being matched dollar-for-dollar, there is no better time to give! Through your support, the nursery can avert disaster with well-timed assistance and early intervention.

Please visit www.yolocrisisnursery.org to donate now through 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30 to have your donation eligible for the dollar-for-dollar match. Thank you for making the future brighter for our community’s most vulnerable children and families.

— This article is by Eric Miller, a Yolo Crisis Nursery board member. It originally appeared in the Davis Enterprise on Sunday, November 28, 2021.