More than five months have passed since Beacon House ceased in-person programming due to COVID-19. COVID-19’s multiple effects have forced us to find new ways to engage students, support families, and run our organization.

Our staff have worked tirelessly through the end of the school year and our first-ever virtual Summer Camp Program. Nothing has been easy. Nevertheless, our team has exemplified one of its most outstanding characteristics – its willingness to go above and beyond to support our mission – throughout this period. I am grateful for the many ways in which our staff have risen to the challenges we have faced in 2020.

I am also grateful to our program partners, which have remained engaged with our students; to the funding partners that continue to stand by us; and to many other organizations and individuals that have come forward to assist our families and organization. You have responded to the call I issued in our May 2020 newsletter, and I do not have the words to fully express my appreciation for your collective support.

I wrote in May that it would be necessary to “prepare for a long period of challenge and recovery, extending well beyond the point at which Mayor Muriel Bowser lifts the District’s stay-at-home order.” We now find ourselves at the start of a new school year, with no clear sense as to when public health conditions will enable us to resume in-person programming or when the economy will rebound from the coronavirus-driven downturn.

This uncertainty notwithstanding, we are committed to moving forward thoughtfully and in a manner reflective of the creativity and determination that has enabled Beacon House to contribute to the advancement of equitable educational outcomes for Black students in Edgewood for nearly 30 years.

Beacon House’s work in creating safety and opportunity for children in Northeast Washington, DC is as important today as it was when we opened our doors in 1991. Our Board and staff leadership remain committed to ensuring that students in Edgewood rise above COVID-19’s challenges to achieve their greatest potential.

Sincerely,

Kevin Hinton
CEO/Executive Director