Sans Souci will have its first Foundation Day to raise funds for its Foundations Program this Friday. During this digital campaign, Sans Souci will be sharing the success story of one of its employees in what they hope to be a yearly fundraiser.
According to Community Outreach Coordinator Courtney Foust, the idea to hold Foundation Day comes from wanting to raise awareness of their Foundations Program and the Employee Development Program. Foust said Sans Souci hires those who may be facing some type of employment barrier, such as a language barrier or an education barrier.
When hired, employees go into the Sans Souci Foundations Program, and a case manager with Sans Souci then works with them one-on-one to determine their goals and barriers, Foust said. During their time in the program, they work on removing those barriers.
“And so what we do for that is basically like, ‘OK, let’s say we’re going to take them to a bank to get a bank account set up.’ Or maybe they need to get their driver’s license reinstated, so we take them on what we call a ‘field trip’ over to the BMV,” Foust said. “Maybe they need food assistance and they need transportation to Love Chapel and we can help them get groceries through there.”
While removing these barriers, Foust said they remain on the clock and get paid their normal hourly rate as if they were working at Sans Souci. They raise funds for this program so they can continue to do this while keeping their employees on the clock, she said.
“… we really believe that nobody should ever have to choose between hours on their paycheck and bettering themselves,” Foust said.
The first Foundation Day will highlight the story of Sans Souci employee Keaton and how Sans Souci impacted his life, Foust said. According to Sans Souci’s website, Keaton struggled with social anxiety and grief, but throughout his time of working with Sans Souci, he has seen significant growth.
Foust said they will pick an employee to highlight each Foundation Day, and she hopes reading Keaton’s story inspires people to support their program. She said they aim to raise $3,000 from this first Foundation Day.
“We’re just really excited to have this community support, we really hope that folks will help us reach and maybe even succeed our $3,000 match,” Foust said.
Foundation Day will begin early Friday morning and will be posted on Sans Souci’s Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as through their e-newsletter and on their website. Donations can be made through cash, card, checks or directly on their website.
