Strengthening Safety at HMS and Amplifying Your Impact
What is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday is a global movement encouraging people to give back to their communities each year on the Tuesday immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday and two of the biggest shopping days of the year – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, Giving Tuesday falls on December 3rd. What began as a simple hashtag has grown into a worldwide event, dedicated to a single day of showcasing philanthropy and kindness. Giving Tuesday looks different for everyone and for every organization that participates. With freedom of choice for the organization or cause to support or engage in acts of kindness, whether by donating your time, smiling at a stranger, organizing a neighborhood clean-up, and more!
This Giving Tuesday, we wanted to show you better than we can tell you the significant impact the generous donations of from the HMS Community have had on our building safety and security measures. The support of our community has helped make HMS School a safer, more accessible, and adaptable environment for children and young adults with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, allowing them to thrive in a setting tailored to their vulnerable needs. As the only special education schools tailored to cerebral palsy in our Nation, it is our duty to protect our students, staff, volunteers and visitors.
Amplifying Your Impact at HMS
This year on Giving Tuesday, we wanted to highlight how much your support makes a difference at our school, so we are shining a light on the support we receive from the HMS Community, which allows us to continuously enhance safety and security measures for our students. Through contracts with security businesses like Navigate 360, we work to ensure that families can confidently send their children to HMS, knowing they are protected. In the upcoming weeks we are excited to announce we will have a 400-point full vulnerability check to identify any security gaps we may have and work on plans to improve them.
With the help of donations to our school and our Building and Workplace Safety Committee made up of members from our Executive Leadership Team and dedicated HMS staff we have made big strides to making HMS an even safer place. To name a few: we have newly implemented full evacuation drills, providing our students with real-world experience in navigating emergencies at school and other public spaces. Beyond drills, we’ve made some major enhancements on our security by upgrading our camera systems, adding security staff during evenings and weekends, and installing a more sensory-friendly fire alarm system that calls the fire department as well as vocalizing the location of the fire. Additionally, we’ve collaborated with local police and fire departments including our friends in the 18th District to ensure they understand the unique needs of HMS students in the event of an emergency.
Improvements both big and small have been underway to enhance safety measures like accessible door handles, key fob only entrances, and gate entry during and after school hours.
But security at HMS goes beyond our indoor space!
We have also pushed to repave the cobblestone pathways surrounding HMS to make them accessible for our students that use power mobility devices and wheelchairs to explore the community. We are working on the final side of the sidewalk improvement plan and are excited for the completion of this project!.
Additionally, we have installed shatterproof window film to our first-floor windows to enhance privacy, safety, and they are also energy efficient! All these initiatives were made possible through generous donations from supporters like you through our fundraisers, and grants.
Getting Involved in Improved Safety & Security Measures
Despite these advancements, there’s more work to be done to continue to enhance safety measures at HMS for our students, staff, volunteers, and visitors. Taking a proactive approach due to the unique population we serve, we continue to train our staff for emergency and safety drills measures that protect them as well as our students.
This year, our 10-day Giving Tuesday Campaign, ‘Strengthening Safety, Amplifying Impact,’ has a goal of raising $26,000. With community partners like Rite Aid Healthy Futures matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000, your support will go even further. All contributions to this campaign will go directly to our general operating funds that supports our safety and security initiatives at HMS School, allowing us to continue enhancing crucial safety measures for our unique population, many of whom rely on staff assistance for emergency drill and evacuation for safe mobility.
Staying Involved
There are numerous ways to stay connected with HMS School, from volunteering your time to joining our email list for updates on milestones, partnerships, and school happenings. Engage with us on social media by following, sharing or commenting on our posts, or simply by spreading the word about HMS to friends, family, and colleagues.
We are @HMSSchoolCP on all social media platforms!
Already part of the HMS Community? Thank you! We hope to see you at upcoming events or on tours with our community partners.
