Update from Dan — March 2020

Good morning everyone. This is Dan Buron, Executive Director of Goodwill Northern Michigan. I wanted to send out a message to our employees so that I can share with you what I know as of today. 

First of all, I want to send my sincere gratitude and support to all of you at this time. We will always remember these days when history is a present force in our lives.  

Humans around the globe are facing a brand new virus with too little information. Things are changing every single day at a rate that is hard to respond to, let alone comprehend. I heard a doctor in Chicago explain it really well: This virus is unforgiving. It spreads before you even know you have caught it, and it tricks you into believing that it is nothing more than a little flu. For many of us, it may be nothing more than a flu. But the real problem is not the 80 percent who will get over this in a week. It's the 20 percent who are older, who are immunocompromised, who might need more support, some oxygen or maybe a ventilator. Our health care system does things like this to save people every day, but it can't take care of everyone at once. Our health care system doesn't have any slack. We don't have any extra beds or nurses waiting in the wings. 

So Governor Whitmer has asked Michiganders to shelter in place for three weeks, except for people who provide essential services. There is no vaccine or readily-available antiviral to help stem the tide. All we have to stop the spread of this virus is distance — physical distance. The Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order will give our factories a little time to ramp up production of the personal protective equipment we need. It will help to flatten the curve of the infection so that everyone doesn't get sick at once and overwhelm our hospitals. It will give our scientists time to make more medications and learn more about how we can use them to help save more lives. Even a little more time makes a big difference.  

As we face this virus, across the country and the world, people are making sacrifices. And across the Goodwill Northern Michigan organization, these sacrifices will look different. 

Some of our colleagues cannot stay home. Our team members who work at the Goodwill Inn, Safe Harbor, Street Outreach, Meal Services, Patriot Place, Supportive Housing and Food Rescue provide essential services. They work on the front lines with people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, people who need our help more than ever right now. It is hard to Stay Home and Stay Safe when you have no home to go to. More and more people every day are going hungry and have no way to feed their families. Our colleagues in Mission Services stand between our most vulnerable neighbors and disaster. 

Others of us must face different challenges at this time. In order to protect us all, a large part of Michigan’s economy has been shut down. The Stay Home, Stay Safe order has closed Goodwill's nine stores, along with ecommerce, salvage and transportation. The only part of our store operation that remains open is the donation door in Traverse City, where we are collecting  critically-needed supplies for Munson Healthcare, the American Red Cross, the Food Coalition and the Coalition to End Homelessness. 

All of this has forced us to put more than 50 percent of our employees on temporary leave. Our team members are already feeling concerned for their health, finances and well-being. It will take strength and resiliency for us to get through this. 

We want you to know that we are doing everything possible to help our team through this crisis. The federal government recently acted to help people across the country in this situation, and we are making sure our employees can take full advantage of those benefits. Our Director of Human Resources Allison is sending a letter to each impacted employee today explaining all of the benefits available to them through Goodwill, the State of Michigan, and the new Federal Families First Coronavirus Act, which provides two weeks of paid leave. Employees can also receive unemployment during their temporary leave, and will continue to receive their existing health care benefits. Allison and Claudia in Human Resources are serving as navigators during this time. They are answering questions, connecting people to resources, and helping them file for unemployment. Please be patient with them as they try to help a large number of people get through this difficult time. 

I want to remind all of you that our Employee Assistance Program is available to every Goodwill Northern Michigan employee and their family members. The EAP provides free counseling and life coaching services to help you solve problems, access legal and financial resources, sort out emotions, clarify issues and generally find solutions to problems. We will share out the EAP information you received when you came on board. I hope you will consider taking advantage of it during this difficult time. 

Goodwill’s executive team meets every day, 7 days a week, to wrestle with the new challenges each day brings, and to try to navigate our organization through these troubled waters. Our board of directors is meeting weekly, too. We do not know when the stores will reopen, or what it will look like when they do. We do not know if the Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order will be extended beyond April 13. 

So what comes next? I wish I had a crystal ball. I can't see the future. I can't tell you what the next days and weeks will bring. But I do know this won't last forever. It will last longer than any of us want it to, but we will get through this, and I hope we will be even stronger on the other side. 

Stay safe. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve when coughing or sneezing. Stay at least six feet away from people outside of your family unit. If you are sick, stay home and avoid contact with others. 

We will text a weekly message to keep you updated on what is happening and what we know. Please reach out with any questions and concerns. Always feel free to call me directly at 231-995-7710 or by email at danb@goodwillnmi.org. Thank you for everything you do for Goodwill Northern Michigan.