"A Severely Disadvantaged Community is in Distress"
Last updated 12/1/2020 at 5:09pm
To all friends of BASIC,
We reach out to you this year with an urgent request for help. Due to COVID-19, we have had to cancel three of our fundraisers (Circle of Art 2020, 2021, and our 2021 Golf Tournament). This amounts to a loss of more than $60,000 for BASIC’s programs. The pandemic has drastically impacted the already severely disadvantaged community of Borrego Springs, both economically and educationally. Our dilemma is this: under these circumstances, how do we deliver our essential educational programs to a Borrego community in even greater need?
Our community’s students were struggling at the best of times, but now, with online classes, they are falling further behind. The lack of technological infrastructure and in-home support means that Borrego’s children are at greater risk of failure; our scholars pursuing higher education have less access to financial support due to reduced family income. Because of family job losses, many of our scholars have chosen to enroll in online courses in community colleges, or given up/delayed continuing their education altogether.
We are committed to helping Borrego’s students; to this end, we shall find a way to make Learning Academy 2021 happen, but that comes with an increased cost. As well, we are equally dedicated to our scholars seeking higher education - they need more support too!
We have never needed your support more than we do now. We hope that all of Borrego’s learners can continue to count on you – please consider giving whatever you can to help BASIC assist them in these difficult times.
– Basic Assistance to Students in the Community (BASIC)
