COTS

We are incredibly grateful for EastRise Credit Union's generosity and care for our community. Thank you for helping to make the 2024 Phonathon a success! There is still time to join in helping COTS provide safe shelter and housing this year at www.cotsonline.org.

Save the date! The City Market Tree Sale starts December 4th at the downtown location, December 6 at the South End. Trees are Vermont grown, benefit COTS, and for every tree sold, a native tree is planted by the Intervale Foundation. It’s a win-win-win!

Is your work hosting a holiday get together? This might be an awesome way to include COTS in your holiday plans. We are looking for groups and businesses to host offsite Phonathon calling parties. This is one of our biggest fundraisers and we could use your help! Reach out to volunteer@cotsonline.org to get started https://lnkd.in/eB-RPRvw

Volunteer here: https://lnkd.in/eKVTrT6C As the biggest fundraiser of the year for COTS, we have the important task of raising more than $275,000 during the COTS Phonathon. This year’s Phonathon is hybrid again! Our caller sheets will all be online, like last year. We are looking for callers to either call from home, host a virtual calling party, or come to 95 North Avenue on Monday Dec 2nd to call with us in person. All of these options will use the same virtual tools. We also have a new way to help, perfect for those who would rather not talk on the phone: the Phone-a-friend pledge. Can you pledge to email, text, call, DM, FB message, Tweet, Snap, or walkie talkie your friends and ask for a gift of support for COTS? You can do this anytime in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, and until the end of November. Just sign up on our volunteer form following the directions there! For the week of Monday, Dec 2nd -Thursday, Dec 5th we need callers to reach out to our loyal donors. We hope that from 5:30-8:00 p.m. each evening that week, you will commit to calling our supporters to ask them to consider a gift to COTS again this year. We will only call each donor once. So, if you don’t reach them on your first attempt, we will have instructions on leaving them a detailed voice mail message. Some callers go through their list in just one day- so the time frame is mostly suggested; the important part is getting to all of the supporters on your list! Can you help make the call?

Regardless of election results, COTS will remain steadfast in our mission to end homelessness while treating every single person with dignity and respect. We will continue to welcome everyone. We will advocate for marginalized communities disproportionately affected by homelessness, including members of the LGBTQIA2S+, BIPOC, and New American communities. We will continue to fight for a safer, kinder, more equitable world until everyone has a home.

An update on COTS’ plans for the Warming Station this winter. https://lnkd.in/e2HJqQvx

We are excited to host our 3rd annual Back to School Bonanza. The Back to School Bonanza will be held on August 3rd, 2024 at COTS- 95 North Avenue in Burlington, from 12pm-3pm. *The rain date is the following Saturday & if needed, will be called on Friday the 2nd* The Back to School Bonanza is a free community event where any Vermont students, grades K-12, who are in need can come de-stress and have fun while they pick out school supplies and more. This event is to de-stress and have fun while getting ready for school. This event allows students to pick out the supplies they want, in the colors they like. The goal is to set them up for success and build confidence through things like haircuts and first day of school outfits. All students present will receive free tickets to access fun stations. This year’s Back to School Bonanza is going to be so much fun! Get ready for... Music by Mal Maïz Backpacks Books (fiction, etc) Bounce House Community partners Face painting First day of school outfits Haircuts Taco truck School supplies Snow cones While supplies last! Community partners who are joining us: CLiF, Fletcher Free Library, Lund, Feeding Champlain Valley, Spectrum. Haircuts and concession by Anna Izzo Hair, Rosemary, and Emily’s Home Cooking.

A wonderful ribbon cutting today, celebrating the collaboration of so many partners to create affordable, efficient, housing in our downtown for families that have endured homelessness. I’m proud to have been a part of this project with so many talented folks from COTS, Evernorth, Duncan-Wisniewski Architecture, and so many more! https://lnkd.in/et4rGbnD

These days at the COTS Daystation, we are feeding 60-80 people a day, 365 days a year. A recent grant landed us this new fridge, and a matching freezer, greatly increasing our storage capacity. It allows us to bring in food in bulk through partners like Vermont Foodbank, gleaning programs, and farm-to-table programs, providing fresh, nutritious food to the neighbors we serve. A second generous private donation got us a serious new grill! Many faith communities, businesses, clubs and individuals volunteer to prepare and serve food at the Daystation. Come down and get cookin’! More information and a sign-up calendar may be found here: https://lnkd.in/eiuw7bwA

KeyBank did a phenomenal job helping us for Neighbors Make the Difference Day! They created a beautiful lunch for our 60 Daystation guests, put on a wonderful financial education (optional) for them too, and gardened at Saint John’s Hall- our residents were SO thrilled. Thank you all for making a difference for us.