Dear Bright Horizons Family:
As you can imagine, there has been an overwhelming desire throughout the Bright
Horizons community to support those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Our goal will be to play a role in helping with the relief efforts in two important
ways. First, we want to be able to focus on members of the Bright Horizons family
who were directly impacted by this tragedy. Second, we will attempt to provide
support to families with young children who have been displaced and specifically
focus on helping parents and young children cope under these conditions. Many
of you may remember our response to 9/11 and we will attempt to respond in a
similar and appropriate manner under the circumstances created by Hurricane
Katrina.
While many employees throughout the southern U.S. have been touched in some
way by Katrina's fury, the 20 employees working at the Bright Horizons
child care center at West Jefferson Medical Center have experienced unparalleled
devastation. Many have lost their homes and nearly everything they own. Most
are living in very difficult circumstances in shelters, hotels, or homes with
literally dozens of family members under one roof. We have been able to contact
all but two of these employees. Those we have spoken with are in immediate need
of money, housing, food, gas, and other basic necessities.
Bright Horizons Employee Emergency Relief Fund
We have established the Bright Horizons Employee Emergency Relief Fund to provide
immediate assistance to members of our community. We have already begun to make
money available to members of the Bright Horizons family in immediate need and
Bright Horizons will match three-to-one every additional dollar donated to this
fund up to a total of $100,000. This fund will be used exclusively for Bright
Horizons employees and their immediate families who have been directly and severely
impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
You can support your colleagues by donating to the Bright Horizons Emergency
Relief Fund, c/o The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, 209 10th Avenue
South, Suite 300, Nashville, TN, 37203. You may also donate online to this fund
by visiting www.brighthorizons.com/foundation, and putting the Bright Horizons
Emergency Relief Fund in the designation box that is part of the online form.
In addition to the relief fund, we are working to provide all displaced employees
the opportunity to work in other Bright Horizons locations where they can continue
to do the jobs they love. We will assist them in their relocation efforts and
will help them find and pay for housing, in some cases with other Bright Horizons
employees who have offered to open their homes to their colleagues in need.
Comfort Kits Program
We have also received many requests from Bright Horizons centers that are eager
to harness the energy and desire of families and children to contribute to relief
efforts. We are working with our global relief partner, Mercy Corps, and our
client JPMorgan Chase to develop a program to provide Comfort Kits to children
and families, as well as the organizations serving them. This program will concentrate
on reaching children ages 5 and under, who are often underserved by other relief
efforts and whose needs cannot be addressed through the public school system.
Next week you will receive information about how your center can participate
in this effort. If you have already collected funds through center activities,
you will be able to direct them to the Comfort Kits program.
We are touched and moved not only by the devastating impact this tragedy has
had on members of the Bright Horizons family, but also by the outpouring of
support that has been expressed by our own community. The need for support is
very real and may last for many months. We thank you in advance for your generosity
in contributing what you can as we work to help our own employees, as well as
families outside of Bright Horizons, begin to rebuild their lives.
With warmest regards,
David Lissy Mary Ann Tocio
CEO President and COO
Linda Mason
Chairman
