"...we want to ensure that our people are okay."

To All of Our Supporters, Happy Holidays!

As we enter this season of reflection and gratitude, we find ourselves looking back on a journey that has reshaped Urban Strategies Council in profound and unexpected ways. Many of our longtime partners have known us as a backbone organization; an organization that focused on data analysis, convening roundtables, and supporting systems-level solutions. That work mattered then, and it still informs who we are today.

But during the COVID-19 Pandemic, something shifted. We were witnessing an urgent crisis unfold in real time: opioid overdoses surged, suicide rates climbed, and families – especially those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease – faced staggering fatigue and isolation. What we were seeing in the data was heartbreaking, but what we were hearing from our community was impossible to ignore.

So we stepped forward because we want to ensure that our people are okay.

Instead of limiting ourselves to analysis and coordination, we moved toward direct service; toward meeting people where they were hurting and providing immediate, practical support.

Today, our work includes opioid-use prevention programs, mental-health awareness initiatives, and hands-on training for caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s. These services grew not from a strategic rebranding, but from an urgent moral call: people needed help, particularly those in the African American community, and we were in a position to respond.

We are asking for your partnership. Your generosity will allow us to continue providing essential services at a time when demand is higher than ever. It will help us expand training for Alzheimer’s caregivers, reach more people at risk of overdose, and open more doors for those struggling with mental health challenges.

This year, your gift does more than sustain an organization; it sustains hope, dignity and resilience in the lives of our neighbors who need it most.

Thank you for believing in our mission, for growing with us, and for supporting this next chapter of service.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Urban Strategies Council

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