Wow, just wow. Just got this email. These are the owners of WA Frost and The
Commodore as well as the University Club and SPAC (St Paul Athletic Club) . I
had to give them a shout-out.
To our Valued SPAC and University Club Members,
Winston Churchill said we make a living by what we get but we make a life by
what we give.
We don’t have to tell you that these are unprecedented times. No contingency
planning could have ever envisioned the position we find ourselves in as an
organization built on togetherness, hospitality, and in-person community.
We are hurting. There is no point in sugarcoating that. But sometimes when
you’re hurting, rather than ask for more, the best thing to do is to dig deeper
and give even more.
We’re giving more.
Why? Because we’re not the only ones hurting. And all things considered, we’re
lucky. The pain we’ve seen in our community is gut-wrenching, and it is far
more important, and cuts far deeper than any balance sheet.
Since occupancy in Hotel 340 has reduced dramatically as the pandemic rages on,
we have comfortable beds and bathrooms that are safe from the elements and have
locks on the door. And these rooms are empty. That is an embarrassment of
riches.
We’ve entered into a partnership with Ramsey County and Project Home, part of
Interfaith Action, to allow some displaced parents and their children to
shelter at Hotel 340. These families are typically housed in churches, but the
pandemic necessitated more distance – and the solution is untenable.
Limited community funding for homeless families with children results in many
placed in gymnasiums-made-shelters with cardboard walls defining borders and
bedrooms. We had the opportunity to tour the Project Home’s temporary
facilities and it was devastating. We were moved beyond words.
Many of these sweet children had colored on some of the walls, making the
space their own. (We love the indefatigable nature of children.) We knew we had
to help.
In a strange way, the pandemic created space (quite literally) for us to help.
After all, as we've been saying for some time now, our vision is for the entire
Saint Paul Athletic Club building to transform itself into a safe space for the
broader community to seek respite, enrichment, education, connection and
resources. Why not start now?
Starting on Friday of this week, Interfaith Action’s Project Home family
shelter will move to floors 3, 10 and 11 of the Saint Paul Athletic Club
Building to wait out the pandemic.
We will share the front desk with Project Home’s staff. These families will
have staff providing services and security to them 24/7 – with offices on the
residential floors.
There is a strict code of conduct for each family and the rules are stringently
enforced. These individuals will not have access to SPAC itself. They will be
taking meals on the third floor, and the only common space with SPAC will be
the front desk since the skyway access will continue to be closed.
In addition, every one of these family members is screened daily and isolated
in another location if there are any symptoms, so there is no greater COVID
risk (actually less because of close supervision) than from the general
population.
These health security details are important, because nothing is more important
than your safety and theirs.
We know that most of you signed on with your hearts and minds as soon as you
heard that there was a chance for us to help children in crisis. We have heard
from you. We thank you, you are wonderful, extraordinary, generous people – the
kind of people who choose to spend time at SPAC usually are.
Thank you so much for your support and please warmly welcome the families and
children when you see them.
Be Well,
John and Stephanie Rupp
David Tilsen
612-281-8576 mobile
612-823-8169 land line
Sent from my iPad
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