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To the editor:

I am very proud to be a part of a local organization that regularly responds to the needs of the community. Whether it is the cyber kits that were delivered at the start of the school year or the Teacher Supply Store, the Suffolk Education Foundation has tried to be present and respond to the needs of our students and staff for Suffolk Public Schools. That is exactly why the “Can We Talk?” series is offered.

As we recognize a year in managing our lives through this pandemic, the “Can We Talk?” webinar series has brought together some amazing resources for the entire Suffolk community, not just our public schools, whether it is learning about the numerous resources here in Suffolk for de-stressing from the challenges of the pandemic, or having people from Sentara and Optima Healthcare to help us deal with the COVID-15 (the extra pounds from being home every day), or to check in on ourselves and our mental mindfulness. All of the recordings from each of the webinars is available at https://www.suffolkeducationfoundation.org/info-registration.

The next three webinars on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. cover topics that I am sure will be helpful to many in our community. This Tuesday is about the mental health of our youth. As our students return to the classroom, I am sure this is top of mind. As a parent, I know this topic is paramount. Then we have a panel and hope the community will show up (virtually) to tap into the knowledge of these career planning directors, entrepreneurs and hiring managers. The final, but an extremely important webinar, discusses finances. Again, we hope the community will show up to take advantage of these amazing women and financial professionals.

All of these webinars will be available for a limited time to the Suffolk community. We hope many will take advantage of these valuable resources that have been so generous with their time.

Patrick Belcher

President, Suffolk Education Foundation