Katie’s Kids Foundation donates $10k to support CVOEO

Read the full article at mychamplainvalley.com.

A local emergency shelter is receiving a boost of community support during the winter months.

CVOEO’s Champlain Place Emergency Shelter partnered with Katie’s Kids Foundation this week to celebrate a growing collaboration aimed at supporting people experiencing homelessness. Champlain Place is Vermont’s largest emergency shelter, operating 24 hours a day, year-round as a low-barrier facility.

As part of the partnership, Katie’s Kids Foundation donated $10,000 to help support staffing needs at the shelter.

Katie’s Kids Foundation was created in honor of Katie Hartnett, an advocate for the unhoused who previously spoke before Burlington City Council. Her father, David Hartnett, a former Burlington city council member, said the foundation’s mission reflects the values his daughter lived by. 

“She would say, ‘Dad, it’s okay if we try and reach these people and we don’t succeed, but it’s not okay to not give the effort,’” Hartnett said. “You see that effort in this community and the outpouring of support we have.

”Former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger was among those in attendance, showing support for the shelter and its mission.

Champlain Place leaders say the need for services remains high and are continuing to call on the community for support through donations and volunteer efforts as the winter season approaches.