CONSERVANCY COMMONS

The 2021 Open Enrollment for Parks Conservancy Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Plans begins today! Enrollment is Dec.1–15, 2020 and requires all participants, current and new, to re-enroll in ADP by the Dec. 15 deadline.

If you haven’t participated before, or don’t know what a flexible spending account (FSA) is, click here to learn more about WageWorks

In alignment with state and local public health orders, and our partners at NPS, the Parks Conservancy adjusted San Francisco operations effective Sun., Dec. 6, at 10 PM. On Alcatraz Island, all visitor services are closed and Alcatraz Cruises will not be operating. Fort Point National Historic Site is closed. 

The Bridge to the Future Fund (BFF) provides short-term emergency financial assistance to Parks Conservancy employees. Assistance is need-based and open to applications from both active and furloughed staff. BFF is managed by a third-party vendor, Philanthropi. Get more information about eligibility or fill out an application on their website.

In the absence of in-person gatherings, here are some creative ways to connect with family and help kids during this challenging holiday season. View resources from Claremont EAP. 

Creative Ways to Connect with Family During the Holidays

Helping Kids Through the Holidays

In order to effectively assess and manage risk, whether that is risk of physical harm or emotional harm (also considered social exclusion), we need to make sure our cup is adequately filled in order to make decisions that have the best outcome for our own wellbeing and those around us.

Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield members are eligible for a no-cost flu shot. Many locations have drive-thru and walk-in flu shot clinics. Additional information and locations can be found below, with Kaiser San Francisco location listed here.

Note: Staff on furlough have been sent vouchers for free flu shots.

Thurs., Dec. 10 at 11 am.
NPS's DEI Committee invites Parks Conservancy staff to join a virtual talk with Dr. Claudio Avila on his journey in the fight against HIV. What can the AIDS pandemic teach us about today? How can we turn these moments of vulnerability and crisis into moments of resilience and impact? Dr. Avila is an Infectious Diseases physician specializing in HIV medicine. This event is broadcast via MS Teams. 

The next Community Circles--the BIPOC Circle and White Allies Circle--will be on Weds., Dec. 15, 1-2:30 PM. If you want to subscribe to calendar invites for the Circles, fill out this form or email dei@parksconservancy.org with any questions. Click here for opt-in form.

Our next All Staff Meeting will be Thurs., Dec. 17, 10-11:30 am via Zoom. If you haven’t recently registered, please register ahead of time. Contact Nessa at nramos@parksconservancy.org for questions or if you need further assistance. 

Fri., Dec. 11, 10:30–11:30 AM.
Join Park Stewardship Program staff Jaclyn Lim, Price Sheppy, and Yakuta Poonawalla for a conversation on biodiversity, what it means to us, why it matters, and what role we can play in building and creating diverse ecosystems in our local parks. Click to register.

Register for upcoming Trainings from the Training Portal

12/8, 1-2 PM | Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American Harassment

12/10, 3-4:30 PM | Emotional Intelligence Talk with Author DB Bedford

12/14, 1-2 PM | Bystander Intervention to Stop Police Sponsored Violence & Anti-Black Harassment

Tues., Jan. 12, 10-11:30 AM.
During these unprecedented times, resilience training workshops provide a much needed community building experience for teams. Employees will learn to successfully manage stress, effectively deal with fear and bias associated with the current health crisis, and facilitate better communication, conflict management, and rapport across your entire team. This session provied by nonprofit Hollaback is specifically scheduled for Conservancy staff.

Have a submission for the Conservancy Commons? Send content and images to commons@parksconservancy.org by Friday at 10am to be included in next week's newsletter.

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