The phone call came while Ms. Rodriguez was standing in the hallway at the UrbanPromise Academy.
A doctor’s voice on the other end of the line told her the words no parent is ever prepared to hear: “Your daughter has stage two cancer.”
“Honestly, all I heard was ‘cancer’ and ‘stage two’. And I had to teach a Spanish class in ten minutes,” Ms. Rodriguez noted. In shock, she transitioned to teacher-mode.
After class, she broke down.
For the next several months, her life became a blur of surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, infusions, scans, and endless appointments as she fought alongside her teenage daughter, Alisha, through the battle of her life.
At the same time, Ms. Rodriguez continued doing what she has faithfully done for the past 15 years at UrbanPromise Academy: showing up for the children and families of Camden.
She is our Dean of Students, but for our young people, she is far more than a title. She is a translator, advocate, mentor, comforter, disciplinarian, and “the mom” of the school.
“I build relationships with the parents who enroll their children. And I treat the kids like they’re mine,” Ms Rodriguez shared.
During the darkest moments of her daughter’s illness, Ms. Rodriguez experienced firsthand the life-changing impact of access to quality healthcare.
Because of the health insurance offered by UrbanPromise, she was able to focus on helping her daughter heal instead of complicated insurance coverage and impossible medical costs.
“During our time in the hospital, I overheard so many conversations from other parents as they navigated insurance issues on top of their child being sick. Some families only had access to the bare minimum coverage. I remember thinking how terrifying that must feel — to be told your child needs care, but then hear, ‘That’s not included in your plan.’”
We are overjoyed to celebrate that Alisha recently received her five-year cancer-free clearance!
“What I’m most thankful for,” Ms. Rodriguez told us, “is that UrbanPromise doesn’t just provide health insurance — they provide steady health insurance that meets the needs of employees. There’s a huge difference.”
We remain deeply committed to fully funding the transformative programs that serve children and teens across Camden — while also caring well for the staff members who make that work possible every single day.
Because at UrbanPromise, our people are our programs.
Insurance premiums rise year-over-year and we anticipate that.
This year, UrbanPromise experienced an unprecedented increase of 28% in healthcare costs, $109,000 above our budgeted increase.
That is why I am asking for your help.
Would you consider making a meaningful gift to underwrite this year’s increase in healthcare expenses for our staff and their families?
This new plan costs approximately $2,020 per full-time employee annually ($170 per month, or about $43 per week). Consider covering a week, a month, or a year as we build toward sustainably underwriting these increases year over year.
Every gift will directly provide quality healthcare coverage for the teachers, youth workers, counselors, and administrators who faithfully serve our community every day.
People like Ms. Rodriguez.
Thank you for standing with us.
With gratitude,
Lindsey Markelz
VP of Finance & Development
