Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central North Carolina: Rise to the Challenge | Build Great Futures!
Help us meet the needs of our youth and families who have been most severely impacted by this pandemic. These are challenging times for everyone, but more than ever, the Club is a beacon of hope for kids and families.
RISE TO THE CHALLENGE
As the spread of the novel coronavirus continues to challenge us all and our very way of life, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central North Carolina (BGCNCNC) once again stands tall. Day after day, Clubs show up for our Club members. Everything that we have done throughout this crisis is 100% focused on the health and well-being of our young people. From checking in daily with families, to providing fresh cooked healthy dinner meals, and to fun, challenging, and educational virtual learning experiences.
BGCNCNC is offering a continuum of care for young people that is keeping them connected to their support systems, bringing routine and normalcy to their lives, and facilitating continued learning and advancement. As the school year gets closer, we are preparing the safest course of action for our youth and community.
Our COVID-19 Repsonse:
Effective March 16th, 2020, our clubs closed to after school programming due to COVID-19. Children in our community need our help more than ever before. Throughout the duration of this closure, staff developed action plans and responses to the youth and families we serve, utilizing phone calls, Facebook, Zoom and YouTube. Leaders completed 497 hours of online training covering topics like: Helping Children Grieve, Impact of Loss for both Children and Teens, Abuse Prevention Refresher, De-escalating Concerning Behavior, Building Resiliency in Youth and much more.
As an organization, we have served 7, 269 from April 27th - June 30th, utilizing drive-by and drop off for families. Leaders completed 981 wellness calls over the course of 10 weeks and 44 videos on core programing conducted prior to the delivery of the "Be Great Boxes" Approximately 650 "Be Great Boxes" will have been distributed to 200 members, driving 2,500+ miles to deliver. Each Box contains items that members can use to complete online activities with schedules and zoom links. Some of the activities include homemade lava lamps, LEGO kits, character trait and acts of kindness activities, paper circuits, LED circuit bugs, ballet, yoga, sculpting, and more!
OUR MISSION
At BGCNCNC, our mission is to enable all our youth, especially those who need us most, to become caring, productive, and responsible citizens.
Some of BGCNCNC programs include Passport to Manhood, promoting men's mental and emotional health, Keystone Club, focusing on academic success, career preparation and community service, and SMART Girls, fostering girl empowerment. We serve youth in Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Vance & Warren counties.
BGCNCNC continues to work toward fostering and developing integral experiences in different academic and health fields through teaching, training, and utilizing resource-based curricula. Through dynamic sessions, participatory activities, field trips and mentoring opportunities with young adults, children and teens will explore their own personal self-image, societal attitudes and values: as they build skills for healthy eating choices, staying mentally and physically fit, getting good health care and developing positive relationships with peers and adults.
STAY CONNECTED WITH US
As we all adjust to life with a shelter-in-place mandate, BGCNCNC has had to respond to a massive change in how we offer our services and provide support to our youth and their families as they navigate the challenges this crisis presents. With the school district instituting distance learning for the remaining school year, BGCNCNC’s education team has had to respond rapidly to this change in medium of instruction at school.
LEARNING - We are strengthening our virtual programming to ensure kids are still learning in the out-of-school time through targeted and engaging activities.
SOCIAL SOLUTIONS
Staff members are calling current Club members families at home so they can hear a familiar voice and have someone to talk to during this scary time. Staff are also calling Club members and getting them on small group calls so they can talk with their friends. For kids who do not have cell phones, this can be a lifeline.
-Club members can utilize the online platforms such as Myclubmylife.com, Myfuture.com and bgcncnc.com for safe, social interaction online.
- You can keep up to date with us by following us Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
EMERGE STRONG |Overcoming This Crisis Together
BGCNCNC is launching a fundraising drive to sustain our organization. Our Rise to the Challenge | Build Great Futures Campaign seeks to raise all the critical funds needed. Over the past year, BGCNCNC has served our youth each day and we will continue as we emerge from this crisis.
When we do reopen our doors physically, we will have a huge job ahead of us – to get the kids of Granville, Franklin, Halifax, Vance & Warren counties back on track to their great future. We will have to stem learning losses and make sure kids do not slip through the cracks. Long-term, our Clubs will be vital to rebuilding our community. For parents and families getting back on their feet, our Clubs will save them money when funds have never been tighter, provide a safe place for their children to go while they are working, and offer an evening meal or snack for at no cost. For kids, our Clubs will restore a feeling of safety that has been lost as they face empty grocery store shelves, sick friends and neighbors, school cancellations, and the 24-hour news cycle. Club programs, such as “Power Hour” and “Money Matters,” will get kids back on track. And maybe most importantly, at our Clubs, kids and teens will get to be kids again: playing with friends, spending time with mentors and heroes, watching guest speakers, and going on field trips. Our contribution to kids and families in North Central North Carolina never waivers, and in trying times like these our contribution as an anchor institution with trust and deep relationships in our communities is more important than ever. And, when we emerge from this health crisis and face the social and economic challenges that await us, our Clubs will, again, be there, standing shoulder to shoulder with youth, families and communities. TOGETHER, WE ARE STRONG.