Like most organizations, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore had to make considerable adjustments to make sure we could still serve our kids and community once the state invoked a stay-at-home order in March. We are fortunate to have incredible staff who immediately stepped up to the challenge. They created and held 15 hours weekly of virtual programming, continuously called the kids and their families to check in and make sure they were ok, and even made “screen door” visits to their homes while wearing masks and keeping social distance.
None of this would have been possible without the support of many friends and partners who reached out to us to see how they could help. We want to especially thank Amerigroup Foundation, Comcast NBCUniversal, Crown Castle, MileOne Autogroup, Tchernavia Rocker, Under Armour, Truist Bank, Toyota, and over 30 individuals who donated during our COVID fundraiser. Their generosity helped us stay connected to the kids and community that we serve and allowed us to provide devices to families so children could keep up with school and our virtual programming. It also made it possible for us to open one of our clubs to provide childcare to essential workers.
As virtual programming comes to an end and we begin planning for Summer Camp, we want to thank our staff for their dedication, creativity, and resiliency. Also, a big thanks to our partners and everyone who contributed to us during this time, allowing us to serve our kids and families who need us the most.