The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Over the past year, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor was put to the test. The COVID-19 pandemic closed the Clubs doors temporarily, but when we reopened in December 2020, we did so with a renewed sense of mission.
We recognize the enormous challenges our young people face stemming from being isolated and feeling disconnected during the pandemic. In 2021, the Club hired a full-time social worker as director of social emotional programs to spearhead new initiatives to help our members heal.
Virtual school meant many of our kids fell behind in reading, math and science and, frankly, lost the motivation to learn. To help our members achieve academically, we virtually tutored dozens of our teens as they quarantined at home, keeping them on track to fulfill their academic goals.
Even when we couldn’t see our kids face-to-face, our team worked tirelessly to hold on to relationships with our members, fostering the critical character and leadership skills our young people have worked so hard to build. We created a parent network to provide support, resources and the kind of positive vibes we all needed to see us through the pandemic. And even though doors weren’t open, the Club served more than 96,000 meals and delivered 6,000 take-home activity kits in 2020.
Our recovery efforts were recognized by the Michigan Department of Education in 2021 when the Club received support to introduce program outside our two legacy sites, the Fettig Youth Campus and Joel E. Smilow Teen Center. Summer programming was introduced at satellite sites in Benton Heights and St. Joseph, and a brand new Club extension in partnership with South Haven Public Schools.
Our Boys & Girls Club has never been more critical to the youth of Southwest Michigan than it is right now. We have a responsibility to our kids, to serve more of them, to serve them better, and to invest in them for years to come.