The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County became a feeding site for the community and delivered food to families who did not have transportation in our Goldsboro, Fremont, and Mount Olive communities. We continued to be an open feeding site for the community during the summer months of 2020 and 2021, where we fed not only Summer Camp participants but also any child or teen in the community who needed food. We continued providing food to our Club members each day through Wayne County Public Schools and the CACFP program.
When NC Public Schools closed March 16, 2020, all three Club sites closed. Immediately, staff began planning and training to virtually stay in touch with Club members and families. We initiated online, virtual programming for the nearly 200 youth March 23. We offered virtual meet-ups by age group, Virtual Art Camp, Online Book Club, Teen Meet-Up, and online Cub Scouts. BGCWC Online provided over 240 hours of virtual programming prior to the start of summer camp. We produced 28 videos for Club members with over 300 views on YouTube and an average of 4,500 views on Facebook each month. We provided more than 300 "Learning Kits" to members each week to ensure youth had required supplies for online activities. Staff also made over 200 wellness calls, and participated in online professional development to prepare to safely reopen. Our in-person summer program began June 15. We prioritized families who attended the Clubs throughout the year, as well as families of essential workers, military families, and families who use additional wraparound services and assistance throughout the year.
On August 17, 2020 our Goldsboro Club became a Remote Learning Hub (RLH) in response for children to attend virtual school. We provide academic support, laptops, Wi-Fi and a safe environment. We operated the RLH for 42 weeks, doubling our normal operating hours. RLH hours of operation was 7am-6pm, Monday-Friday. Prior to COVID we opened for after school from 2pm-7pm.