A message from our CEO:
March 23, 2020
BGCCVA Board and Staff,
My pride in our flexibility, innovative spirit and care for members and staff bursts far beyond the walls of this makeshift office. Sadly, we are stuck here in this situation for even longer than we had hoped. Fortunately, however, we have terrific staff and volunteers who won’t let this health crisis keep them from finding new ways to recognize, add skills, celebrate and develop.
This afternoon, Governor Northam determined that schools will be closed through the end of this school year. The direct implication is that effectively, our Clubs will also be closed in the traditional sense. As we continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the Clubs, our policy has been to close when schools close whenever a weather or health reason causes the closure. Our program team is hard at work, continuing to innovate and to connect with members as we enter into the second week of this at-home reality.
What we know now is that our temporary program model (online, provided from distance) will extend through spring break, and also through the end of the traditional school year. We will continue to monitor health and safety guidelines as we determine our next moves.
As for our daily and continuing operations, we are utilizing several strategies in order to stay in touch with families and members, and continue to add to our list, which currently consists of:
1. Calling every current Club household, utilizing available data in our systems.
2. Providing daily content for members to access online and respond to asynchronously.
3. Providing content online synchronously.
4. Planning for distribution of art supplies provided by a partner and volunteer.
5. Providing support for school system food delivery through requested Club resources (parking lots, etc.).
6. Sending “thinking of you” notes to members through staff and community partners.
I am thrilled to say that Club programming has never ceased and is adapting to this virtual model day by day. Currently, our program team is creating a plan that will incorporate both posted program content and live Club sessions for members to join. Engaging families to make them aware of these Club services is a priority this week.
As we continue to hone our virtual Club experience, we remain flexible and committed to strong communication. We all hope this period will conclude quickly, but also realize the need for our steadfast alignment with the safety protocols in place throughout the Commonwealth.
Looking forward to hearing from you about your new reality—we’re all going through major transitions this week and can hopefully be supportive of each other as we discover new ways to operate during this time.
Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
James Pierce
Chief Executive Officer
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia