The past few weeks have brought uncertainty and disruption to all of us. Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County is doing everything we can to ensure the well-being of our Club members, as well as the staff and volunteers who work with the Club. Though the situation around COVID-19 remains fluid, our goal is to continue our mission — to serve the kids who need us the most.
Right now, the kids who need us most are those with parents or guardians who are serving on the frontlines of the pandemic. Our community’s first responders, healthcare workers and others providing critical services cannot choose between staying home with their families and going to work. That is why we have stepped up to give them a safe place to send their kids, so they can head to work knowing their kids are in safe hands.
Working closely with the Larimer County Health Department, Banner Health Systems and many other community partners, we have established two emergency response sites to care for school-aged youth whose parents or guardians are providing critical services during this unprecedented pandemic. One site is in Loveland, the other is in Fort Collins. We have redesigned our safety protocols and standards to ensure we’re following all CDC and local guidelines, including proper social distancing and frequent cleaning.
These two sites require a rededication of our resources, staff time and financial resources. We remain in close and regular contact with local, regional and state health officials and are monitoring the regular updates from the Federal government, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).
Given the significant need from frontline responders, we cannot open these two emergency response sites to our Club members. But we remain committed to ensuring their support through this crisis. With schools closed, we are utilizing digital channels to mitigate learning loss and keep kids engaged with daily activities. Many of our kids rely on schools for daily meals, and our staff are working with food bank distribution to help keep kids fed — and delivering activity packs to keep them engaged and learning.
If you would like to support our efforts during these trying times, click here.