March 24, 2020

Dear Club Families,

I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. I, along with all the members of our team, miss seeing you and having your children and teens with us! I am writing to you today to share a few updates from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington.

Every day in the last few weeks we have faced very difficult decisions and have kept the safety and well-being of your children as our first priority. My promise to you is that we will continue to work hard to find ways to support youth and families in this time of uncertainty.

With this context in mind, we have decided to extend our Club closure through April 24th, 2020 (in line with the school closure). We will continue to assess this situation and think through any options to provide services. As I stated in my previous letter, we will only proceed with delivering our traditional youth services if public health officials deem it safe and advisable to do so.

I understand the difficulties this will create for you and at the same time understand what temporary closure may mean for our community as a whole. I will continue to engage our Boys & Girls Club team to support our community in the ways we can.

While we strive to get back to doing what we do best in our Club facilities and in-person, we are also launching MyBGC Virtual Club – a safe virtual environment based in supportive relationships that encourages young people to explore opportunities, be recognized for who they are and their accomplishments, and to have a little fun. We hope to bring moments of normalcy, laughter, and a listening ear to our Club members through this platform. Keep an eye out in your emails and on our website for more information.

Francisco Bueno

Executive Director