COVID-19 Updates & Announcements
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August 7, 2020 - Program Start Delayed
Attention Parents & Guardians,
Due to the recent decisions made by the local school districts to delay the start of the school year, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club is adjusting our start date plans for our Academic Support Program. Please note we will not start programs on August 19th. We are currently discussing a new program startup date in conjunction with school district start dates which will allow us to open safely. We will release that date soon. We will continue to send you updates via email and social media.
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June 1, 2020 - A Message from Sam Banks
The entire Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club Family is saddened by the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis. Our nation and our Champaign Urbana community has been impacted at every level by the understandable traumatic and emotional event, particularly on people of color, but also on anyone who cares about justice and humanity.
As we face the ramifications of what such a horrific event has on the minds of the youth in our community, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club will continue to be a safe place for youth to find support. We are here to listen to the emotions, fears, and uncertainties that are on the minds of our Club members and any youth who needs us. Our focus will be to provide an emotional outlet and a sense of hope that we can work through this together.
Over the next several days, our staff will be reaching out to our members to organize individual and group chats, to express feelings, asks questions and give guidance to help deal with emotions in positive and productive ways.
We also plan to provide a youth “Hotline” via Zoom for two hours each day the rest of the week. The hotline will be to provide a listening ear and offer guidance and support to our members as well as other youth who might need it.
Information for our current members to access the zoom discussion can be found via our private elementary and teen group pages. If you are not a member and wish to join the discussion, please send us a message. We welcome any and all youth to join.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is to help youth “who need it most”. As our community pulls together in the wake of such tragic events, our Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club family is committed to doing our part to support our members and the community at a time when youth and we all, need it most!
Sam Banks
Executive Director -
May 29, 2020 - DMBGC COVID-19 Response - A Message from CEO Sam Banks
As Illinois begins to move through the phases of reopening the State, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club continues to assess how these changes will impact our operations. We want to ensure that we are keeping our youth, families, and staff, safe at all times. On May 21st, 2020, Governor Pritzker announced that youth centers like ours could reopen with strict guidelines. With this announcement, we have made plans to serve a considerable number of youth, but not at full capacity. Our plans call for us to maintain small groups to ensure that activities provide social distancing, therefore our ratio per room will be 1:9. We will also continue taking the temperatures of all youth and staff who enter our facilities, while limiting guest access, parents, and volunteers. We will continue screening individuals for symptoms and exposure in the previous 14 days, wearing masks, and maintaining strict group settings and sanitation procedures.
So, what does this mean?
Yes, we are open! But while we are limited to small groups, this means that our facilities will only be able to accept a certain number of youth. If you are interested in your child participating, please go to our website at www.dmbgc.org and fill out a membership form. Even if your child previously attended our Clubs, a new membership form will still be necessary for enrollment during this period of time. If the program you are enrolling in has reached its capacity, we will place you on a waiting list and keep you updated.
What will our summer programs look like?
While it is still a priority for our members to have fun this summer, we will also be putting a much greater emphasis on preventing summer learning loss and we will be rolling out engaging high-yield learning activities.
Although field trips will not likely be a part of this year’s summer programming, we plan to bring in as many unique and exciting opportunities as we can. Fun has not been canceled!
When will this change?
Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer for when our Club will return to normal operations. This pandemic has been difficult to predict and has made it impossible to plan and be proactive. We will continue to evaluate the response from our Governor, his task force, and local health officials to determine what steps we will take and when.
We hope to see you all soon, we are eager to get back to doing what we do best; Building Great Futures! In the meantime, be healthy and stay safe.
Sincerely,
Sam Banks
Executive Director -
May 28, 2020 - May Club News
Although the times we are in are uncertain, we remain committed to what matters most- our Kids. A special thank you to all of our generous donors who have given to support our Club and our Kids during these challenging times. Our doors may be closed, but our work has not stopped. Over the last 8 weeks, with your help, we were able to:
- Provide over 150 hours of online activities and programming through our virtual DMBGC on the Go platform via our Facebook page.
- Distribute over 2,000 meals to Kids and families throughout Champaign County, with plans for future distributions.
- Connect with an average of 20 Kids daily via live Zoom calls.
- Make direct calls to over 300 Club member parents or guardians to hear how members and their families are doing.
While we start to return to a new normal, DMBGC plans to re-open our doors to our Kids for summer programming starting Monday, June 15th. With the guidance of our BGCA regional and national staff, local health organizations, and other community partners, we have developed thorough safety and social distancing guidelines to serve 80 elementary Kids safely from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at our Park Street location along with outdoor spaces in the community. We will also serve 50 Teens in the evening until 9:00 PM. We look to forward having the Club return to being a respite and safe place to be for Kids who have been stuck at home for so long.
We continue to be grateful for the support of people like YOU!
All the best,
Sam Banks
Executive Director -
April 9, 2020 - Virtual Club Programming
In an effort to continuously serve our Club members during the closure, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club is providing distance-based, virtual programming for our Club members, through which Club staff will facilitate program activities through online platforms.
Parents: Please click here to learn more and sign our Parent Consent Form.
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April 7, 2020 - DMBGC on the GO Update
Dear Parents & Guardians,
As you know our Club doors are closed, but our programming for youth has not stopped! Our staff has been working tirelessly to provide content for our DMBGC on the GO! platform via our Facebook page. Three videos or activities are posted each weekday including story time, arts & crafts, physical fitness activities, STEM projects, and MORE.
We encourage you to partake in this programming with your child or teen. As an incentive for participation we are implementing a point system and are offering prizes each week! The youth with the most points at the end of each week will be awarded a prize. We realize that an older parent or guardian will need to help our younger members. See details below:
- Like, Comment, or Share a post = 1 point
- Post a picture of your child doing or completing the activity in the comments OR send us a picture privately through FB Messenger or email = 5 points
We hope you are staying safe. Please let us know if there's anything else we can assist you during this time.
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April 1, 2020 - Food Box Distribution Rescheduled
DMBGC will be handing out breakfast & lunch bags along with food boxes on Friday, April 3rd from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM at 201 E. Park Street in Champaign.
Simply pull up to the front of the Club. We ask that you remain in your vehicle, roll down your window to communicate, and pop the trunk for us to place items in. This will help us to adhere to the no contact guidelines.
Bags and boxes will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis.
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March 26, 2020 - Executive Director Update
Dear DMBGC Parent,
During this unprecedented health crisis, our nation is facing more challenges than ever before, and we understand the implications these have on your family. Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club continues to work tirelessly with our partners, local school districts, health care providers, government officials and other organizations to determine how we can best serve Club youth and families now and in the coming weeks.
Because the safety of young people, our staff and volunteers is always our top priority, DMBGC will remain CLOSED until further notice. In working closely with our local school districts, we use decisions made by the districts to determine when the Club will resume services at our sites. We will update you with new information as it becomes available.
Staying connected with our youth and families:
In the meantime, we will continue to offer opportunities for Club members to engage with our DMBGC staff through our DMBGC to GO platform on our social media. Here we will provide learning related programming the following areas; STEM, Reading & Art, and Physical Activities to support them during this extended out of school time. You and your youth can access these activities Monday through Friday via our Facebook page.
Also, over the course of the next few weeks our staff will be reaching out to Club member families to touch base and see how your youth and you are doing. This effort is to stay in touch and try to be of support where possible during these challenging times.Suggestions to consider:
We care about our Club families, and strongly encourage you to continue to follow CDC and local health recommendations to prevent possible exposure or spread of COVID-19.Here are some online resources that you can use with your youth during this out of school time to help them continue to learn and develop while at home. Remember that Xfinity/Comcast is providing free internet service for eligible families during this time of crisis. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity if you can. Apply here by April 30th: https://www.internetessentials.com/covid19
- Scholastic Learn at Home
- Reading Adventure Packs by Reading Rockets
- 150+ Enrichment Activities While Parents and Caregivers Work Remotely
- No Supplies Needed Simple Activities
We hope this information is helpful in letting you know how things are progressing with Don Moyer Boys & Club’s work to support our youth and families during this challenging time. Our thoughts and prayers remain with you as we work through all that is before us, TOGETHER!
Sam Banks
Executive Director -
March 23, 2020 - DMBGC on the GO
Beginning Monday, March 23rd Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club will offer DMBGC on the GO, a fun and engaging virtual program for kids grades K-12.
Check our Facebook page for daily updates from Club staff.
9:30am - Reading & Art
12:30pm - Physical Activity or Game
3:30pm - STEM Activities & Projects -
March 23, 2020 - Food Box Distribution CANCELED
We are saddened to announce that our food box distribution scheduled for TODAY Monday, March 23rd from 1:00-3:00 pm has been canceled. In light of the recent restrictions put in place by our Governor and the CDC we feel this is in the best interest for the safety of our kids & families, who remain our number one priority.
Please follow our Facebook page for updated information - we will continue to post and share resources for kids and families as they become available.
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March 19, 2020 - Food Box Distribution
In partnership with the Tinervin Family Foundation, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club will be distributing free meal boxes to families with school aged children.
If you are in need of meal assistance, we will be distributing food boxes on MONDAY, MARCH 23 from 1:00-3:00 PM. Simply pull up to our 201 E. Park Street, Champaign location and we will hand them to you as you remain in your vehicle. Limit 1 per household. Boxes will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis.
We realize this is a time of uncertainty, and want to assure you our top priority continues to be our Kids. We will continue to communicate with you via email as well as posting updates and resources on our Facebook page.
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March 13, 2020 - Boys & Girls Club After School Programs Suspended
In response to the guidance of national and local health officials, and to actions taken by the Governor and local school districts, DMBGC will be suspending all programming at its Champaign and Rantoul locations until further notice. This includes the Spring Break Camp scheduled for March 16-20. Information on reopening of Club programming will be provided to families by email, phone and through the DMBGC website.