During this unprecedented time, Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana is working hard to fulfill our mission of serving the kids who need us most. For 50 years now, our organization has welcomed thousands of young people into our Clubs with the goal of providing them with safety, support, and opportunity. In this new chapter, we cannot be limited by thinking that the value of our Clubs exists only in a building or physical space; our impact has always extended far beyond walls.
Despite the current closure of our five physical sites in Lafayette, Abbeville, New Iberia, and Opelousas, the BGC Acadiana team has spent the last few weeks reaching out to our Club families, understanding their needs, connecting them with needed resources, and getting creative with how to deliver the Club experience to our kids where they are. Some of our progress includes:
· Targeted outreach to the families of 824 Club kids
· Ensuring 100% of those contacted have access to adequate food
· Secured the generous donation of 20 Chromebooks to deliver to families lacking devices in their home; currently working to get internet access to those families who indicated lack of connectivity
· Partnering with Iberia Parish School Board and Healthy School Food Collaborative to operate meal distribution to nearly 7,000 students in Iberia Parish
· Partnering with Three O’clock Project to stand up Grab & Go meal distribution sites throughout Lafayette and St. Landry Parishes
· Ready to assist with meal sites in Vermillion parish if needed
· BGCA Virtual Programming being offered to any and all youth able to access it here:
· Resource page on our website: https://www.bgcacadiana.com/covid-19-coronavirus-updates-resources/
Though the timeline of our closure remains undetermined, we are hopeful that we will have the opportunity to operate our summer program, which typically serves 600 to 1,000 kids each day! Until then, we continue adapting and providing enrichment and support from afar. We are proud to serve families in Acadiana and look forward to the next 50 years of service!
