Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 7-30-21

Feature
Sadly The Boys And Girls Clubs Of Tampa Bay Had 4 Catalytic Converters Stolen
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Staff Writer
The Boys and Girls Clubs (BGC) of Tampa Bay have overcome a lot in the past year and a half. Coping with the COVID pandemic and the ancillary problems that went with a national shutdown has taken its toll on non- profits. The BGC is no exception.
Just as the children of BGC were getting ready to start their field trips, five of the six BGC buses were stripped of their catalytic converters.
They are very expensive because of the use of valuable precious metals including platinum and rhodium. They are an easy target because of their location on buses, trucks, and SUVs.
Keith Harris, Vice President - Operations at Boys & Girls Clubs of
Tampa Bay, says the four buses were in the parking lot of the Boys & Girls Clubs and all their catalytic convert- ers had been sawed off. Unfortu- nately, the theft was discovered only one week before BGC field trips were planned. Fortunately, several donors came to the clubs’ aid and provided the money to get the busses fixed.
The bill to replace the converters and repair where they had been sawed off amounted to approximately $8,800. For an organization strug- gling with finding staffing and keep- ing programs going on a budget
constrained by the pandemic, this was a huge blow.
The BCG has not had a fundraiser since 2019. “It was a big hit in terms of money and timing. Children look forward to these field trips. They have been cooped up for 18+ months,” says Harris.
Fortunately, through the hard work of volunteers and mechanics, the busses were fixed with only a one- day delay to the children’s field trips.
Once the word got out, the organ-
ization has received donations to pay for half of the $8,800 cost. The non- profit is still looking for donations for the last half of the repairs, as well as regular donations to help the clubs.
Summer programming ends soon, and the Fall programming begins with the start of the school year on August 10. 2021.
You can help the BGC recoup their costs and support ongoing program- ming by going to https://www.bgc- tampa.org/ways-to-give.
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 3-A