Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-20

Feature
Boys And Girls Clubs Of Tampa Bay Rally For Its Children Going Into 2021
MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Like many service organizations, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay had a difficult 2020 due to the pervasive COVID crisis and ensuing eco- nomic breakdown. Julia Freeman, the Director of Advancement had this to say about how the or- ganization was doing as 2021 approaches.
Freeman states, “Everything we are doing is focused on raising the money to keep open and operating. The clubs are a lifeline for many chil- dren and an essential service provider for food and education. Providing hot meals is particularly crucial, for some children it is the only hot meal they will have that day.”
To provide the best care for the children dur- ing the pandemic, Freeman states that the men- tal health of the club workers is key. The workers must be healthy physically and mentally to truly be there for their kids. The generosity of a sponsor allowed them to provide mental health assistance for club workers so they could take on the tremen- dous responsibility. The clubs are following the strictest CDC guidelines, which means that the
Children at the Jeff and Penny Vinik Family Club at Winston Park, celebrating at their holiday party with gifts generously provided by Robert Half.
workers are the only adults allowed in the clubs. The clubs had to shut down in March 2020, along with the rest of the country, but the organ-
ization was able to reopen eight clubs for the en- tire summer school session. It turned out to be a blessing to parents. A lot of the children come from single parent homes where the parent must work. There was no school, no summer camp and parents had no options for their children. The children were able to study and catch up at the clubs.
For 2021, the clubs will be working on a lot of fronts. E-learning and providing meals are fore- most since they provide comfort, accomplish- ment, and a sense of normality. The children can be with their friends at the clubs and the parents can depend on the clubs to keep their children safe while they are at work. Continuing to work with Feed Tampa Bay to provide the hot meals is also high on the list.
Another big goal of the clubs is to stay on top, and ahead of the curve of social justice issues. Freeman sees the seven clubs in Hillsborough County Sheriff substations as a method to share good and reliable law enforcement role models. Deputies assigned to the clubs offer a friendly face, someone who is there for them everyday and working with them to build a future.
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