JUNE/JULY UPDATES

Herald News Covers BGC Joliet's Response to the Pandemic

The economic impact of the pandemic on the non-profit sector has been devastating.

We are incredibly grateful to the Joliet Herald News, specifically, Denise Baran-Unland, for not only covering BGC Joliet's response to the pandemic, but for also covering responses and highlighting general needs from an additional 7 non-profit organizations in the Joliet area.

YOU CAN VIEW THE ARTICLE HERE:

BGC Joliet Launches 2021 In-Person Summer Session

Welcome back!

We had a great launch of our 2021 Summer Session at the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet!

Though things look a little different than previous Summer Sessions, such as our new cohort system and select restrictions in the building/capacity, these methods were absolutely necessary to ensure that youth are kept safe each day, while at the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet.

The changes have also not stopped our members from participating in a variety of activities, enjoying the swimming pool, making new friends, connecting with positive adult staff mentors, and being provided 2 healthy meals each day!

We are also proud to be able to offer the 2021 Summer Session and the last year of alternative program at no charge to our families!

U of I Ext Provides Healthy Habits/Teen Cuisine Programming

In addition to our traditional Summer Session, we are excited to offer 2 "partner programs" this Summer, courtesy of our great friends over at University of Illinois Extension - Grundy, Kankakee, and Will!

-"HEALTHY HABITS": which teaches healthy eating and exercise habits.

-"TEEN CUSINE": which allows youth to learn basic cooking, HANDS ON, in the kitchen!

We owe a tremendous thank you to Ms. V over at University of Illinois Extension - Grundy, Kankakee, and Will for leading these programs for our members this Summer!

Girl Scout Troop Earns "Silver Award" at BGC Joliet

The Boys & Girls Club of Joliet would like to send out a tremendous thank you to our new and amazing friends from Plainfield Girl Scout Troop #71045, for their generous donation of LEGO kits for our Summer Session youth!

This donation represented work done by Troop #71045 to earn their "Silver Award" and they did an outstanding job!

Special shoutout to Bricks & Minifigs - Crest Hill for helping to sponsor this very special project!

Thanks to this thoughtful project, we were able to create a "Lego Room" for the rest of the Summer, where youth are able show off their creativity!

Thank you, Troop #71045 and Bricks & Minifigs - Crest Hill, you truly help us to serve the kids in our community that need us the most!

Rotary Club of Joliet Grant Project a Success at BGC Joliet

Wow, check out this update from our swimming pool project, which was graciously funded by the Rotary Club of Joliet, IL earlier this year!

This project included a full sandblasting of the pool interior, repair of cracks/deficiencies, and a fresh coat of sealant paint.

We are beyond excited for the kids to be able to enjoy this historic attraction once again during our 2021 Summer Session!

We are truly honored and humbled to be chosen as the 2021 Rotary Raffle Recipient from the Rotary Club of Joliet, IL. Your investment will ensure that the swimming pool continues to run strong as the only youth dedicated swimming pool on the East side of Joliet for many years to come!

Thank you for helping us to create #GreatFutures for the youth that need us the most in our community!

Cricket Wireless Provides Family Support Bags to BGC Joliet

The Boys & Girls Club of Joliet would like to send our deepest appreciation to our new friends at Cricket Wireless for their partnership and support for our very first Family Support Bag donation and distribution.

Several members of the Cricket Wireless team, representing different stores in our region, promoted and collected donations for us to give out to our Summer Session families on our first day of program on July 6!

Bags included household items, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and a few surprises!

We truly APPRECIATE your partnership and look forward to collaborating again very soon!

Michael's DC-New Lenox Provides Large Donation of Model Kits

The Boys & Girls Club of Joliet would like to send out yet another tremendous thank you to our great friends at the Michaels Stores Distribution Center in New Lenox, IL for donating and dropping off a massive quantity of brand new model kits for our upcoming 2021 Summer Session!

A few months ago, members of the leadership team, Connie and Richard, also donated and dropped off a tremendous donation of art supplies. It was great to see them again! We truly appreciate their constant support of the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet!

Thank you, Michaels Stores DC New Lenox, you help us to support the kids in our community that need us the most!

BGC Joliet Scout Troop 226 Returns to In-Person Meet Activities

We are beyond excited to announce that our Rainbow Council, Boy Scouts of America Scout Troop and Pack are back to in-person meetings and activities this Summer!

Recently, a group of our awesome Scouts, led by our Boys & Girls Club of Joliet Scout Leader, Nora Briceno, had an absolutely great time on a special hike at Pilcher Park, where they had lots of fresh air and fun and even met a new friend (AKA-Bambi the Deer)!

The Boys & Girls Club of Joliet is able to offer scouting to both boys and girls at no charge, thanks to a partnership with Rainbow Council, Boy Scouts of America, through the Scout Reach Program, which is funded by the United Way of Will County.

If you would like to sign your child up for scouting, we still have room! Contact Nora at (815) 723-3434 if you are interested.

Citgo Refinery Tours BGC Joliet w/United Way of Will County

The Boys & Girls Club of Joliet was thrilled to host individuals from the Citgo Refinery-Lemont and representatives from the United Way of Will County for a tour of our facilities and 2021 Summer Session!

Citgo is an integral partner of the United Way of Will County, who in turn, is a major contributor to the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet and we truly appreciate their support!

BELOW MESSAGE IS FROM THE UNITED WAY OF WILL COUNTY:

"Our friends at Citgo Refinery in Lemont know that prosocial behavior through workplace giving and volunteering positively impacts employee engagement. They also know that engaged employees are more productive, loyal, and more likely to demonstrate leadership in the workplace.

HUGE thanks to our Tour Guides for the day, Executive Director Kahlil Diab of Boys & Girls Club of Joliet and Executive Director Scott Steele of Shady Oaks Camp.

You both run incredible organizations that serve different but equally important Will County residents, and it was our privilege to share in your day."

2021 Annual Campaign

On March 12, 2020, two days before our 2020 Gala and with a building full of children already facing pressing challenges and adversity, the Club made the difficult decision to close the building to kids and cancel the event due to the onset of the COVID 19 Pandemic. The Club is relied on by youth of all backgrounds in the Joliet and surrounding communities for a variety of services, including academic tutoring, mentoring, meal service, and proven high yield activities. The majority of our members reside in homeless shelters, are in the foster care system, or come from single parent homes below the poverty line, so fully ceasing services was simply not an option.

Roughly 75% of the Clubs projected revenue for 2020 was essentially erased or uncertain, so the staff immediately went into high gear and the Club shifted the mission to direct emergency response and distribution mode, in order to provide critical services to Joliet community youth. Through a partnership with the Northern IL Food Bank, the Club was quickly able to begin grab & go meal service to the community via curbside pickup. The Club then utilized a partnership with The United Way of Will County to serve as the Joliet East Side distribution site for PPE during the initial shortage and did the same for essential hygiene products and family items.

This was PHASE 1 of our response. As we approached the Summer months, the Club shifted into PHASE 2 of the response, by leveraging corporate partners for funding and adding programmatic elements to the initial emergency response protocols. The Club was able to partner with T-Mobile, who sponsored the entire 2020 Alternative Summer Session, the first of its kind at BGC Joliet. Staff quickly developed a plan of action for programming and unveiled a multi-faceted alternative model that blends direct hands on activities, via a weekly activity kit, interactive videos of Club staff, and telephone/Zoom mentoring. The blended approach was necessary because a large number of the Clubs members come from the District 86 school district and would not receive take-home laptops until the Fall of 2020.

We then added academic components to the blended Summer programming model, which would become our 2020/21 Alternative Fall/Winter program, utilizing elements of the Summer model, but with the addition of virtual tutoring and academic reinforcement modules. To ease the burden for clients, all membership dues for any type of programming or initiative in 2020 was 100% waived, so that all youth in the community could participate.

The result of the Club's immense efforts in 2020 during the COVID 19 Pandemic garnered a great deal of community and corporate support for BGC Joliet, positioning the Club to enter PHASE 3 of the response in 2021, which is currently on-going and featured a safe and seamless re-opening of the physical Club facility (in accordance with municipal and state health guidelines) in March as an E-Learning Support Center for District 86 students and will now shift into a re-opening of our popular Summer Session, which features the only youth dedicated swimming pool on the East side of Joliet. Further, all member dues have been WAIVED for 2021.

The G.W. Buck Boys & Girls Club is ready, willing, and able to ensure that all youth reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens and we look forward to another strong year of service, as we continue to encourage our youth to fight through adversity and find their GREAT future.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Our "Sponsor Spotlight" for June/July is on the 

JOLIET SLAMMERS!

The Joliet Slammers have been a valued and trusted partner of BGC Joliet since the inception of the team (formerly the Jackhammers) and we truly appreciate their efforts in providing support.

The Joliet Slammers have provided a great deal of support and assistance to BGC Joliet, notably:

-Constant donation of tickets to our youth and families throughout the season.

-Community toy drive (over 5 years strong) to support our Annual Christmas Party.

-Opportunities for youth to participate in events with players and Joliet Slammers staff.

Thank you, JOLIET SLAMMERS, you help us to create Great Futures for youth that need us the most in our community!

UPCOMING EVENTS

What: In-Person 2021 Summer Session

When: July 6-August 13

Where: Boys & Girls Club of Joliet

*The 2021 Summer Session is currently AT CAPACITY. Clients can utilize the waiting list by visiting: www.bgcjoliet.com/summer21

What: 6th Annual Mike Adler Memorial Golf Outing  

When: Sunday, September 26

Where: Inwood Golf Club

*More info will be available SOON at www.bgcjoliet.com