Community stepped up when the going got tough

This might read like a love letter to our community. I am good with that. I cannot thank this community enough for all of you have done for our kids and families during the pandemic. Here at the Erie County branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, we feel blessed to play a role in the community-wide effort to feed, clothe and teach our kids. The people of Sandusky and Erie County should be proud. When our thriving after-school programs at the Teen Center and Ontario Village at Adams had to close because of COVID-19, your support enabled us to serve the kids who need us most. We were one of many local organizations that came together to create a plan for feeding the kids in our community. With the Sandusky City Schools dining services department taking the lead, breakfast and lunch bags were available at 11 sites across the city of Sandusky. Our staff helped distribute more than 14,000 meals over a 10-week period. The distribution also enabled us to remain connected to the families we normally serve in the after-school program. In the summer, we reopened the youth site in the basement of the First Congregational Church, serving about 25 kids a day with social distancing protocols. At the same time, I made it a priority to maintain contact with our older club members, as the Teen Center on Cleveland Road was being renovated. When it became evident our schools would open with virtual learning, our supporters stepped up again. Cash and in-kind donations from the community allowed the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio to convert 15 locations into ClubSmart Learning Centers, where kids in virtual education environments receive in-person and tech help. That meant bringing in high-speed internet, acquiring laptop computers for use by members and hiring additional staff — all of which was done in a 45-day period. In Sandusky, the Teen Center and Osborne Elementary School became learning centers. During the year, local foundations provided grants, allowing us to finish the Teen Center renovation, operate both the ClubSmart and traditional club programs, provide local transit bus passes for teens, help fund our food program and supply seed money to start a Personal Care Closet for teens. You made this happen. Thank you. We still face challenges as we head into 2021. If you would like to help us, here are a few ways: • Consider purchasing an engraved paver that will be installed at the Teen Center. You may want to honor one of the students or teachers who endured this difficult year. For more details, contact my colleague, Jen Lippus, at jlippus@bgcneo.org. • Sponsor our 7th annual Blue Jeans for Blue Doors fundraiser, which is Sept. 16 at Zinc Brasserie. • Make a donation at bgcneo.org. I think hard times demonstrate a community's heart and perseverance. In these hard times, Erie County has clearly passed the test. Thank you.