At Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC (BGC), we believe that every kid is amazing. And we know that by seeing and hearing them, they’ll believe it too! That is why, for 85 years, BGC has been giving children and youth something they deserve: a place to belong when they aren’t at home or at school. To them, their Club feels like a place where they can hang out with their friends and make new ones – but it’s so much more. It’s a safe place that provides them with three of the things they need most: a sense of belonging, a sense of success, and positive relationships.
BGC helps over 10,000 children, youth and families each year and we rely on community to support the ongoing needs of the people we serve. With that support, BGC will continue to offer engaging and innovative ways to help children and youth reach their full potential during the pandemic and beyond. We rely on the science, data, and advice of experts, and while tuning out the rest of the noise so that we can be clearly focused on what we need to do right now.
Here we are, over a year into changes in our world that none of us saw coming, or really even imagined. And, that means that most of us are having a hard time, in one way or many ways. If we remind ourselves that we’re all in this together, it can be comforting, but the realities that we’re all trying to deal with in our individual, business, and family contexts can overshadow that comfort.
Like all businesses, we’re worried about our sustainability, and our people. We remain confident that we’ll get through this, but the picture of what we’ll look like after is a little more blurry. And that’s where, as always, the community comes in. What we’ve learned during tough times in the past is that the biggest mistake that non-profits and charities can make is to think that donors will stop giving, and so they stop asking. In fact, what that amounts to is us (the non-profit/charity) making that decision for you. At BGC, we believe that our relationships are strong enough to still let you know that we need your help, and to respect that you’ll decide whether you can support us with a financial gift right now or not.
If you are in a position to think about helping us, then here are some things we think you’ll want to know:
- We are continuing to focus on sustaining the individual, authentic relationships we have with our amazing kids and families, and to help them in any way we can. That doesn’t mean we’re trying to be everything to everyone, it means that within our mission, vision, and our core skills, we’re offering belonging, support, and opportunities that kids and families need.
- We’re NOT duplicating efforts of others. As always, we’re partnered with many organizations across our community, and in fact across the country, so that in some cases, we are a conduit for supports that families need.
What does BGC’s incredible impact ‘actually’ look like each day right now? It looks like families getting the support they really need right now and not feeling like they have to do it all on their own. It looks like kids accessing after school and spring break programs where they get to still feel like a kid. It looks like youth connecting with mentors and maintaining healthy ‘in person’ relationships safely with their peers. In short, BGC is committed to ensuring that the pandemic doesn’t limit the potential for children and youth to become the inspiring leaders they were born to be.
We continue to adapt as we need to because we know how vital our programs and services are for families in the Lower Mainland. Despite the pandemic, we’ve been able to continue to give a sense of normalcy and connection. So, even in these challenging times, we’re staying true to our promise of giving thousands of kids and youth (and by association, their families) a safe, supportive place to be in their out-of-school hours. You can help us with that by choosing to make a donation that will help one (or many!) of our amazing kids to have the sense of belonging and connection that is not only good for them, but that they deserve.
For more information or to make a donation, please contact Marcie Mark at mmark@bgcbc.ca or visit our website at bgcbc.ca.