Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos – Bridging the Digital Divide

In a “normal” year, the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos (BGCSM) serves over 4,000 youth members ages 6-18 in after school programs and during school breaks. But, as we all know, 2020 is anything from normal… Today, BGCSM is serving as a Distance Learning Center to meet the critical needs of students and families in the San Marcos community.

“I can’t emphasize enough the important role Boys & Girls Club is playing in our region,” says Cathy Baur, newly appointed President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos. “For our families having our doors open means they can go to work with the reassurance that their children will have the support they need to succeed in online learning and be well cared for by our staff.”

Cathy assumed her new role September 1 after just a 45-day retirement from California State University San Marcos where she was Vice President for University Advancement and had served the campus for 12 years.

“I was compelled to join the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos because I felt it was and could play such an important role in helping bridge the growing educational equity divide,” says Cathy. “It became very apparent as COVID-19 progressed and schools began adopting on-line models that families with means would be augmenting virtual learning by hiring personal tutors, nannies or other types of support – faster internet, better computer systems, etc. For parents who might be struggling financially, those options don’t exist. It started to feel like the speed of your internet might ultimately determine the quality of your child’s education.”

“BGCSM has always been there to support the kids in our region working to help them not only succeed academically but grow into strong leaders for our community. With COVID-19, the team at BGCSM quickly pivoted and came up with plans to support kids and families during this crisis and I feel so honored to be a part of this organization.”

Following only a brief shut down this spring, the Club quickly adapted.  BGCSM launched #VirtualClubhouse to offer daily video activities and virtual mentoring to youth when in-person programs closed due to COVID-19. The Club also served over 25,000 free meals to local families during the health crisis.

In mid-August, the main branch of BGCSM opened as a Distance Learning Center to support working families as San Marcos Unified School District began the new school year with remote instruction. BGCSM staff assist the students with navigating the complexities of on-learning. As a Distance Learning Center, BGCSM is in constant communication with San Marcos Unified School District principals, faculty, social workers and teachers to better adapt its support to meet the needs and expectations of each school in the district.

“BGCSM staff, and even Branch Director, are in direct communication with our teachers and admin to help best support our students. They walk over to pick up materials, troubleshoot technical issues, and discuss ways to better assist students who are struggling. Without them, many students would be home alone (likely not online) or parents would have to stay home causing additional financial hardship. The Boys & Girls Club have been invaluable partners in supporting our school and students, especially during Distance Learning,” said Julie Blide, Assistant Principal at San Marcos Elementary.

Prior to opening, BGCSM implemented an extensive COVID-19 safety plan. The Club enhanced daily cleaning procedures, including adding additional staff focused on safety and cleanliness support. These individuals operate on an hourly schedule with the goal of cleaning commonly touched areas. In addition to an enhanced cleaning routine, BGCSM integrated daily health screenings, temperature checks, and reduced building capacity to ensure a 11:1 youth to staff ratio, which is half the typical program ratio. BGCSM further limits the rotation of students between program spaces to reduce cross contamination. Each of these safety measures is done with staff, students and families safety and health in mind. To date, the Club has avoided any community outbreak of COVID-19.

After the virtual school day ends, students participate in BGCSM traditional after school enrichment programs. These programs focus on strengthening skills in STEM, arts & cooking as well as promoting physical and social-emotional wellness.

BGCSM has also integrated social and emotional wellness support into its weekly Club programming under the full-time Director of Member Impact, who holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. Wellness programming provides students with one-on-one or small group support to process feelings and emotions, encourage healthy coping and connection, and combat isolationism. Students are encouraged to build their capacity for self-esteem, trust and healthy relationship building.

In opening the Distance Learning Center, priority was given to families of first responders and essential workers and a lottery system was utilized to fill the remaining slots. Due to social distancing restrictions, the Club was only able to accept 88 students.

Hundreds are on a wait list to take part in BGCSM Distance Learning Center. Working to address the demand, BGCSM is partnering with North City and California State University San Marcos on a creative solution–expand the Distance Learning Center program to The QUAD (CSUSM student housing), which sits largely unoccupied due to COVID-19. Plans are for BGCSM to utilize classroom space to serve another 30 students. BGCSM is currently working to secure the necessary funding to help serve more families on their waiting list. As San Marcos Unified School District prepares to re-open its on-campus sites, BGCSM is working closely with each school to modify its after-school/hybrid program to best serve students.

COVID-19 has also played havoc with BGCSM funding. Its largest fundraiser was cancelled and revenue from summer day camp programs lost. As an organization, the cost of keeping BGCSM’s doors open has tripled due to enhanced safety measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For all of us, 2020 is a year unlike any other. The Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos is adapting, pivoting and working hard to ensure it still fulfills on its mission to inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.

www.boysgirlsclubsm.org

What is your Mission?

The mission of The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) is to enhance and preserve the quality of life of animals by providing access to necessary medical care and education.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

FACE has recently joined North County Philanthropy Council and we are so excited to be here. We hope to learn from fellow fundraisers and to gain additional insight, skills and networking opportunities. We are also looking forward to strengthening and growing our corporate and community partnerships.

What do you offer to the community?

Established in 2006 by a group of veterinarians and concerned community members, FACE is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial grants for animal owners who are unable to afford the cost of their pet’s emergency or critical care. The goal of FACE is to end economic euthanasia, which happens when a beloved pet is euthanized simply due to the cost of medical care. What started out as a beautiful vision to stop the surrender and euthanasia of beloved family pets has become a supportive center where families in crisis can get a helping hand to save their pets’ lives. FACE grantees are typically low-income families, senior citizens, veterans, military families, students, disabled individuals or hard-working families and individuals who struggle to survive paycheck to paycheck. FACE proudly works with 176 veterinary hospitals throughout San Diego County that generously discount their services for qualified FACE patients by at least 25% and help to fund raise whenever possible. With a tagline of “Saving Pets and Helping Families,” the work at FACE is just as important for the animals we save as it is for the families who are spared the heartbreak of losing their best friend.

Along with providing financial assistance for veterinary care, FACE also has a Community Outreach Program that focuses on connecting under-served pet owners with resources to veterinary care and pet supplies. Since 2016, FACE has partnered with 11 different organizations to serve over 600 pet owners in San Diego County, many of which are experiencing homelessness. We have a commitment to educating our community about animals through our Humane Education Program. We offer a variety of fun and interesting education programs that emphasize the human-animal bond and STEAM topics through hands-on humane education curriculum. Due to the pandemic, we are reaching many more people through online platforms across San Diego County and beyond with our education program. Every month a different topic is discussed about pet care. We listen to feedback and topics are chosen based on what people are asking to learn about such as pet dermatology and dog body language.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months/one year?

In the past six months, keeping up with the changes for our team (events, for example) while maintaining our strong programs that support our community was a big accomplishment for FACE. It is great to know that because we have been able to remain steady, we can still be here as a resource to pet owners who have struggled due to the health crisis. A huge thanks to our supporters for enabling our program’s success.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

Our 9th Invitational Dog-Friendly Golf Tournament is November 16 at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. This tournament allows players to enjoy a day of golf with their furry friends followed by dinner, drinks and prizes – all to support FACE’s lifesaving programs. For more information please visit www.face4pets.org.

What changes have occurred due to COVID-19?

During this past year, as our community continues to adapt to the changes in our daily lives due to COVID-19, FACE has also seen our constituency of grantees change. FACE has seen an increase in applications due to job loss and business closures. Prior to California’s Stay at Home order, 10% of our grantees reported being unemployed in 2020. Now this has increased to an average of over 50% for the past six months.

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it? 

FACE helps families of all backgrounds, and now more than ever we are committed to supporting communities that face disproportional financial barriers, which can limit their access to resources to care for their pets. In our work to help families and save pets, we serve and stand alongside those who have been marginalized. We continue to support humane, fair and compassionate treatment of our fellow humans just as we advocate for the animals.

We seek to listen to, learn from and amplify the voices of those who have not had a seat at the table to improve our organization and our sector. In doing so, we are committed to sharing our processes and encouraging participation along the way from others.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
As an affiliate who specializes in risk management it is great to hear the major concerns of nonprofits of all sizes. NCPC has given me an opportunity to learn things I can share with my clients that shows them I am a student of their industry. I use what I have learned to council nonprofits on best practices and ideas other organizations are using.

What is your Mission?
I love learning about the great things our community organizations are doing to make San Diego, “America’s Finest City!”

What do you offer to the community?
As a specialist in nonprofit insurance, I assist them in identifying their exposures and offering them solutions to protect themselves against those risks.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months/one year?
Having merged with Alliant in 2019, I now have the resources of a large national insurance agency without losing the local agent feel. The best of both worlds!

What changes have occurred due to COVID-19?
I believe crisis creates opportunity for innovation. The pandemic has forced families to find ways to supplement the education of their children. This crisis has hit the inner city families the hardest, with many of them not having the technology necessary to supplement public school education. I have helped several new organizations whose purpose is to help families find top tier education online. Some of these organizations can even offer the equipment/technology necessary to get this type of education. I believe online education has a prominent spot in our future and the pandemic has forced us to advance the progression of this type of education. It is great to be working with organizations who are on the forefront of societal changes!

For more information contact Joseph Giamanco, Vice President, Select Business Solutions at jgiamanco@alliant.com

Kitchens for Good (KFG) is a nonprofit that was founded in 2014 on the belief that all food has power and all people have potential. KFG operates a 20-month certified apprenticeship program that equips individuals with the knife skills and life skills to break the cycle of poverty and launch meaningful careers in the culinary, baking, and hospitality industries. Apprentices–overcoming histories of incarceration, homelessness, and foster care–hone their culinary skills while upcycling rescued food into nutritious meals for hungry San Diegans.  KFG fights food waste by partnering with local farmers and wholesalers to collect cosmetically imperfect and surplus fruits and vegetables. Together, KFG’s culinary apprentices and community volunteers glean, chop, and upcycle this perfectly edible food into wholesome meals.  In partnership with local food assistance organizations, KFG distributes these meals throughout San Diego to people without access to affordable, nutritious food.  This program engages apprentices, who encountered hunger themselves, in a daily opportunity to give back during their culinary training. Through a proven apprenticeship model, the program trains apprentices with industry-informed curriculum, places them into jobs, and then tracks, mentors, and supports them as they progress along a career path and become self-sufficient.

In just 5 years of operation, KFG has enrolled over 400 apprentices and maintained an 85% post-graduation employment rate, 81% of whom received a raise or promotion within 18 months of completing the workforce training. In addition, 238,765 pounds of food were rescued and prepared into approximately 478,715 meals. This year, KFG has shifted resources to meet the increased need for food assistance brought on by COVID-19 with the goal of producing an additional 288,000 meals and training 150 apprentices for careers by next year. Thanks to the support of donors, volunteers, and committed staff, KFG continues to positively impact the San Diego community while ramping up efforts to meet critical needs. For more information on KFG programs, events, and how to donate, please visit: https://kitchensforgood.org/

Founded in 1979, Educational Enrichment Systems’ (EES) mission is to create opportunities for children to become future leaders through quality early education. EES accomplishes this by providing a unique and affordable child development program in an environment designed to meet the social, emotional, physical, and educational needs of the child, as we strengthen and preserve the family and all who influence the life of the child.

EES has grown into one of the largest and most respected non-profit child care providers in the region, operating 23 early education centers across San Diego County from Chula Vista to Vista. Their innovative partnership with Vista Unified School District helps to educate nearly 700 Vista children every year, and over 500 children who began kindergarten in Vista this year were educated at an EES preschool.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, EES has mobilized to provide access to critical resources to the 1,300 San Diego County families it serves. EES has provided hundreds of referrals, addressing a range of needs including rental assistance, food, and diapers. EES’ partnership with Feeding San Diego has resulted in over 25,000 pounds of food distributed to EES families since March, 2020.

For more information about EES, please visit www.educ-enrichment.org.