Grant awarded to The Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia

The Foundation is pleased to again support the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia (BGCCVA) and their STEM program.

Founded in 1991 and opened in 1992, BGCCVA serves 2,400 boys and girls ages 6-18, residing in Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Orange and Madison for a total of six clubs. Their mission is to “enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens”.

The Grant will  support year-round STEM programming, which is a component of the Club’s plan to provide expanded services in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Among the most pressing needs children are facing to COVID is filling out-of-school time gaps. For the rest of 2020 and well into 2021, schools will primarily be virtual, leaving kids without a place to go and parents unable to return to work. Filling these gaps is critical for ensuring the academic health, mental health and the safety of these kids, as well as allowing parents to go to work and earn a wage. With that in mind, BGCCVA is expanding from the traditional after-school model to provide all-day services from 8:00a to 5:30pm, 4 days a week. Staff will also work a 5th day which will be dedicated to program planning and full scale cleaning. The primary objective of the Club during full day programs is to provide a safe space for kids and to operate as an Academic Support Center for the virtual learning and instruction they receive from school. Led by Boys & Girls Clubs’ full-time STEM specialist, high yield STEM activities will be a key component of the Clubs’ Academic Support Center to help kids stay on track. The grant will help the club fund a full-time STEM specialist, as well as provide programming materials, supplies, and equipment