In From The Cold
This holiday season give a gift that will have lasting impact. At the Club, we remove barriers because... Opportunity Changes Everything!
Dear Friend,
At BGC Kawarthas we know that we are that “third” place for many kids and youth after home and school. For some, this third place is especially vital. We know that children have always had differential access to resources and experiences outside of school depending on their home environment. And evidence suggests that COVID-19 has worsened these existing gaps.
That “third” place – the Club – is more important than ever.
There is a critical need to address gaps in learning. To provide opportunities for experiential learning and engaging activities. To offer connections, mentoring and support in order to reduce the inequalities that widened during the pandemic. Inequalities that will be further exacerbated by a higher cost of living, and potential recession.
A recent study of the impact of our programs on children and youth demonstrates that our participants benefit from the collaboration and leadership skills they learn at BGC Kawarthas, are more physically active, and experience increased confidence from their involvement at the Club. We are working hard to address the long-lasting negative impacts on mental health and overall well-being experienced by children, youth and families in our community.
At BGC Kawarthas we believe in our slogan: No. More. Barriers. We don’t want any family or any child or youth to face barriers in their need to access our programs and services. It’s the reason why you’ve been so generous in past years with our In From the Cold campaign and why we are reaching out to you once again. This campaign is all about creating the capacity to provide full or partial subsidy to those Club kids who need help.
The current economic changes have severely impacted families in our community and studies show that primary caregivers, often women, have been hardest hit. Many have lost income with closed businesses and the increased cost of food and gas that has dramatically reduced their capacity to provide for their families. With these economic impacts we fully anticipate that the need for subsidies for our programs will be greater than ever.
Whether you’re able to offer a one-time gift or join our monthly donor program, you can be confident that your contributions will help children, youth and families who most need it in our community. We need your help to increase our capacity to serve families.
Amy Terrill (Executive Director) Geoff Grier (President, Board of Directors)