Boys & Girls Club delivers masks, gloves, books and school supplies
In response to the ongoing challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, representatives from the Boys & Girls Club and United Way made a trio of stops in Walworth County last week to deliver a variety of items.
The caravan made its first stop on April 28 at Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn to drop off more than 600 books donated by the Madison Reading Project to support libraries as well as local youth.
The books were to be divided up between several libraries in the county including Aram Public in Delavan, East Troy Community, Lake Geneva Public and Matheson Memorial.
Staff from most of the libraries were present for the book drop off, with the books to be given away to young readers who checkout library materials.
Next on the list of stops was the Walworth County Food Pantry where surgical masks, gloves and several food safety glove dispensers were donated to be shared with pantries in the county.
The glove dispensers emit a puff of air, which opens the glove, allowing people to put their hand in the glove without touching other gloves.
Pantries to receive masks, gloves and glove dispensers include: Harold Johnson Food Pantry; Walworth County Food Pantry; Elkhorn Food Pantry; East Troy Food Pantry; Big Foot Emergency Food Pantry; Lake Geneva Food Pantry; Geneva Lakes Family YMCA.
Essential provider
The final stop for the caravan was the YMCA in Lake Geneva, where 30 backpacks were dropped off. The backpacks contain a variety of school supplies and will be shared with children.
As of April 6, the Geneva Lakes Family YMCA, 203 S. Wells, Lake Geneva, is a host facility as an “Essential Provider of Family Care.” As approved by the state and local municipalities and inline with all safety guidelines, the care will be offered to those individuals that have jobs that have been deemed “essential” during the pandemic and are in need of childcare.
The Essential Childcare program provides care to children ages 3 to 12 during the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The cost is $30 for YMCA members and $40 for the community per day.
“We know an important part of our work at the YMCA is service and I can’t think of a time that the community would need us more,” said Mike Kramp, CEO of the Geneva Lakes Family YMCA.
A couple weeks prior to being designated as an essential provider, the YMCA worked diligently to pinpoint and listen to the needs in the community, staff reported. After Governor Evers “Safer-at-Home” order was announced, those needs became more imminent.
Children of essential employees include, contractors and other staff in vital areas including, but not limited to, health care, long term care, residential care, pharmacy, child care, government operations, and critical infrastructure such as sanitation, transportation, utilities, telecommunications, grocery and food services, supply chain operations, and other sectors as determined by the department.
The YMCA’s state-licensed childcare staff will operate the program as needs dictate. The program will utilize the facility’s standard childcare curriculum and provide active spaces. Since its facilities are closed to the public, it enables usage of multiple facility areas to allow for social distancing between children.
The schedule varies but can include any number of small group activities, arts and crafts, nature walks, and games and science.
While the facility is closed to protect public health, the maintenance team has worked tirelessly at cleaning and sanitizing all areas of the facility. To limit the potential spread of COVID-19, public health regulations have been implemented during this time.
For more information about the essential childcare program, contact Jami Golz, Youth & Family Director, at jami.golz@glymca.org, call 262-248-6211, ext. 26, or visit GenevaLakesYMCA.org/essentialcare.
