Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin still open for kids

MOSES LAKE — There are boys and girls at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin, but not nearly as many as usual.

The clubhouse at Park Orchard Elementary School is open and was open all spring as schools statewide were closed to help combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

The summer program starts June 15 — but summer will look a lot different too.

Club director Kim Pope said the club had a partnership with the Moses Lake School District to provide child care during the school year for first responders, emergency services personnel and low-income families with working parents. Kids only were allowed into the club if their parents were working.

The social distancing requirements apply to kids as well as adults. That limited the number of kids who could be at the facility, and will have an effect on the summer program too.

The summer program will be open to the public. “People can come and bring their kids like they normally would during the summer. But again, we’re still limited right now (due to) social distancing, so we can only accommodate about 50 kids,” Pope said.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin operates the clubhouse at Park Orchard and satellite programs at six elementary schools. That includes the longstanding program at North Elementary, as well as sites at Larson, Longview, Lakeview Terrace, Midway and Peninsula elementaries. The satellite locations are closed and will stay closed as long as students are not allowed in the buildings.

The club is a sponsor of the summer meal program, which is available to any young person between 2 and 21 years of age. Participants will be able to pick up meals at the Park Orchard clubhouse and a site on the lawn at North Elementary. (Even though they’re using the lawn, North Elementary is still closed, Pope said.)

“Last year, we gave out between 9,000 and 10,000 meals. I expect it to be that much this year, just because of the economic impact on all these families,” Pope said.

The efforts to fight the pandemic will continue to have an impact during the summer. “It’s very different from what our typical program is,” Pope said.

In a normal summer the main room at the Park Orchard clubhouse is full and kids get to pick their activities. That won’t happen so much this summer. At least while Grant County is still in Phase 2 of the state’s phased reopening plan, kids will have to be at least six feet apart. Children in the same age group will spend a lot of their time together, including meals and recess.

“Our staff has been great,” Pope said. Supervisory roles have changed, with fewer kids assigned to each staff member. Pope estimated expenses for staff have increased about 2.5 times.

“It’s been a challenge. It has been for everybody. Everybody’s life has changed,” Pope said.

While expenses have gone up, it’s been more difficult to raise money to pay those expenses. The annual Duck Derby, typically held in mid-June, has been canceled. The Battle of the Badge, a fundraising softball game between the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Moses Lake Police Department, might — or might not — be rescheduled.

The annual Boys and Girls Club auction traditionally is held in October, but whether it will be in person or online is still to be determined. In the meantime donations are still being solicited for the auction, but Pope said club officials know that 2020 isn’t like other years.

“We are very aware of how other businesses are struggling,” she said. “We will keep that in mind as we solicit donations — that some people can’t do it.”

The club has received one monetary donation for the auction, and that money is being used to purchase items from local businesses that will be included in the auction.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].