Misson remains but methods may change for Boys and Girls Club

The Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club has served four generations of Maysville youth, and the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the club with an opportunity to expand its outreach to the entire community.

In addition to its mission of providing a safe and enriching experience for children, the club has been involved in food distribution, vaccine clinics and special events. Those initiatives have allowed the club to support hundreds of families to cope with the effects of the coronavirus and the resulting isolation faced by all ages.

“I think all of us at the Boys and Girls Club have been inspired by this opportunity to reach out to areas of the community that are not part of our core mission,” said Caitlin Waddell, executive director, “We normally provide both physical and educational programs for children ages 5-15.”

“These past 14 months have allowed us to broaden our impact,” she said. “The community has always been so supportive of what we do here at the club. It’s an honor to be able to give back and do our part to make the area thrive.”

“We closed our doors on March 13, 2020,” said Waddell, describing the shutdown as the virus spread, “Three days later we handed out more than 200 food boxes to people who were struggling to put food on their tables.”

Waddell said the club had worked for several years with the United Methodist Church Food Ministry in Northern Kentucky.

“They had been providing after-school meals for children since 2015,” said Waddell, “Once we closed, we asked ourselves how we could continue to support those children who need nutritious food on a daily basis.”

Waddell said Rev. Larry Karov and volunteers at the UMC food ministry worked to get a food distribution plan in place practically overnight. The food boxes included shelf-stable meals and were distributed twice a week with enough food to last three-four days.

The meals included snacks, chips and salsa with cheese, cereals, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, whole grain fruit tarts and other USDA-approved items. Waddell, her staff and volunteers provided the manpower.

“We ran out of food that first day, and the need just continued to grow,” said Waddell. Job layoffs, quarantines and food shortages all added to the need for supplemental meals. The boxes were designed to provide breakfast and lunch for children ages 18 and under. Parents simply drove up to the club entrance and stated the number of kids they needed to feed.

In addition to the food items, the boxes included a “Club on the Go” kit with worksheets, puzzles, coloring pages and supplies.

Waddell said the project continued from mid-March until August when some in-person school attendance was allowed, and the club reopened and once again began providing after school meals for kids.

But UMC Food Ministry continues to provide the food boxes which are available at Central Baptist Church on Mondays and at the Food Ministry Kitchen on Forest Avenue on Thursdays.

Once vaccines had been approved in December, the Club was once again seen as an ideal location to provide community outreach.

“I had spoken with Victor McKay and Bridget Lykins at the health department, and we agreed the club would be a perfect facility and location for vaccination clinics,” Waddell said. She said original plans were for drive-up vaccinations, but winter weather and the age of the early vaccine recipients made indoor clinics more practical.

“We reached out to Caitlin early on about utilizing the Boys and Girls Club for our COVID-19 vaccine clinics,” said McKay, director of the Buffalo Trace District Health Department. “She was on-board from the get-go. No questions asked. She simply said: let’s do this.”

McKay said Waddell and her staff were instrumental in assisting with setting up, tearing down and cleaning up after each clinic.

“We started the third week of January and continue to host the clinics whenever called upon,” said Waddell. The clinics normally include several registration desks and several nurses’ stations where the injections are administered.

Waddell said other community partners like Maysville Community and Technical College and Meadowview Regional Medical Center have provided nurses, and there has also been a wealth of volunteers.

The clinics have received widespread praise for professionalism and efficiency.

“We just tried to be open and available,” said Waddell, “Each clinic had its own challenges, but we learned to do it better each time.”

“One would be hard-pressed to find a better partner than Caitlin and the Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club,” said McKay, “The facility is centrally located. Plenty of parking and everyone associated with the club treated the clinics as their own.”

“Thanks to Caitlin and her staff, the health department has been able to administer the “Shot of Hope” to thousands throughout our service area,” he said, “We are and will remain, forever grateful.”

Another opportunity to help alleviate the isolation of quarantine came in August of last year when the Mason County Arts Commission brought the Cincinnati Circus to Maysville.

The unique set-up allowed families to drive through the entrances and parking areas of the club and see circus performers like jugglers, clowns and magicians.

“People were lined up in both directions on Maple Leaf Road,” said Waddell. “It was a great day, and so many parents told us how much they and their children enjoyed getting out and doing something together in the midst of the pandemic.”

And now, Waddell and her staff are looking forward to hosting a Community Day as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Sponsored by CASA in collaboration with DCBS and Comprehend Inc., the event will be a drive-through distribution from 4:30 to 6:30 today, April 30.

“We’ll have different vendors, and we’ll be handing out all sorts of toys and games like jump ropes, bracelets and coloring books” said Waddell, “And we’ll have drawings for great items like scooters and bicycles. There will also be food available.”

This is the third year for the program with past events held in the gymnasium. No reservations are necessary and those interested simply drive to the club facility on Maple Leaf Road.

Waddell said these initiatives have given new purpose to the club and have also provided a chance for many in the area to see the facility, perhaps for the first time.

“I am always amazed at the number of people who have come to the vaccination clinics or the food distribution events and say they have never been in our building,” said Waddell, “This has been a great opportunity for the community and also for us.”

Waddell said it has been phenomenal to open the club to new ideas, and she credits her board of directors for their foresight and their support.

“The pandemic created challenges for everyone,” said Waddell, “My board encouraged me to step up, and they backed me by providing everything we needed.”

During the months of shutdown, the club offered virtual programming including “Zoom Hangouts,” help with homework and Positive Action programming.

“Once school went back into session,” we kept our virtual programming for anyone who stayed virtual and even allowed them to do programming with our in-person members,” said Waddell.

And the mission of the club, founded in 1954, continues. Operation of the club was restarted in late August at a reduced capacity under state guidelines.

Prior to COVID the club averaged 280 kids each day after school. COVID guidelines allow about 110 kids, divided into groups of 10 or less.

“That way, if we should have a case, we can isolate and minimize the number of exposures,” said Waddell, “Our goal is to be COVID cautious.”

Waddell said the club promotes programs such as Smart Moves, Triple Play Healthy Habits, Power Hour (homework help), Positive Action and Brain Gain.

“We just have a ton of fun and kids receive a hot meal and a snack each day,” she said.