Exciting VR Experiences Arrive to the Teen Tech Center!
The holiday season has arrived and like always, we take time to pause and reflect on this year. Well, this has certainly been a year full of challenges, but there is much to celebrate and be grateful for. This year, many organizations have had to rethink and reimagine the way we provide our services. We have made changes and adapted in ways we would have never thought possible. That is something to celebrate. Traditionally, the Club is a facility based program, but through innovation and perseverance we have been able to reach the youth who need us most...even in the midst of a health emergency. Through our Club in a Box Home Activity Kit, we have reached over 3,000 youth in Antelope Valley and provided them with hands-on, screen-free, outcome driven activities that foster critical thinking and imagination. We are grateful for the commitment of our partners, The Morningstar Foundation, California Water District, Palmdale School District and many more that make this possible. We are grateful for our partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which during non-pandemic times provide us with meals for our afterschool program. Within week one of the pandemic they quickly pivoted and entrusted us to distribute over 2 million pounds of food right here in the Antelope Valley community. This partnership has impacted thousands of families in the Antelope Valley and continues to provide food to those most impacted by COVID restrictions. We are thankful for our grantors, local businesses, and the countless individuals that continue their support of the Club mission. This year's golf fundraiser was looking like it was going to be cancelled, but a few individuals championed the cause and created a pandemic proof event. The result was an astonishing $40,000 raised for critical youth programs . Thank you, Mike Johnson, Dr. Ric Garrison, and the AVBGC Board for finding unprecedented ways to enrich the lives of our local youth. Enabling all youth, especially those that need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens is the mission the AV Boys & Girls Club staff strive for every day they walk through our doors. We are grateful to our staff who work tireless everyday to help kids create brighter futures. Finally, we are grateful for our Club parents who trust us with the health and safety of their children, and our Club kids who make everything worthwhile! We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, we are grateful for YOU, and look forward to the days we can all be together again. Sincerely, Stacey Cantwell Jay Duke Executive Director Chief Professional Officer
Parenting in the time of COVID-19 brings uncharted territory for families. How do I keep children healthy? How do I answer their questions about the coronavirus? Is my teen sleeping too long? How can we stay calm and manage the stress? Will I ever get 10 minutes to myself? Family stress and emotional strain are on the rise because of the rapidly changing situation with the COVID-19 outbreak. And family members who were already dealing with mental health challenges may experience worsening symptoms. But there are ways to cope. Boys & Girls Clubs of America knows that parents and caregivers may find it challenging to know all the answers, what to say and how to care for their children’s mental health as well as their own. That’s why we’ve created this list of practical resources from experts in family and youth well-being. Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak Focuses on potential emotional reactions and mental health concerns and self-care tips Available in Spanish Stress and Coping: Parents Lists behavior changes to watch for in youth and suggests ways to support them Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese Trauma and Your Family Defines traumatic stress, how common it is, how it can impact a family and things a family can do to cope with traumatic stress Mental Health and Teens: Watch for Danger Sign s Tips for communication, red flags to watch for, potential mental health issues and when and how to get help Available in English and Spanish, and as an audio recording Teen Mental Health Guide for Parents Tips and advice for parents to help teens overcome body image issues, academic anxiety, peer pressure and cyberbullying. About Childhood Grief How to demonstrate understanding and compassion to a grieving child based on research and practice among children's grief support professionals and volunteers Disaster Distress Helpline Call 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish) Text TalkWithUs or Hablanos for Spanish to 66746 (50 states) or Hablanos to 1-787-339-2663 (Puerto Rico) Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741 Free 24/7 support via text for anyone in any type of crisis Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Thank you to T-Mobile for their generous donation of $10,000 to help make sure that families in Antelope Valley receive the support they need during this crises. The funds will be used to help the Club's efforts to distribute emergency food boxes to families in the Antelope Valley area. To date, with the help of T-Mobile and our other partners, the Club has distributed 4,000 boxes of food, or over 100,000 pounds, to families in need from Palmdale, Lancaster, and Mojave. "We are pitching in to make a positive impact. It's all about a future that is brighter for everyone," says T-Mobile. "During this time, the Club is prioritizing the needs of all youth in the Antelope Valley. We know that before COVID, nearly 1 in 3 children were struggling with food insecurity. I'm sure this crises has increased that number. It is so heart-warming to see the support that T-Mobile has given the people right here in Antelope Valley. We are filled with gratitude and because of their support, we will continue to do more for the youth in the Antelope Valley," said AV Boys & Girls Club Executive Director, Stacey Cantwell. Thank you again to T-Mobile for their support!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mary Hewitt 310 303-2869 mhewitt@begreatla.org Sempra Energy Foundation Awards $50,000 Grant to Support the Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs Los Angeles— (April 7, 2020) – The Sempra Energy Foundation has awarded a $50,000 COVID-19 Nonprofit Hardship Fund Grant to the Antelope Valley, Burbank & Greater East Valley, Long Beach, Variety, West Valley and West San Gabriel Valley Boys & Girls Clubs to support their programs for children and their communities during the crisis. This award from Sempra was through the continued partnership with SoCalGas and the Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs. “For many nonprofit organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic is straining resources as demands increase,” said Dennis V. Arriola, board chair of the Sempra Energy Foundation, and executive vice president and group president of Sempra Energy. “The Sempra Energy Foundation grants are helping key organizations serve critical needs for people who need support now more than ever, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Los Angeles County are doing just that.” “With this partnership in place, we are stepping up to provide greater assistance to critical workers like those in health care, public safety and other essential functions, and families in need. This funding will help our Clubs that are open and supporting their communities through their extended operations, online programs, child care, Grab & Go food and more. We appreciate the partnership with Sempra Energy and SoCalGas supporting our dedicated staff members who stand ready to assist during this critical time,” said Executive Director Mary Hewitt of the LA County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs. The Boys & Girls Clubs receiving this donation are providing necessary services and support. With the suspension of schools and workplaces, kids and teens are facing challenges unlike anything previously encountered. Sempra Energy Foundation’s generous support will immediately help ensure these Clubs can continue critical COVID-19 response work. During the crisis, the primary goal of the traditional Club sites is to offer full-day activities to school-age children of first responders, healthcare professionals, essential community personnel, and those parents/guardians who must work to maintain employment. ### About The Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs : The Alliance is made up of 138 Club Locations serving over 130,000 youth ages 6-18 throughout Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs is a unified and collaborative force representing all Clubs with the purpose of securing resources, marketing, state of the art programs, and financial support to further the efforts of individual Clubs and increase the impact and reach in their communities. About Sempra Energy Foundation: The Sempra Energy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation based in San Diego. The Foundation was founded in 2007 by Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy infrastructure company with more than $65 billion in total assets reported in 2019. The Sempra Energy companies' more than 20,000 employees deliver energy with purpose to over 40 million consumers worldwide. As part of the company’s commitment to investing in the communities it serves, the Sempra Energy Foundation and Sempra employees have donated more than $100 million over the past five years. About SoCalGas: Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants. SoCalGas’ vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook. ###