Take Action Now!

On Tuesday, July 14th, the Collier County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to decide how to direct the funds our county has received from the CARES Act.  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) is designed to assist local communities as they manage the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Millions of dollars are at stake and Collier County continues to face challenges unlike anything previously encountered. Help us make sure that the children and families of the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County are included in the discussion. 

Boys & Girls Club of Collier County remains committed to:

1.       Getting families back to work.

Boys & Girls Club of Collier County is an integral part of our local economic recovery. Our childcare allows parents to work, recoup lost income, and help our economy rebound, all the while knowing their children are safe and cared for.

2.       Letting no child go hungry.

Food insecurity is a real issue in our community, evidenced by the lines of cars we see whenever we offer free meal services. Since mid-March the Boys & Girls Club has served over 25,000 hot meals to children and families in Collier County both via drive-thru and staff bringing meals into communities who lack transportation. Both our Naples and Immokalee Clubs have served as Harry Chapin Food Bank distribution sites with Boys & Girls Club staff helping to hand out the boxes of food that are literally a lifeline to those in need.

3.       Safety first.

In May, we opened the doors of our Nichols Club in Naples and our Bolch Club in Immokalee, introducing new safety procedures including social distancing, temperature checks, the wearing of masks and numerous additional hygiene and sanitization measures. Doing so provides a safe option for summer and school year childcare, especially for our community’s families that have parents who are first responders, front line and essential employees, and those who are need of somewhere they can trust to bring their children. But these safety measures comes at a much higher cost. This cost is not something we want to pass on to our families.

4.       Getting kids on track academically.

It is not surprising that the “summer slide” is expected to be far more severe in 2020 due to the prolonged absence from classrooms, and it is expected to have a disproportionate impact on the communities we serve. Therefore, our staff is hard at work this summer working to catch kids up as well as preparing for the upcoming school year. Programs are offered both virtually and in-person at the Club at little to no cost to families.

Please help to ensure that Boys & Girls Club of Collier County is able to continue to provide these services for our community by taking ACTION.

What can you do?

Before the meeting on Tuesday, July 14, call members of the Collier County Board of County Commissioners with the following message:

Dear Commissioner ____,

My name is _____ and I am speaking on behalf of thousands of children and working families in Collier County who rely on the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County.

As a Collier County engaged resident, I want to ensure that the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County is able to continue to provide for our community. Their commitment to getting families back to work, getting kids back on track academically, distributing meals, and taking the necessary safety precautions needed to ensure working families have safe summer and after school childcare options show that the Club is doing whatever it takes to ensure the success and livelihood of our community.

I urge you to support Boys & Girls Club of Collier County efforts by including them in the distribution of CARES Act funding.

Thank you for your time.

If you would prefer to send email, email addresses are provided below for copy and pasting.