A Club for Home

For young people around the city, the move to at-home learning has presented new challenges. Our Club members, living in some of the most economically challenged communities in Chicago, don’t have even the most basic school supplies at home to work on activities and assignments.

Thanks to your support, though, BGCC staff were able to respond quickly by assembling and delivering over 500 A Club for Home kits. These kits were filled with essentials from crayons and construction paper to healthy snacks and cloth face masks. They even included some games to make sure our Club members were finding time to have a little fun.

"It was important that we connected with our members in a meaningful way during these uncertain times. We wanted our actions to have real impact and to let our Club families know that their Clubs are with them," said Katie Rutkowski, BGCC Director of Executive Operations.

BGCC supporters Power Crunch and GLAM 4 GOOD contributed goods included in the first wave of kits, and BGCC plans to deliver 1,000 more with additional health and hygiene items thanks to recent donations from Ulta Beauty, GoGo squeeze, Pepsi and US Cellular.

"Think about when you were a kid, how fun it was to receive a package. Our hope is that we can provide essentials, but also that feeling of excitement and hope that so many of our members truly need during these difficult times," said Jason Vasquez, BGCC Manager of Corporate and Volunteer Relations

Club members definitely were excited to find their very own kit on their doorstep.

"We don't have many art supplies or books at my house, so the Club for Home kit is going to be so much fun!" - Sean, age 9, BGCC member.