The COVID-19 crisis has challenged Snohomish County, possibly more than any other community in our state. We’ve seen unemployment, temporary layoffs, business closures and related economic issues. We’ve also seen this pandemic have a tremendous impact on our local schools and the education of our kids.
From school closures to before and after school care, to families not having all the resources for children to actively participate in distance education – it has been a difficult year for our local K-12 students and their families. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County (BGCSC) have dedicated our resources to support them as much as possible.
When schools closed for in-person instruction, BGCSC committed to remaining open to provide a safe and secure place for our youth. Without this commitment, many kids would not have access to technology to attend virtual school. At the same time, many families relied on The Boys & Girls Club for healthy meals during the day. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have served over 1.5 million nutritious meals and snacks.
By partnering with our school districts, we were able to access the grade-appropriate curriculum for those youth who cannot access distance learning. And throughout the year digital class sessions, virtual tutoring, web-based learning in BGCSC computer labs and one-to-one tutoring sessions are just some of the methods that Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County is utilizing to help kids prevent learning loss during these challenging times.
In October, Comcast rolled out a plan to empower community centers like those of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County with robust internet and Wi-Fi resources, dubbed Lift Zones, to help kids connect to their online schooling.
Today, we are excited to unveil our latest update to help get more kids connected to digital learning resources – a new partnership with Comcast Washington.
In October, Comcast rolled out a plan to empower community centers across the country with robust internet and Wi-Fi resources to help kids connect to their online schooling. Dubbed Lift Zones, these are places that city and community organizations run that could use extra Wi-Fi and internet resources at this time.
In the coming weeks, Comcast will equip 12 BGCSC locations with robust Wi-Fi coverage to turn them into official Lift Zone sites. This will help thousands of our local students get online, participate in distance learning, do their homework, and achieve academic success. Lift Zones at the following Clubs will offer a safe and positive place for local students to spend their time before and after school and strengthen our continued efforts to help kids from tough neighborhoods stay out of trouble, stay in school and succeed in life:
- Alderwood Club – 19719 24th Ave W #10, Lynnwood, WA 98036
- Cascade Club – 7600 Cascade Drive, Everett, WA 98203
- Coupeville Club – 203 N. Main Street, Coupeville, WA 98239
- Edmonds Club – 310 6th Ave N, PO Box 172, Edmonds, WA 98020
- Everett Club – 2316 12th St., Everett, WA 98201
- Granite Falls Club – 110 S Alder Ave., Granite Falls, WA 98252
- Bargreen Lake Stevens Club – 1609 E. Lakeshore Dr., Lake Stevens, WA 98258
- Marysville Club – 1010 Beach Ave., Marysville, WA 98270
- Mukilteo Club – 10600 47th Place West, Mukilteo, WA 98275
- Oak Harbor Club – 98 NE Barron Drive, Oak Harbor, WA 98277
- South Everett/Mukilteo Club – 525 West Casino Rd., Everett, WA 98204
- Trailside Club – 1300 100th Pl SE., Everett, WA 98208
We are excited to bring this new Wi-Fi connectivity to life and provide internet resources to kids under our care at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County during these uncertain times.
We believe that these Lift Zones will play a big part in the future of the youth at our clubs. If students are not in school, their school is right in front of them on a laptop. And if they can’t log on and actively participate, they miss out on growing their education. You can learn more about Comcast’s Lift Zone initiative in Washington state by visiting the company’s local blog.
The new Lift Zones are the latest example of Comcast’s ongoing partnership with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County. Last year, we partnered to open a new digital computer lab at the Mukilteo Boys & Girls Club that includes computers, connectivity, and state of the art technology for an immersive learning experience for children to use when not in school.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County is so appreciative of collaborations like this one, and the youth we serve needs support from area business now, more than ever. We need local families and business and community leaders to step forward and provide much-needed funding for scholarships, program supplies, sports equipment, healthy snacks, and more. Be a Kid Champion and support your local Club at bgcsc.org/donate/ or call (425)
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