Del Mar Blvd. branch front
The Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena reopened its doors on Monday to Pasadena-area kids – in newly refreshed buildings, thanks to the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. The kids and families arrived to newly painted buildings, and enthusiastic staff ready to welcome them back.
Branch Director James Granados taking staff temperature
“The Webster Foundation’s generosity has allowed us to do some tangible, much-needed repairs and improvements,” said BGCP CEO, Lisa Cavelier. “It went way beyond a new coat of paint to include roof repairs, 1970’s siding removal and stucco replacement, HVAC system clean-ups, and minor landscaping adjustments which our staff helped implement.”
Fair Oaks branch planter with new paint
The timing of the donation from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation hit just as the COVID-19 shutdowns began. With no children in the facilities, the work was efficiently accomplished during the months of April and May. The improvements were completed on the Club’s two main Clubhouses located on North Fair Oaks Avenue and East Del Mar Blvd., as well as a building the Club owns adjacent to the North Fair Oaks property.
The Club’s Summer Session is a greatly modified model. In a “normal” summer, the Club sees more than 600 children and teens in two large facilities. Following all CDC guidelines, this year’s Summer Session is serving 75 children and 15 teens in only one facility, with strict new protocols for drop-off/pick-up, mask-wearing, cleaning, and a 1:10-12 ratio of staff to kids. “It’s very different, but we are pleased to be part of the solution, helping parents who are trying to return to work,” said Cavelier. According to Cavelier, programs during the Summer Session include socially-distanced sports and physical fitness activities, art and STEM projects, as well as mindfulness activities and intensive academic support. The Summer Session will run from June 22 to August 14, ending just before the beginning of the school year for students attending Pasadena Unified School District schools.
