Boys and Girls Clubs Having Kids Wear Masks to Prepare for School

ST. CLOUD -- Like many organizations, The Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota have been adjusting to the new normal.

The organization slowly started to reopen all of their clubs preregistered families over the last month after COVID-19 shut them down.

Aimee Minnerath is the Marketing Director for the clubs. She says their programming follows a strict set of guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus, including limiting the number of kids per activity, and having staff and kids wear masks.

It's a learning experience, so there has to be reminders to not touch your mask or your face. But our kids have been handling it very well and for the most part we've heard the kids don't mind wearing the mask, especially the younger ones.

Minnerath says they do allow kids to take off their masks when playing outside as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

She says they've been working closely with the area school districts and health officials to determine the best course of action when it comes to returning to school this fall.

In addition, with mass gatherings still somewhat limited, Minnerath says they've also made some changes to how they are holding their annual summer benefit.

We are planning a pretty exciting livestream event, it's going to be August 18th at 7:00 p.m. We are asking people to register for this free event and consider funding the needs for the important programs and services provided by the Boys and Girls Clubs.

This year's theme is called “Whatever It Takes to Build Great Futures,” and will include performances by local musicians and highlight the many ways the organization has stepped up to help the community during the pandemic.

They hope to raise roughly $50,000 to help support their many clubs and programs.