March 18, 2020: A COVID-19 update FROM OUR CEO
An Update for our All-Star Community:
Across the nation, After-School All-Stars programs have temporarily closed, and our staff are hard at work doing everything we can to support our communities through this crisis.
Many of our students and working families do not have a safety net during this unprecedented and difficult time. The impact of school closings spreads far beyond academics –– it means the deprivation of meals, mentors, and a safe place while working parents are not at home.
While shutting down schools is necessary, it comes at a deep personal cost to our students and their overall well-being.
To mitigate the repercussions our programs are experiencing due to this difficult circumstance, our school and district partners are preparing for virtual learning. As we always do, we will continue to align with and compliment the core day approach as we design programs for our All-Stars.
A collaboration between the Program Department and the Regional Leadership will look to design After-School All-Stars’ virtual learning experiences that would include Health and Wellness Programming, Academic Support, Themed Activities, and Family Engagement. We are especially focused on the mental and physical well-being of our students during this time, making Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs more relevant than ever before in addressing the dramatic shifts in our students’ social and academic environments.
Our team will continue to find creative ways to serve our students, all while doing everything we can to contain the virus from spreading so our students can get back to school –– not just for academia, but for personal development and overall quality of life.
This crisis is impacting us all. We need your help to widely implement this virtual learning experience that will keep students safe, learning, and engaged throughout the crisis. Your support will enable our staff to keep serving our students. And, your support ensures we will be ready when school doors open again. Please consider donating today. We can do this together!
Sincerely,
Ben Paul, President & CEO
After-School All-Stars
March 13, 2020: A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO
Dear After-School All-Stars Supporters,
Right now, with a global health crisis rapidly affecting communities across our country, the mission we’ve all embraced at After-School All-Stars is more important than ever. To me, the key phrase from our mission statement is “keep children safe.” As we tackle the weeks and months ahead, our decision-making priorities remain laser-focused on providing our students and staff with a safe and healthy environment.
Across the nation, as some of our programs temporarily close, our staff will be rolling up our sleeves and doing everything we can to support our communities in crisis. Many of our students and families do not have a safety net that allows them to take time off from work, which makes slowing the virus an urgent priority. We’re calling on leaders to work together to mitigate and slow down all new exposures and demonstrate leadership on these issues, and to take a proactive and urgent posture on social isolation. We also need to address the vital support services that students receive in school in addition to academics, such as meal programs.
The communities we serve are in a constant state of vulnerability. At a time like this, that situation is further magnified, and it is critical for our organization to equip our All-Stars with what they need to remain safe and healthy.
To help After-School All-Stars and the communities we serve remain strong and vigilant throughout the pandemic, we need our friends to support us now more than ever.
We will continue to engage with what we CAN control, EQUIP one another to be agents of hope, and ALWAYS believe we will come out stronger.
Sincerely,
Ben Paul, President & CEO
After-School All-Stars
