As you probably already know, western Washington, where we call home, has been hit hard by COVID. Schools have been closing and our governor has advised restricting in-person gatherings wherever possible. Needless to say, the families who rely on Game to Grow are struggling with how to respond. We serve over 80 kids, teens, and adolescents per week in the greater Seattle area, and most of those youth will be unable to continue to receive the important benefits of Game to Grow services amidst the restriction.
Many of the youth we work with are already very socially isolated, and we want to help them stay connected with each other during this crisis.
As a response, we’ve decided to transition our game-based social groups online. Luckily, during this crisis our game-based social groups can largely be run though the internet via teleconferencing. There are some hurdles to jump in order to make sure we maintain the same high quality of services. We want each child to have the same opportunity to connect with peers, continue the fellowship of adventure, and receive the life-enriching experience of an professionally facilitated collaborative experience.
Unfortunately, transitioning our groups online to maintain our high-quality services will be expensive.
We’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover some of the costs. Help us keep our participants connected to their community in this challenging time.
Please help by making a donation or helping to spread the word!