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Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois Growing Numbers After 2020 Drop

The organization is using masks and social distancing to keep everyone safe during evetns.

With COVID restrictions easing and school back in session, the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois is seeing their numbers grow.

CEO Tina Carpenter said they saw a drop in attendance last year, because there were restrictions on how many kids could be in the building at once.

She said the organization did learn some lessons from the pandemic, especially when it comes to reaching out to kids.

"So one of the things that we're keeping is, if a child doesn't come for a day or two, and that's not usual for them, the social workers or the unit directors are gonna get on the phone, they're going to check in on them," she said. "And that proves very beneficial for our team engagement, and also for the kids noticing, 'hey, they noticed I wasn't there.'"

Carpenter said everyone at the organization is excited to get back to gathering in person.

Steph Whiteside is a Digital Media News Specialist with WSIU radio in Carbondale, Ill. She previously worked as a general reporter at AJ+ and Current TV.
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