For the past three weeks, staff members at Girls Inc. of Johnson County have been busy putting together a curriculum for their kids.
They’ve developed STEM activities such as creating a volcano using dish soap, vinegar and baking soda. To help girls explore their creativity, the staff came up with a way to make homemade play dough and recipes for edible cookie dough.
Every day, they’ve tried to give their girls something new to learn, explore or accomplish. But where Girls Inc. has typically done this at their Franklin facility, they’re now having to use social media to reach the kids who rely on them.
"We want to be socially responsible for the guidelines to stay safe, but at least by trying to stay connected—posting stuff on Facebook every day—we don’t know any other way to do it," said Sonya Ware-Meguiar, CEO of Girls Inc. of Johnson County.
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The statewide stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 outbreak has forced everyone to reassess and adapt the ways they meet, do businesses and interact with each other. Johnson County nonprofits are no different. The agencies provide vital services to individuals and families throughout the county, services that people rely on to survive.
Organizations may not be able to do everything that they’ve provided before this pandemic took its toll. But they’ve worked to ensure they meet as many needs as possible during this unsettled time.
"The toughest part has been trying to figure out how we’re going to do this, how long this is going to last," said Shana Gilbert, executive director at Youth Connections. "This will change the way we do delivery, even moving forward at this point."
On the website for the United Way of Johnson County, a special tab has been added for people looking for resources during the COVID-19 crisis. Residents in need of help can find a spreadsheet listing everything from food assistance to help dealing with unemployment to ways to get to and from essential businesses if you need transportation.
The document is updated every evening. Opening it up, folks will find that Johnson County Senior Services is still fully functioning, answering questions and arranging help for older adults 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. KIC-IT, which helps youth and young adults who are struggling with homelessness, is available by phone or email.
Adult and Child has continued to provide behavioral health and primary care via telemedicine. They are also accepting new patients.
The list of services and agencies working through the crisis is fluid, and grows every day, said Nancy Lohr Plake, executive director of the United Way of Johnson County.
"We don’t know what agencies are doing, it’s all changing very quickly. That’s how this document started," she said. "It started as one page. It’s now up to eight pages."
At Youth Connections, the office is closed to walk-ins. But the staff has adapted some of its key programs.
The Franklin agency is aimed at helping at-risk youth and families in crisis. Services include working with parents on court-ordered custody evaluation, helping families navigate divorce through its Families in Transition program and providing mentoring to elementary, intermediate and middle school students.
The children’s visitation center provides a safe place for parents who have lost custody but are working to still be in their children’s lives. Safe Place and Host Home focuses on homeless youth and runaways. Other programs raise awareness about human trafficking in the community.
Youth Connections has made adaptations to its Families in Transition class for adults and teens, moving entirely to an online version starting April 11. The class for young kids whose families are going through a divorce has been temporarily halted, as it’s important for those sessions to be held one-on-one with a counselor, Gilbert said.
Family visitations will remain available in April through online visits between parents and kids.
"You really have to maintain that contact between a parent and a child. The longer those parents and youth are apart, the worse it is for the bond to be rebuilt," Gilbert said.
Youth Connections has put together kits with STEM projects, life-skills activities and other fun things families can do at home.
The Safe Place helpline is still up and running, and can direct young people in crisis to the resources they need. Staff members are working from home, but are still answering calls, providing assistance and direction to people.
"If child abuse is going up with people being home, if domestic violence is going on, people need to be able to reach out to us so we can get them the help they need," Gilbert said.
Judy Olds, director of community relations for Youth Connections, knows how vital the services Youth Connections provides is. When Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, she was working in social services in Miami at the time. Dade County, where Miami is located, reported that following the hurricane, calls to the police on spousal abuse increased by 92% in the first 30 days.
"We have to be very cognizant of that possibility during this crisis," Olds said.
For Girls Inc., they closed the doors to their facility when it was announced that schools would be closing. To continue contact with the girls, program director Jennifer Gallegos has created a new activity or program to post online each day.
The outreach has focused on STEM, physical activity, healthy eating and education.
"We’re trying to be creative that way, just to find things for them to do," Ware-Meguiar said.
The organization has also posted about community resources that are available for parents, such as grab-and-go food from the schools, or how to access free wireless internet in library parking lots.
"The governor closed all schools until May 1, and we’re hoping that we truly come back then," Ware-Meguiar said. "We know it’s a hard time for families. They’ve had to be creative through this whole thing."
Beyond immediate concerns for the people they serve, local nonprofits are also concerned about the long-term ramifications of the pandemic. Girls Inc. offers scholarships to families who have financial needs, so no girl has to miss out on its programs.
Ware-Meguiar expects that applications will skyrocket, even after the immediate crisis is over.
"Families need resources and money right now," she said. "Last year, we had the most scholarship applications we ever had, and gave away more than $34,000 in scholarships. And this year, I expect there’s going to be even more."
