Boys & Girls Clubs in Olathe get ‘Lift’ from company that offers tools for success

Connecting and learning are integral to the programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Olathe unit. And now participants will find more of both.

Earlier this year, Comcast established a Lift Zone that provides access to the Internet at the club, located at 520 S. Harrison. In addition, Comcast gave laptops to more than 70 children and a $25,000 matching pledge to support and expand area clubs.

Dred Scott, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, said giving club members access to the Internet is huge. He said during the pandemic many youth were forced to learn from home without needed technology, hardware and infrastructure.

“We found during school district mandated remote learning periods that many of our club members lacked access to WiFi and to quality devices,” Scott said.

To help them with virtual learning, the group started an iPad checkout program, but demand could not always keep up with supply.

“With the laptop donation, club members have at their disposal the tools they need to be successful,” Scott said. “Our seniors were also especially appreciative of the laptop donation because of the need to have their own reliable devices in college.”

The pandemic also contributed to Comcast’s idea of providing Lift Zones, said Nicole Jacobson, Comcast’s director of technical operations.

“Through the pandemic there was a greater need for internet than ever before,” Jacobson said. “Lift Zones were an opportunity to help provide internet for community partners to ensure there was access and enough bandwidth to support so many kids who do not have access to the Internet. It also helped clubs alleviate some of the traffic off their administrative network so that everyone’s internet runs more efficiently.”

There are Lift Zones at two Boys & Girls Clubs in Independence. The impact has been significant, said Tyrone Moore, Independence unit director.

“The experience with connectivity in the club has totally changed the ability for our members to complete homework or any extracurricular activities they may be a part of virtually,” Moore said.

“This can range from having meetings with classmates to virtual tutoring. Some of our kids are a part of youth groups at church and through the Lift Zone, they are able to participate in group meetings while at the Club.”

In addition, Moore said club members and staff play educational games while using the Lift Zone and have viewed information about foreign countries and gone on virtual college tours. The Lift Zone also will be critical for the Olathe club’s “Atomic Blast Summer Enrichment Program” — a STEM-focused educational enrichment program.

Nick Hart, Olathe unit director, said the summer program for youth ages 5 through 18 includes online educational activities.

“The activities involve a high level of youth engagement and motivation,” Hart said.

“Studies show students can lose 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in computation skills over the summer,” Hart said. “Given the interruption of the past two academic years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, successful summer educational programs are even more critical than ever before.”