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27th March 2020

Brian and Adria Sheth Pledge $500,000 Match Grant Challenge To Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area To Meet Immediate Needs Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Austin-based philanthropists Brian and Adria Sheth, founders of The Sheth Sangreal Foundation, pledged a $500,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching grant challenge to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) in support of Club on the Go™, a program that provides vital meals and academic resources to Club members and their families during Club closures caused by COVID-19, as well as funding Club operations as they serve children of local first responders and front-line medical personnel.

The Sheths – supporters of BGCAA and the namesakes for the nonprofit’s Home Club on the Sheth Family Campus – reached out to BGCAA CEO Misti Potter to express concerns about over food insecurity among local youth amid the coronavirus crisis. The Sheths pledged their support for the crucial Club on the Go™ program in the form of dollar-for-dollar matching up to $500,000. Together with BGCAA, they announced the fundraising push on March 27, this matching grant challenge called on Boys & Girls Club supporters and the local Austin-area community to support children in need.

Helping those in need has always been the top priority for The Sheth Sangreal Foundation, but it’s even more important now to abide by the foundation’s mission to “ensure that no one stands alone” during this particularly challenging time for our country and the world.

Funds are also being used to support out-of-school-time care for the children of local first responders, healthcare professionals and front-line workers. These crucial services at the Home Club will begin on March 30, featuring a 1-to-9 staff-to-youth ratio. Services are offered on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., including breakfast, lunch and a daily snack. Space is limited, and to meet immediate needs, the out-of-school-time care is complimentary after a $50 application fee for new members.

Club on the Go™

To support BGCAA, Club on the Go© kits, the BGCAA staff assembling and distributing them, out-of-school-time care and other initiatives that help local youth build great futures, please visit www.bgcaustin.org/donate. With a donation of just $50, you can sponsor a kit for a kid in need.

Each weekly kit includes: 

• Sustainable snacks and 3 to 10 meals that align with USDA nutritional guidelines 
• Themed and DIY activities and supplies for the week, including kits dedicated to academic enrichment, STEM, art, character development and more
• Nutritional and healthy habits tips and recipes  
• Guidelines to help parents keep their children engaged while home
• Updated resource list and contacts for health and social services available throughout the Austin area

For out-of-school-time care at the Home Club for children of first responders and health care professionals, BGCAA will prioritize health and safety above everything else – abiding by operating procedures that adhere to requirements issued by the CDC, the WHO and local health officials, among them: 

• Parental drop-off outside the building
• Temperature checks for the youth upon arrival, during breakfast, lunch and snack time
• Any signs of cold or flu will result in immediate removal from group activities, quarantine and a call to parents for immediate pickup
• Deep cleaning of high-traffic and high-touch areas every 30 minutes

To support BGCAA, Club on the Go™ kits, the BGCAA staff assembling and distributing them, out-of-school-time care and other initiatives that help local youth build great futures, please visit www.bgcaustin.org/donate.