Here at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BBBS), our top priority is always the health and well-being of our Littles, Bigs, Staff, Board Members and Supporters.
We are closely monitoring the spread and impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) within the communities we serve in Service area. We must all join together in the effort to reduce the spread of the virus in our communities and protect those we serve.
To protect the safety of our BBBS community, we have recently taken the following actions:
- Postponed or canceled all BBBS public events such as the Bowl for Kids’ Sake, The Big Draft Trivia Night.
- Advised Bigs and Littles in our community-based mentoring programs to avoid in-person match outings for a 2-week period, until March 27th, and instead communicate via text, phone calls, and emails.
- Closed our PA Monroe, Lycoming and Wilkes- Barre offices until further notice, and allowed BBBS staff to work remotely until March 27th.
- Moved agency meetings with external partners to a virtual format.
We will continue to provide general updates to our Bigs, Families, Partners and Supporters through the following communications channels:
- Periodic agency email communications
- Social media postings
- Website communications
To better enable you to speak about COVID-19 with the young people in your life, including your children and your Little, check out the following resources:
- Child Mind Institute: “Kids worry more when they are kept in the dark,” this site provides concise information for adults to remember and help with talking to youth about Coronavirus.
- com: Short 4 minute video for younger kids that can help explain the virus (it provides good facts to everyone else, too).
- NPR: Good comic that can be shared online, but also printed as a zine which shares facts that are easy to understand.
To make hand washing and social distancing a little more bearable, consider these suggestions:
- Discuss all of the various songs you can sing for 20 seconds while washing your hands. There are so many song choices, like this!
- Try these fun at-home activities
- Be kind to yourself and your loved ones. Household dynamics may shift, so remember, we are all navigating this together despite the distance between us
Below is a current list of our recommended sources for accurate and timely information on COVID-19 updates for both PA and NJ:
We want to ensure the continuity of our business operations and we want to do so thoughtfully. Federal, state, and local governments and public health departments continue to provide additional recommendations to curtail activity. The CDC is now recommending individuals and organizations cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 10 people or more, for the next 8 weeks. We will adhere to additional recommendations and safety precautions as they come.
Thank you for your continued support.