Boys & Girls Club remains closed, reopening in doubt

Members of the Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club will have to continue receiving club services remotely, at least for the next few weeks. Directors of the local organization, which operates under the umbrella of the M.N.W. Boys & Girls Club of Thomasville, held a virtual joint meeting with board members from Thomasville last week and decided the clubs should remain closed for now.

Stephen Francis, director of the Cairo club, said the group considered the possibility of reopening by June 15, but decided the guidelines were too restrictive, and the club should remain closed for safety reasons.

“Club directors and myself had been discussing the summer program for a number of weeks now, trying to get a feel for what the summer program might look like and obviously considering the pros and cons of whether or not to have a summer program as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic that we are all faced with. Ultimately, the decision to eventually have a summer program or not this year, will be made by the board of directors with input and guidance from the C.E.O., and in the case of the Cairo club, Mr. Francis. As always, safety of kids and staff is the main consideration,” says organization C.E.O. Lee Wagner.

“Our J.R.B.G.C. staff will continue serving as many kids as we can manage through phone and virtual contact,” said Francis. “We are still implementing Boys and Girls Club programs as best as we can during our times of virtual engagement with the kids. The Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club board of directors are also still currently monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely. We will continue to remain optimistic in our process of future planning.” Francis continued, “There will be another safety committee meeting held on June 10 to revisit the proposal for a possible re-opening on July 1. The decisions would, of course, be guided by C.D.C. and local government recommendations.”