Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa opening a First Responders Club

5/18/2020

Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Boys & Girls Club will serve children of first responders

DES MOINES, IA—May 15, 2020—Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa (BGCCI) announced Iowa’s first-ever First Responders Club at the Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Club at Drake University, serving children of those working the frontlines of the pandemic.

Beginning Monday, May 18, the Burt Club, located at 25^th St. and Forest Avenue, will open its doors for up to 80 children, kindergarten through fifth grade, of metro area police, fire and EMS workers.

“The board, staff and volunteers of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa feel strongly that we need to do what we can in the midst of this unprecedented time in our history,” said Jodie Warth, CEO of BGCCI. “We are calling on our inner fortitude and resolve to focus on those who need us most. Our dedicated and heroic first responders do not have the option to stay home. They have to be out in the world to take care of us, so we want to give back to them by opening up the Burt Club to provide a clean, safe and fun environment for their children.”

“We are blessed to work in a community where a respected entity like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa is willing to provide a critical service to our first responders,” said Des Moines police Chief Dana Wingert. “Having the facility, staff and operational capacity is one thing. To think of those who serve and reach out in such a meaningful way is truly heartwarming. These are certainly trying times for everyone, but true to form, the Boys & Girls Clubs has once again stepped in to fill a gap.”

The Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Boys & Girls Club at Drake University opened last August. The Club is named after Suzie Glazer Burt and her late husband who passed away in January 2018. It is the second Club in the nation to be situated on a private college campus.

The Burt Club at Drake University is the only Club that is not adjacent to a Des Moines school. All Clubs have been closed since March 12, when Des Moines Public Schools announced that they were closing due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Currently, four other Boys & Girls Club affiliates across the country have opened their club sites for first responders.