Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois host back to school event | Top Stories

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois (BGCCIL) serves more than 1000 kids from Sangamon and Morgan counties.

Their “Back to the Club” event was supported by several community organizations, and offered several free services. Molina Healthcare offered back to school physicals and vaccinations, Central Illinois Foodbank offered free food boxes, Familia Dental gave dental hygiene items, The Barbershop offered free haircuts, and I3 Broadband helped people connect with reliable internet. Event organizers say they are taking a holistic approach to student health as school kicks off. 

“We know that back to school time is super hectic for families,” said Deann French, the Director of Marketing and Resource Development at BGCCIL. “So we thought, let’s get as many people together in one place and make it easy for them and as fluid as possible. So we were very fortunate to partner with a lot of community organizations who are helping us out today.”

A key focus of the event was ensuring children could get their mandatory physicals and vaccines so they could start school on time. Molina Healthcare says getting these procedures complete can be especially difficult for working parents.

“If a child doesn’t get a physical on time, they’re not allowed to go back to school so we want to try and get as many children as we can in for those back to school physicals and vaccinations,” said Tammy Lackland, Manager of Growth and Community Engagement at Molina Healthcare.  

This year, the event featured a table with information and resources about pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Marquita Jones set up the table in honor of her son Eugene Johnson, who died in May at the age of 18 while playing basketball. Johnson says the disease disproportionately impacts young African American men.

“I’m asking mainly African American males through the ages of 16 to 24, especially sports players, to get heart screenings,” said Johnson. “The disease thickens the wall around the heart, so as you are playing any type of sports and running, it’s hard for the oxygen to get through and my son passed out due to that. So I’m asking everyone please get checked it is a silent killer.” 

The BGCCIL is currently accepting registration for new members for the school year. The annual fee is $40, but assistance is available for those who need it.

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