12:10 to the Top: Amanda Nuñez United Director The Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Club of Lawton- Fort Sill

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  • Amanda Nuñez United Director The Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Club of Lawton- Fort Sill
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When The Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Club of Lawton-Fort Sill temporarily shut its doors in an effort to help reduce the spreading of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, Amanda Nuñez and her team stepped up to help the community.

Understanding the urgency, through its partnership with Regional Food Bank, the Boys and Girls Club is “providing warm, nutritious meals to those who need it most,” Nuñez said. “We’ve started serving dinner every weekday from 4:30 to 6. That’s just something we can do to give back right now.”

Each child’s prepackaged meal comes with a protein, agrain, vegetables, fruit, and milk. All children ages 4-18 are served, said Nuñez. They do not have to be a member of the club.

Nuñez said the club currently serves between 50 and 75 meals each day. She believes those numbers will increase over the next few weeks.

The Lawton native was named director of the after school outreach program last August and had been working with her team to improve the organization’s facilities, programs, equipment and technology to reach out to more of the city’s youth.

With a goal in mind to modernize the ‘60s-era facility, Nuñez and her team had been cleaning, painting and updating the five classrooms and activities areas.

Over the past eight months, membership has more than doubled for the program, providing activities, mentorship and nutritious meals to its members. Initially the program had 37 students, four staff members and one volunteer.

By March there were 85 members, five staff members, two volunteers running programs and six basketball volunteers, including a familiar face at the Boys and Girls Club, former athletic director Coach Robert Mack.

“Coach Mack continues to volunteer every day,” Nuñez said joyfully.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the organization’s day to day routine, Nuñez and the team remain optimistic about the club’s future.

They have continued their improvements.

“We’ve been working a lot on our building,” she said. “Aesthetically, there were a lot of projects to update for the building, so we’ve worked on those.”

The team has also been using the downtime to evaluate the program as a whole and are receiving training to help “create something truly engaging.”

“We look forward to seeing our kids come back,” she said. “We’re making sure everything is sanitized for when we do get to reopen.”

Although Project Hope, the club’s spring art show fundraiser, has been postponed until a later date, several members of the community have offered to help the club’s efforts, a sentiment Nuñez truly appreciates.

“Not everybody is in a position to give at the moment and we certainly understand that,” she said. “We don’t want to put a burden on anyone. We’ve had a lot of people reach out about ways that they can help support the club at this time, whether it’s donations of food, services, or different supplies we may need.”

As they anxiously await the kids’ expressions as they return, Nuñez and the Boys and Girls Club team will continue making improvements.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride,” Nuñez said. “Knowing what to do and what not to do, but we have a plan in place and can’t wait until they come back to their home away from home.”