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DALLAS, Texas (KXAN) — Studies from the Centers for Disease Control show how the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected communities of color, showing long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put these groups at greater risk. Education can be a contributing factor – which is why some non-profit organizations like Big Thought in Dallas, Texas, are working to close that gap.
It’s been around for more than 30 years and today serves 150,000 children from kindergarten through 12th grade, many from low-income families or marginalized communities.
As president and CEO, Byron Sanders says it’s his mission to continue Big Thought’s efforts aimed at empowering youth. But when the pandemic hit back in March, Sanders questioned his ability to continue that work.
“I think about that date — March 13. It’s seared in my brain — when we went to shelter in place,” Sanders said. “Immediately, we had to make sure we could stabilize our own ship, our team had what they needed to be able to work remotely.”
Making changes — and quickly
Before the pandemic, Big Thought’s efforts were in-person and interactive, including after-school and summer programs on campuses and other places like the Texas State Fair. They had never halted operations, but in a matter of days, Byron and his team had to completely re-think how they would move forward.
A Big Thought volunteer helps children with an activity (Courtesy Big Thought)
A Big Thought volunteer helps children with an activity before the pandemic changed how programs worked (Courtesy Big Thought)
“We were, quite frankly, redesigning ourselves as we went through this. It’s almost an unrecognizable organization,” Sanders said.
As shelter-in-place orders went into effect across the state, Big Thought sent out what it called a “summer needs survey.” It was a short questionnaire asking for families’ concerns. More than 1,100 responded, noting that safety was their top priority, followed by academic progress and financial stress.
Sixty-five percent of respondents also noted they were essential and healthcare workers who had to be on the front lines, so Big Thought wanted to help those families first by obtaining an emergency license to open a child care facility in Dallas’ medical district. |