Family finds resources and hope at the Y
When 4J School District announced school would be online due to the global pandemic, Sara McDonald didn’t know how she would manage to ensure her first-grader would engage in school while she worked and studied to be a registered nurse. At the time, the single mother of two young boys was working as a full-time medical assistant in a pediatric clinic and studying part-time through Lane Community College.
“This is what I need,” she says about J.P.’s enrollment in the Y’s youth development program. “I know every day that he went to his Zoom meetings and he turned in his homework. I can focus on family time because I am confident that he had a successful day.”
The switch from an afterschool program to full day created significant financial challenges as well. But the Y’s financial assistance and free lunch and snacks for the kids allows Sara to stay within her budget.
“The Y also takes care of him like he is a member of their family. He is so happy when he goes to the Y,” Sara says. “I am doing OK because of the Y—there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. The only reason we are doing so great is because of the Y.”
