During the week of May 10, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County (BGCDC), in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy and Madison365, will be hosting a week of daily events joined by Dane County community leaders as part of a COVID-19 vaccine awareness campaign. BGCDC aims to increase vaccine awareness for community members and healthcare professionals by addressing the historical and contemporary foundation of hesitancy and dispelling vaccine misinformation. The week will end on Saturday, May 15 with a COVID-19 vaccine clinic.
“We will address the misinformation so that hesitant individuals have facts to fully inform their vaccination decision,” said Dr. Sarah Ghee, chief operating officer of BGCDC. “We all must take steps to increase our own awareness regarding the issue.”
Starting on Monday, May 10, high schoolers and college undergraduates can enter a COVID-19 awareness PSA video competition. Video submissions no longer than 90 seconds with a focus on spreading factual, positive information will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on June 4 with the top three winners being announced on June 16. Competition winners will receive a cash prize and the winning PSA video will be shared locally.
On Tuesday, May 11, BGCDC will be hosting a four-lap walk from 6:00-7:00 p.m. around the Wisconsin State Capitol. Leaders from other local organizations will join and the public is encouraged to attend. Each lap of the walk will represent the campaign’s four goals: raising awareness, addressing concerns, tackling misinformation, and encouraging an informed decision. The first 50 people to attend will receive a free t-shirt.
On Wednesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 13, Madison365 will broadcast two separate townhalls, one for community members and health care professionals, and the second led by youth for youth. The townhalls will include notable doctors and leaders from the BIPOC community. Topics will include historical and contemporary issues regarding vaccine hesitancy in BIPOC communities, the history of vaccines and how vaccines work, a sharing of personal stories, and more. The youth townhall will be composed of questions submitted by youth for healthcare professionals.
On Friday, May 14, BGCDC will host a free cookout at Allied Family Center Boys & Girls Club at 4619 Jenewein Road in Fitchburg from 4:30-5:30 p.m. There will be free resources available regarding COVID-19 vaccines to ensure community members have what they need to inform their vaccination decision.
The week will conclude on Saturday, May 15 with a vaccine clinic from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Allied Family Center Boys & Girls Club at 4619 Jenewein Road, Fitchburg, WI 53711. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be administered to those ages 16 and older by volunteers from Fitchburg Family Pharmacy and UW Madison School of Pharmacy. The second shot will be administered at the same time and location on Saturday, June 5.
For more information about the vaccine awareness week hosted by Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, visit www.bgcdc.org/awareness.
