For the third summer in a row, Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside (BGCO) hosted Genentech volunteers to implement Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming with more than 300 campers!
On Tuesday, June 14th, twenty BGCO teens were selected to visit the Genentech Oceanside facility for a tour complete with science experiments alongside Genentech employees. Additionally, on Wednesday, June 15th, thirty Genentech employees volunteered at the Townsite Clubhouse and worked with more than 300 K-12 youth on a variety of STEM experiments. The children had an incredible time as they rotated between three different experiments: “Invisible Marbles” where jelly marbles seemingly disappeared when submerged in water, “Magic Sand”, where special sand, or for the scientist in all of us “hydrophobic sand”, stayed dry when mixed with water, and “Play-Doh Circuit” where children completed electric circuits using Play-Doh and a battery. During these experiments the children were able to ask questions and explore the reasons behind the results they found.
Adults and children alike enjoyed spending the day together and had a wonderful time. After the experiments were complete, Genentech also donated a backpack full of school supplies for each student involved in the day. “BGCO is grateful for local partners like Genentech. Thanks to their support we were able to introduce our youth to a kaleidoscope of career paths and actively engage them in summer learning,” says Jodi Diamond, CEO.
