Tomorrow marks the official last day of summer here at Goodman. Our teen programs wrapped up last week, and our preschool and elementary programs will send kids off to get ready for the school year tomorrow. What a summer it's been! From field trips visiting locations near and far to partnerships with local organizations adding enrichment to our already purposeful programs, kids ages 3 to 19 spent time learning and growing in community with their peers, our staff and our neighbors.

Now it's time to start thinking about getting ready for the new school year. Many of our teachers and direct service staff are taking some much-deserved time off, and then they'll be diving right into professional development, training and planning for the fall.

And of course, our families are getting ready as well. Thanks to the generous support of our partners and community – including YOU – we'll be ready when families start school supply shopping with us next week. We set a goal of providing supplies to 200 kids this year, and wow, did you step up! You showed us what it means to #BeTheGoodMSN and donated enough supplies and money to provide at least 300 kids with a backpack filled with the school supplies they need.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your unending support! Together, we're strengthening lives and securing futures in Madison. I can't wait to see what fall has in store.

Take care,

P.S. I have an important update about the Goodman Center's mask policy. We have required masks in our buildings throughout the pandemic. Starting on Monday, Aug. 22, masks will be recommended, but not required. 

Writing an obituary can be a monumental and stressful task, especially when the author is overwhelmed with grief. Whether you want to write your own obituary or a memorial for someone you love, this workshop is for you.

In addition to general ideas around how to write an obituary for a partner, parent or other family member, this obituary writing workshop will cover what to include, organization of content, how to work with relatives and the funeral home's role.

Our Older Adult Program is excited to introduce this new workshop for ages 50+. Communicating Across Differences is an 8-week session for finding common ground with anyone, anywhere, any time. Compassionate Communication offers tools for reaching across differences, increasing respect and hope, and reducing misunderstandings. In this series participants will use the book Connecting Across Differences by Jane Marantz Connor and Dian Killian.

$20 workshop fee. $16 book purchase. Scholarships and loaner books are available. Seating is limited and registration is required.

Contact Gayle Laszewski at gayle@goodmancenter.org or 608-204-8032 to register.

Girls will get hands-on with our Girls Inc. of Greater Madison program! We're currently planning our STEM after-school club for fall, and we'd love your input.

If you're a parent/caregiver to a 3rd-5th grade girl* attending Lowell or Emerson elementary schools, fill out our input and interest form to let us know what your child is interested in!

We'll add you to our list and send you more info once registration is open. Topics range from robotics to coding to environmental science.

Fit Youth Initiative (FYI) will bring our sports skills camps back! These camps and clinics are a great way for your child to get active, meet new friends, learn some new skills and improve on existing skills. Kids have the chance to participate in basketball, flag football, volleyball and intro to sports.

FYI is committed to accessibility for all. Scholarships are available.

Field trips! Partnerships! Friendships! This summer was epic for our preschool and elementary programs. Kids and teachers ventured out to places like Olbrich Gardens, Henry Vilas Zoo, Aztalan State Park and more. They learned about African dance and drumming with Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble, urban agriculture with our wonderful friends at Troy Garden, and so much more.

And of course, they built deep bonds of friendship with their peers. At Goodman, we have a school family, and it's never more evident than on these long summer days of connection, fun and learning.

Gardening to boat rides, starting small businesses to building forever friendships, it was another summer for the books for our Lussier LOFT middle and high school youth.

Our young people and staff explored locations near and far, got some hands-on experience in the kitchen and garden, and for most of our high school students, got some school credit in the process. They'll be back this fall for another season of learning, growth and fun!

The Goodman Center is hiring! In addition to getting to work with the BEST team around, you'll enjoy unbelievable benefits like 5+ weeks of paid time off in your first year, FREE childcare (yes, free!) for ages 3 and older, super comprehensive health benefits, generous retirement matching and more. 

Current open positions: 

We have to give a BIG thank you to Plymouth Congregational UCC for hosting an epic yard sale, the proceeds of which benefitted our early childhood education program. Parishioners provided the items and managed the sale at the church earlier this month, and they delivered $3,500 to Goodman. Wow! AND, that's on top of the super-generous, 3-year grant of $16,000 that they're already providing.

This year was the first year of the grant, and our childcare team was able to use the money to pay for staff training in Conscious Discipline, as well as supplies for each of our classrooms' safe spaces. Thank you, Plymouth Church!

We did something a little different for our Backpack Drive this year, setting a goal to reach more kids than ever before. We knew we'd need some help to do it, so we called on some community and corporate friends for help.

Thank you to DreamBank, David & Nancy Walsh Foundation, Players Sports Bar, Axley Attorneys and Fiskars for your support!

Thanks to you – and so many from our community – more than 200 kids will have all the supplies they need to start the school year off right.

Goodman's full-service bar is the perfect pairing for your next event: a hosted bar with your company's happy hour, wine with your book club or a mimosa bar with your bridal shower.

Hosting an event at the Goodman Community Center is all about options. We have a variety of bar packages to complement our stylish, industrial interiors and unique, affordable rooms.

We can provide cash or hosted bars in nearly all of our rentals, with experienced bartenders and a fully stocked bar.

Our food pantry is open three days a week to anyone who needs it.

Interested in helping our food pantry serve our community? Check out our list of most-needed items.

Questions? Contact Francesca at francesca@goodmancenter.org or 608-204-8049.

Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) team is an alternative to police in crisis interactions. The city of Madison piloted the program, and it's already seeing success. Learn more.

Have your own #BeTheGoodMSN story? Share it with us here.

Every time we ask, you turn up. To everyone who's donated in the last few weeks, thank you! And if donating isn't something you can do right now, that's ok. Thank you for always being in our corner!

P.S. We have a new and improved online donation system that's incredibly secure, but we are still working out a few functionality kinks. If you make a gift and notice something amiss, please let us know by emailing amie@goodmancenter.org. Thank you!

608.241.1574 | info@goodmancenter.org | goodmancenter.org

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