July 2023 // A Community Newsletter

Dear friends and neighbors,

If you've been out shopping lately, you probably noticed the backpacks and notebooks, glue sticks and scissors that have started popping up in the aisles. The shops are prepping for kids to go back to school, and at Goodman we are too.

September is a time of excitement and anticipation, and for a lot of families, it's also a time of stress, especially these last couple of years. Everything is more expensive, including school supplies.


That's why we're planning to provide hundreds of local kids with a backpack filled with the supplies they need to start the year off right. And we need your help to do it.


Every year, we help our participant families get the supplies they need. That adds up to a little more than 100 kids. Last year, we opened registration for kids from our community too, and with your generosity, we were able to provide more than 400 local kids from Goodman programs and our broader community with supplies. This year, we want to up that number to 500.


It's a big undertaking, but with your support, I know we can do it.


The next time you make a run to Target, Walmart or another local store, could you add a few items from our shopping list to your cart? If you're too busy to shop in person, we've got that covered. Check out our Amazon Wish List or make a financial gift online.


Thanks for supporting local kids and families! 

Take care,
Letesha Nelson 
CEO & Executive Director
Learn More About the Backpack Drive

EVENTS



Goodman Job Fair & Open House

Join us for a job fair and open house to learn more about working at Goodman. Meet staff members from our many departments and programs, learn about our opportunities, ask questions and get to know Goodman from the inside.


We think visitors will see why so many folks find their way to Goodman and keep coming back.


If you know someone in the job hunt, please let them know about this event!


Job Fair & Open House

  • Thursday, July 20
  • 4:30-7pm
  • Goodman Ironworks building


Check out open positions here. 

Girls Inc. One-Day Camp

Girls Inc. of Greater Madison is putting on the event of the summer: The Girls Inc. Family (TGIF) Camp! All girl-identifying and nonbinary youth grades 3-8 (rising) can sign up for a Friday of fun in an environment built for self-love and celebration.


Camp-goers can expect:

  • A dance party
  • Food and snacks
  • An obstacle course
  • Indoor and Outdoor activities
  • A career circus ... and more!


Cost is $5 for community kids and the day is free for Girls Inc. members (get in touch with Jade at jadek@goodmancenter.org if cost is an issue). Activities will be grouped by age when possible. This event is ALL DAY Friday, Aug. 18.


Learn more and register here. 

PROGRAMS



Groceries for Child Care Families

Summer at Goodman is the season of Goodman Groceries, where our preschool and elementary families have the option to receive free kid-friendly groceries each week when they pick up their child(ren). Families fill out a weekly order form where they can choose which items would be helpful to supplement their weekly groceries, use the program to cover all their groceries or skip the week if they have what they need.


Bags are packed by our food pantry staff and volunteers (pictured: food pantry manager Francesca) and are ready to go when families pick up their children.


Thanks to CI Pediatric Therapy Centers, Old National Bank and a grant from the Madison Rotary Foundation for supporting this summer's Goodman Groceries, as well as all of the community support we receive for our food pantry! 

Creative Collaboration

Our LOFT summer shirt is a true collaboration between teens in our program!


The original concept and colored pencil sketch was done by Clara, one of our middle school students, who had the brilliant idea of incorporating everything she loved about summer at Goodman into our logo.


Lily, the communication team's TEENworks intern, put her illustration spin on the sketch, translating it into something that would work on a T-shirt. And the final T-shirt turned out great, beautifully printed by Screen Door Studio on Willy Street.


Each teen in our summer program will get one of these shirts that shows off their peers' talent and creativity! 

Testing the Waters at Olbrich Park

Summer in the Lussier LOFT High School Program has already been FULL of learning, adventure and relationship building.


To kick off the season, our high schoolers went on a walking field trip to Olbrich Park where they took in the Lake Monona views, played basketball and a few even "bravely" 😬 waded out to the buoy at the beach.

A Visit to Troy Gardens

Our preschool Purple House took a trip to Troy Gardens last week, a favorite destination for all of our youth programs.


The kids helped harvest kale that was later used to make a tasty ramen soup. They also got to feed chickens and made a pretty rolled flower craft project.


We love this longtime partnership with Troy Gardens so much, and our program participants do too. 

WORK AT GCC



Make an Impact

The Goodman Center has some of the best benefits in town – no joke. In addition to an incredible health care plan (better than what some much bigger businesses in town offer, we've been told by our staff) and retirement matching, Goodman also offers more than 5 weeks of paid time off in your first year, free child care for kids in preschool and attending Lowell or Emerson elementary schools, and more.


Check out our current open positions and apply today:

  • 4K Lead Teacher
  • Elementary Programs Co-Teacher
  • Child Care Float Teacher
  • Child Care Substitute Teachers
  • Catering Assistant
  • Catering Assistant Chef
  • Community Experience Administrator (Front Desk) 


See all open positions and apply here.

AT THE CENTER



Splash Pad Update

Our splash pad is open! As many of you know, our splash pad opened a little later than normal this year, and it currently has limited hours:


  • Monday thru Thursday, 9am-8pm
  • Friday, 9am-7pm


This year, the splash pad has needed more repairs than in previous years, and one of the things that is being closely monitored is the mechanism that keeps the chemicals balanced. In order to be able to monitor those levels, the splash pad will continue to have limited hours until we're confident that mechanism is working well.


We appreciate the community's patience and understanding as we work to ensure the splash pad is fully functional and safe to use the whole time it's open. We'll post updates on our website and social media accounts as soon as the splash pad returns to weekend hours!


Photo by John Finn 

FOOD PROGRAMS

Fritz Food Pantry

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


Hours:  

  • Tuesday 9:30am to noon, Drive-thru 1-2pm 
  • Wednesday 6-8pm  
  • Thursday 12:30-3pm


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.

❤️ We're so happy you're a part of our community ❤️
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GOODMAN COMMUNITY CENTER
214 Waubesa Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53704
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