A monthly newsletter by Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County featuring a letter from our President & CEO, upcoming events and programs, plus recaps from the previous month.

Dear Community Friend and Supporter,

November is Native American Heritage Month, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County is joining Clubs across the nation in celebrating! I invite you to celebrate with us - click HERE to see how you can learn more about and celebrate Native American Heritage Month at home!

As the weather grows colder, I want to thank each and every individual who donated, volunteered, and helped spread the word for our Koats for Kids drive! Together, we EXCEEDED our goal of collecting 5,000 coats, and we distributed them to kids and teens across Dane County over the span of four days at three BGCDC club locations.

This AMAZING event shows what we are capable of when our community comes together and is a great start to our seasonal giving efforts. Mark your calendars, as we have even more events to benefit our community approaching - on Thursday, November 16th, we will be distributing pre-packed meal kits for community members to pick up and cook their own Thanksgiving meal at home. On Thanksgiving day, we will be hosting the Sina Davis Community Meal at our Allied Family Center - stop by and enjoy a cooked meal and fun family activities, or get your meal to go!

Lastly, we will be collecting gifts and monetary donations to ensure each and every one of our members has a bright holiday season. To support our gift drive, drop off board games, toys, and books at any BGCDC club location or participating Walgreens. Click the button below to learn more, donate, or volunteer to support our community holiday events!

Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County is excited to celebrate Native American Heritage Month this November! Our members will be learning about the diverse traditions, histories, and contributions of Native People all month long.

THANK YOU to our donors, staff, partners, and volunteers who contributed to Koats for Kids! We received over 5,000 coats during the drive, and we distributed them across three different BGCDC locations over the span of four days. We also received hundreds of hats and scarves during the drive, many of which were hand-made! Because of YOU, thousands of kids and teens in Dane County will stay warm this winter.

BGCDC is excited to share that the most recent evaluation of the AVID/TOPS program found that the program's primary goal to improve post-secondary participation and achievement has been reached! The findings suggest that AVID/TOPS' culture, community, college preparation, and support during college are driving the program's success in closing postsecondary achievement gaps. AVID/TOPS members at East High School were invited to speak to the press about their experience in the program (pictured above).

"As minorities, we don't see very many people that look like us pursuing the careers we want to go in, going to the colleges that we want to go to. Just being in a group where the people around you look like you and want to do the same things you want to do, and all want to succeed like you. It breaks down those barriers of thinking"

- Anonymous AVID/TOPS Student Participant

Mark your calendars for BGCDC's upcoming Holiday Extravaganza! We'll have a distribution where you can pick up everything you need to make a Thanksgiving Meal at home, a community meal on Thanksgiving, AND MORE!

Give Thanks Meal Distribution, Thursday, November 16th, 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM

• McKenzie Family Boys & Girls Club, 232 Windsor Street, Sun Prairie
• The Erica & Anthony Fleming Boys & Girls Club (formerly the Taft Street Club), 2001 Taft Street, Madison

Sina Davis Community Meal, Thursday, November 23rd, 11:0 AM - 2:00 PM

• The Allied Family Center Boys & Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Road, Fitchburg
• Eat with us OR get your food to go!

Registration for the 2024 Shamrock Shuffle is NOW OPEN! Sign up now and get an early bird discount - no coupon code needed! There will be a timed 10K & 5K run, a 5K walk, and virtual participation options. Medals will be awarded to the top male & female in each age category, and refreshments & snacks will be provided. Students get a 25% discount on your registration fee!

Our Careerforce Build UP! Workplace Soft Skills members learned all about cover letters and resumes last week! Thank you to our guest speaker, Ms. Nicole Frank from Dave Jones, for teaching our members all the ins and outs of these essential documents, and for helping them craft their own cover letters and resumes!

Our preschoolers didn't let the rain last week stop them from having fun! They went outside to splash in the puddles and search for worms! We brought our new worm friends inside to observe how they moved and measure to see which worm was the longest!

Thursday nights are the night to be at the Allied Family Center! University of Wisconsin student Ms. Bella kicked off her first weekly visit with a fun STEM activity, and Officer Amber from the Fitchburg Police Department is stopping by weekly to do fun activities like coloring sheets and crafts!

Parachute Fun at The Erica & Anthony Fleming

Boys & Girls Club

The after-school club members at The Erica & Anthony Fleming Boys & Girls Club had a blast playing together with the big parachute in the gym! This activity has always been a fan-favorite at the club, and members love seeing how long they can stay under the parachute before it deflates!

Exploring Careers at UW Health

Twenty AVID/TOPS members attended a field trip to UW Health this month to participate in the HOPE program and get hands-on experience with healthcare careers! Students got to practice some of the techniques used in the healthcare field and learn about their career options.

From learning how to craft your resume to framing a house, our Careerforce Build UP! programming for the fall has something for everyone! Hone your business and communication skills in the Workplace Soft Skills Club and Entrepreneurship Camp, or gain hands-on experience building a house with Habitat for Humanity! Earn certifications like the OSHA-10 BEFORE you begin a trade apprenticeship in our Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program!

School is back in session, and so is AFTER-SCHOOL CLUB! BGCDC youth after-school club is offered at The Erica & Anthony Fleming Club, Allied Family Center, and McKenzie Family club locations and includes fun field trips, meals, and snacks! Teen after-school club is offered at The Erica & Anthony Fleming Club and the Allied Family Center. Hours vary by location - please click the button below to learn more about youth and teen after-school club and the hours offered at each location.

Did you know that BGCDC offers on-site after-school club at THREE middle schools? Students who attend the Central Heights, Savanna Oaks, and Phoenix Middle schools are eligible to participate in this FREE program! All three locations meet Monday - Thursday every week.

Click the buttons below to fill out the interest form for the on-site afterschool club!

Volunteer at our Holiday Extravaganza Events!

We have FIVE amazing volunteer opportunities this holiday season, and we need YOUR help! We'll be distributing supplies to make a Thanksgiving meal at home (11/16), hosting a community Thanksgiving meal (11/23), Distributing toys with Toys for Tots (12/12), taking families on Target shopping sprees (12/20), AND hosting a gift distribution event (12/21)! These events are GREAT group volunteer activities!

Support BGCDC at the 2023 Holiday Marketplace

The 20th Annual Holiday Marketplace hosted by longtime BGCDC friend and supporter Cindy Ramlet will be held on November 9th from 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM at 7409 Voss Parkway, Middleton. Shop for all kinds of gifts, from upcycled wool mittens to delicious jams, jellies, and preserves! Admission is free, and you will receive a free gift when you donate to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County!

Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County is seeking an enthusiastic individual who wants to make a difference in the lives of youth, families, and our community to join our team! This position will work with youth (5-13 years of age) and adolescents (11-18 years of age) in school and out-of-school environments. This position is responsible for exposing youth to careers in construction through engaging in hands-on activities and programming.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Planning and implementing engaging activities for youth.
• Present construction discussions, demonstrations, and activities in local schools and organizations around Dane County as assigned.
• Ensuring the safety of members and the environment through sight and sound supervision and maintenance of equipment.

Full-Time

Beginning salary starts at $18.00/hour

We need tutors for our AVID/TOPS program! AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) is a college readiness system implemented in Madison Metropolitan middle and high schools. AVID Tutors work with AVID students during the academic school day and are an integral part of the AVID college readiness elective course. 

As a tutor, you'll work with small, student-led groups, model and support the development of inquiry and critical thinking skills, and evaluate the quality of student thinking by grading student work.