August 2023 // A Community Newsletter

Summer is winding down here at the Goodman Center (and it feels like it only just started!). Our youth programs wrap up next week, and then our staff will spend the last week of August prepping for the school year. Phew! There are always exciting things happening at Goodman! Keep scrolling to see a few highlights of what our teams and participants were up to this summer.

We wrapped up our school supply drive this week, and our staff will welcome families to "shop" for their free supplies next week. We set an ambitious goal this year: provide at least 500 kids with a backpack and the supplies they need to start the year. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of our community! (The photo is just a small sampling of the supplies you donated!)

It's clear you understand how important it is to ensure everyone has the tools they need to be successful. Thank you for stepping up once again!

As we ease into the busy-ness of fall, keep an eye on your email or the Goodman website. We have some great stuff planned, and we want to be sure you hear about it all first. 

P.S. You may have missed this great news: In July we announced that all adult Goodman staff are now making at least $20/hour. Read below to learn more. 

WORK AT GCC



A Living Wage for All Staff

On July 18, Goodman was thrilled to announce a new internal minimum wage of $20/hour. This means all adult staff working for Goodman are now making at least $20/hour.

Why the change? It's simple: it's the right thing to do. Leadership at Goodman know it's important to take care of the people who put so much of themselves into taking care of our community.

Why now? This is something that's been on Letesha's wish list since she started. We were fortunate to get funding from some generous donors – the PRL Keystone Foundation, Leola Culver Family Foundation and David & Nancy Walsh Family Foundation – that made it possible for us to implement this initiative sooner than we thought.

How will we fund this? With support from our community! It will take $2.75 million to cover the first five years. Thanks to those funders mentioned, we've already raised $2 million of that goal. We need your help to get us the rest of the way!

Read more about this initiative here. 

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:

• Middle School Specialist
• High School Manager
• Child Care Substitute Teachers
• Food Pantry LTE
• Girls Inc. Middle School Coordinator
• Girls Inc. STEM Coordinator
• Director of IT 

See all open positions and apply here.

ENROLLMENT



Fall Sports Camps

That's right, it's time to start thinking about fall! Registration is open for our fall FYI camps.

• Mondays: Basketball (K-5th)
• Wednesdays: Soccer (K-5th)
• Fridays: Volleyball (4th-8th)

Camps run Sept. 6 through Oct. 27 and will teach kids the basics of each sport, building skills through a mix of drills and fun games. Each camp will also include conversations about nutrition and encourage kids to make positive choices while building confidence through activity. Scholarships are available to help cover camp fees.

Learn more and register your child here.

PROGRAMS



Happy 100th Birthday, Karl!

Karl has been coming to older adult programming for years, and this July marked his 100th trip around the sun. On his birthday, Karl got to be the star of senior lunch with cake and a round of Happy Birthday sung by the whole room. But not even this amazing milestone could keep Karl from dashing off to bingo to play four cards at once like a true bingo master.

Congratulations on all your days, Karl, and thank you for spending so many of them with Goodman! 

Faces of MAScK, Part 2

This spring, the leaders of Men Always Seeking Change and Knowledge (MAScK) outlined the decades of history between MAScK and its program predecessor Boys' Group, which was started by Barry Davis over 30 years ago when Goodman was the Atwood Center. But having a program history that spans across time and Madison itself isn't all that makes MAScK powerful. The leaders' own histories and identities hold a special key to MAScK's magic.

You can read The Faces of MAScK Part 2: Leading by Example, Learning Through Connection now on our blog.

Buddy System

We love it when ages get to crossover and learn from one another!

A couple of weeks back, preschool's Blue House went on a walking field trip to Olbrich Gardens to see the Blooming Butterflies exhibit. And they weren't alone! Elementary-age friends from Silver and Red rooms joined them and the ages buddied up to walk there together.

Each preschool kiddo was paired with an elementary-age friend. They got to learn from each other and help take care of each other — the picture of community in action! 

Taking the (Theatre) Controls

Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) has been a wonderful partner of our LOFT high school program. This summer, our high schoolers had a chance to tour The Sylvee and learn about the work that really goes into their favorite artists' performances. At the end of the tour, the kids got to take creative control of The Sylvee's MASSIVE lighting board made by ETC.

After a break for lunch, everyone bussed over to Middleton and ventured through ETC's manufacturing building. The skilled folks at ETC then gave the kids a presentation on different career opportunities in the field.

By the end of the day, both field trips had our youth's heads swimming with opportunities and ideas related to the things they love. 

A Big Thanks to Our Summer Interns

There were a lot of new hands on deck this summer thanks to the first-ever Middle School Summer Internship Mentor Program. Ten young adults came together to plan and lead programming both at Goodman and around the Madison area. They also put together an in-house art gallery, a cooking club, made candles and built terrariums, and got to be assistant coaches with the Madison Mavericks. All while being mentored by our full-time staff, fostering new skills and building lasting relationships with their community.

Noah, Jacob, Gloria, Felix, D'Angelo, Siaka, Madison, Peri, Adriell and Adele have been adventurous, dedicated, kind and everything else our middle schoolers needed this summer, and we'll miss having them around our buildings! 

FOOD PROGRAMS



Bucky, Pepsi, Hy-Vee & Goodman

UW athletics has teamed up with Hy-Vee and Pepsi for a very special August promotion benefitting the Goodman food pantry!

For the rest of the month of August, Madison-area Hy-Vees will be collecting donations on behalf of the Goodman Center food pantry. Buy any non-perishable food or toiletry item during your usual shopping trips and drop the donations in the store's designated collection site. Donations are eligible for a free 12-pack of Bucky Cherry Berry Klarbrunn sparkling water (see stores for details).

You can shop at any of the Madison area's four Hy-Vee locations to participate.

Donations will be collected and brought to Goodman by UW athletes (and Bucky, of course) once a week. Happy shopping! 

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

Please note: The Goodman Center and pantry will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 5, for an all-staff meeting. 

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.

OUR BUILDINGS



Upcoming Closures

Goodman will close at 4:30pm on Thursday, Aug. 24, for a volunteer and staff party.

Goodman and its programs and services, including the food pantry and the fitness center, will be closed the following dates:

• Monday, Sept. 4, in observance of Labor Day
• Tuesday, Sept. 5, for an all-staff meeting