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Boys and Girls Club of Green Bay
Making an Impact on the Community
Looking back, it is easy to
understand why Tristan Schuh made the following statement:
"The Boys & Girls Club gave me the desire to
become a better person."
But how did Tristan, a Club
member for eight years, come to such a realization? Aside
from his personal drive and desire, the Boys & Girls Club
of Green Bay provided Tristan the tools and opportunities to
create his own mark in the community.
As a result, Tristan became
president of the teen leadership Keystone Club and in 2004 was
awarded the Club's top honor as its Youth of the Year.
Today, Tristan is 19 years
old and attends UW-Marinette, where he is an active member of
the school's theater department.
Like Tristan, the mission
of the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay has remained the same
for more than 40 years: to enable all young people,
especially those who need it the most, to realize their full
potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
Membership to the Club is
available to children 6-18 years old. Two Clubhouses and
eight After School program extension sites located in Green
Bay's low-income neighborhoods deliver programs daily.
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Members learn
important health and life skills during programs
like the Cavity-Free Zone.
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Recognizing developmental principles, the Club offers program activities in five core areas: Character & Leadership Development; Education & Career Development; Health & Life Skills; Sports, Fitness & Recreation; and The Arts--in addition to providing diverse activities that meet the interests and needs of all young people.
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CLICK to Make An IMPACT
Local executives give
back to their community
More than 30 local
executives have joined forces to create the 2006 Campaign
Cabinet to help raise funds for the Brown County United Way
2006 campaign.
The Campaign Cabinet
represents a joint venture between local businesspeople and
BCUW staff to educate corporate leaders and small business
owners about the social and economic benefits of giving to the
United Way.
"Though they have only
been together for a few weeks, our cabinet is already visiting
with their peers to discuss how to better come together as a
community," said Alicia Van Straten, BCUW campaign
manager. "It's an excellent group of extremely dedicated
professionals. We couldn't have asked for better."
The group is lead by eight
executives appointed by 2006 Campaign Chair Paul Beideman,
president and CEO of Associated Banc-Corp.
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Alicia Van
Straten
BCUW Campaign
Manager.
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In advance of the official 2006 campaign kickoff in mid-September, the cabinet will meet with the representatives of more than 250 businesses involved in the campaign. The meetings, which last roughly an hour, will provide the cabinet with an opportunity to kick start the 2006 campaign by facilitating face-to-face dialogue with local business leaders, Van Straten said.
Make an Impact. GIVE.
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Federal Emergency Food
and Shelter Program increasing rapidly in Brown County
For the past 19 years, the
Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) of Brown County has
provided $1.7 million to local shelters, pantries, utility
assistance and rent payment programs throughout Brown County.
Although the program --
which is funded by a grant from Congress -- as well as other
local programs have been generous, "many lower-class, even
middle-class, families cannot afford the basic necessities to
survive. It is a problem that is increasing
rapidly," said David Nennig, chair of the local EFSP board
and transit director of the Green Bay Metro system.
Nennig's board reports to a
national board based in Alexandria, Virginia, which determines
the highest need and best use of federal funds distributed by
the program.
Brown County has 11
community organizations, known in the program as Local
Recipient Organizations (LROs), which have met federal
qualifications to receive funds.
These include House of
Hope, Family Services, Freedom House, United Hmong
Community Center, Golden House, United Migrant Opportunity Services,
Inc., Oneida Food Pantry, The Salvation Army, Manna for Life, New
Community Shelter, and the Brown County United Way.
Funding for 2006 of
$121,184 is a decrease from the $130,437 allocated in 2005.
Local grants vary for each
LRO. For example, The Salvation Army, the county's largest LRO,
was granted $44,996 while Oneida Pantry, the smallest, was
granted $1,181.
Although a small portion of
the money is geared toward food and pantries, most funding is
allocated toward shelters and helping families with rent and
mortgage payments.
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Each year, thousands of
Brown County's youth are surrounded by temptation and dozens of
choices that, ultimately, can lead to negative, long-term
consequences. These consequences have an impact on not
only the youth making the decision, but also his or her friends
and family.
To combat this trend, the
Brown County United Way's Youth Development Impact Council has
been focusing on how kids can improve their overall decision
making skills.
School attendance has
proven to be the lightning rod.
To more clearly identify
the attendance problem, the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce,
through
its Partners in Education
program, formed an Attendance Task Force to build its Yes,
School Counts community action plan.
To improve the county's
attendance problem, the Attendance Task Force gathered
attendance information from eight of ten school districts.
The results proved to be
staggering.
On average, 47 percent of
middle school students in the Green Bay School District missed
10 or more days or school. High school students, on the
other hand, missed 10 or more days of school for an average of
53 percent.
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