Boys & Girls Club of Janesville

We are excited to announce that we have reached the halfway point of our total Capital Campaign goal in under a year! Check out the article in the Gazette for more information.

Join us by donating today at https://www.bgcjanesville.org/donate-to-the-campaign. All gift sizes make an impact and donations of $1,500 or more will be recognized on our donor wall in the new building.

https://www.gazettextra.com/news/local/boys-girls-club-halfway-to-new-building-fundraising-goal/article_df6a5e5e-45ef-11ef-87dc-0b2951e37306.html

Boys & Girls Club halfway to new building fundraising goal JANESVILLE — The Boys & Girls Club of Janesville says it’s hit the halfway point in fundraising for a new facility.

This week, our elementary program embraced the theme All Around the World 🌏 filled with exciting and educational activities! Members created vibrant masquerade masks, made passports, designed flags, made maracas (using rice, plastic eggs, spoons, and tape), and even tried a variety of candies and treats from different countries.

Our Summer Brain Gain activities included learning about Ghana, where our members made beautiful Kenya Cloth designs, and explored Japanese culture by creating anime characters and various origami animals and shapes. It was a wonderful week filled with creativity, learning, and fun for everyone!

Last but not least, members practiced diligently all week for our talent show where they showcased their talents to families and friends. Member talents ranged from science experiments, singing, rollerskating, and magic tricks to jokes - something for everyone!

Did you know that our ability to learn is affected by how we feel? Research has shown that our emotions affect everything from how we perceive information, how we pay attention, how we remember information and how we solve problems.

Feeling stressed, anxious, fearful or ashamed are the worst emotional states for learning and interferes with remembering information. This is why it is important to create a safe learning environment, something our staff focus on each day for our Club members.

This week was Wet 'n Wild with programming focusing on summer fun ☀️ and playing with water 💧. Club members had a great week playing in the local splash pad, participating in water relay races, and doing art projects.

We combined our Fun Friday with STEM today to make ice cream 🍦. Our teen members led the activity for our younger kids and showed them how to make ice cream by combining cream, salt, vanilla, and sugar and then shaking it in a bag of ice. YUM!

Get out of the house and enjoy summertime in Janesville while supporting local youth! The Main Street Heat on August 11 from 12 -6 pm, will have live music and fun during this first-time community event.

Did you know that our members learn life skills while at the Club? With modern-day challenges brought about by rapidly evolving technology, it is important to equip the younger generation with practical life skills. At the Club our staff help elementary and teen youth learn skills such as time management, building positive relationships, responsible decision-making, communication, positive self-image, and stress management.

Our Club kids love summertime and outdoor activities! They are so excited to check out all of the amazing summer-themed donations from the generous staff and members at Blackhawk Community Credit Union. Thank you to all of the branches and the staff that provided donations.

This week was "Party in the USA" to celebrate the 4th of July. Club members made an American flag using red, white, and blue tissue paper, made fireworks in a jar using food coloring, water, and oil, and created firework paintings with salt, watercolor paint, and glue. We had a special visit from Police Officer Fecher from the Janesville Police Department, who read a book to the kids. Wednesday Club members had a cookout to celebrate the holiday and had fun singing karaoke and participating in gym games. We wrapped up the week by making fruit sparklers with watermelon and blueberries and played a fun 4th of July-themed Kahoot quiz.

We hope you have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Did you know that we have raised almost $6 million for our Capital & Endowment Campaign in under a year? In 2023, we started privately fundraising for our campaign to build a brand-new building on South Jackson Street that will triple our ability to help local elementary and teen youth. In 2024, we launched our campaign to the public and are so close to being at the halfway point with the help of our community.

To contribute to our campaign or keep updated on our progress visit https://www.bgcjanesville.org/about-our-campaign/

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Bill Kennedy. Bill was a cherished member of our community and dedicated supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Janesville. Our Club is a strong organization today because of Bill’s leadership and support over the years. From coaching our Club youth and raising money to build our current facility, to most recently serving as Chair of our Capital & Endowment Campaign. His philanthropy and commitment to helping kids touched the lives of thousands of youth over the years. Bill’s generosity and commitment to the Club and other non-profit organizations have left a permanent mark on our community and he will be greatly missed.

Our thoughts are with Bill’s family and loved ones as we extend our deepest condolences. We are grateful for the opportunity to have known and worked alongside Bill Kennedy. The Club always had a special place in his heart – and he will always have a special place in ours.

Obituary information for William "Bill" Kennedy View William "Bill" Kennedy's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

CommunityVotes - Janesville WI winners have been announced for 2024 and we are excited to be chosen as a platinum winner for after school programs and top pick for childcare services!

Thank you to everyone who voted. We truly appreciate your support!

It has been an exciting week of summer fun here at Club! Some Club members got a chance to take over our Board meeting and got a first-hand experience of how our Board impacts the Club! Board members loved hearing about the Club members and what they love doing in the summer.

We also attempted to make slime this week which was a fun and messy experience for the kids. Throughout the week, members decorated doors which we will vote on for best-decorated door next week. Members also learned about diversity, created their own murals, and worked with clay.

Last but not least, members had a great time at the 2nd annual Public Safety Slash & Cookout event with the Janesville Police Department, Janesville Fire Department, and Rock County Sheriff's Office where they got to have water fights with police officers. Thank you Officer Rocha for organizing such a great event for youth in the community to build relationships with law enforcement and other emergency responders!

What a great learning experience for our teens! Thank you Blackhawk Technical College for partnering with us to prepare the next workforce.

We want to give a huge shout-out to Jose Massas-Caraballo and Massas Investments, LLC for putting such an incredible series together while supporting the Club! The next generation is in great hands in such a strong community. SIGN UP TODAY to be a part of the seminar.

with Massas Transportation LLC

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Did you know it is National Boys & Girls Club Week? This week we are celebrating the impact over 5,000 Clubs make in the lives of youth nationwide. We invite all of our supporters to join us in this celebration by showing your support.

There are many ways to get involved and show support! You can share our social media posts (hashtag ), call us to schedule a tour, or make a donation to help support our programs and services at https://www.bgcjanesville.org/involved/donate.

Your support is crucial in helping us continue to provide a safe and positive environment for young people to learn, grow, and thrive. We appreciate everyone who has helped us continue our passion for helping youth “level up!”

This week our theme is "Adventure Week!" To kick off the week, the kids decorated rocks and enjoyed a nature scavenger hunt. They made sun catchers using paper plates, contact paper, flowers, leaves, and other plants. We were also thrilled to have Police Officer Dawson as a guest reader. Club members made kindness trees and explored their creativity by making clay sculptures.

Today, we have an exciting field trip planned to Nature's Touch Garden Center, where our members will paint their clay sculptures.

CALLING VOLUNTEERS! If you are interested in helping youth out during summer programming, we would love to hear from you. We have a full house with Club members this summer and could use volunteers to help with Club activities, especially from 11:00 am -1:00 pm.

Contact Carly at 608-755-0575 or [email protected]. Must be 18 or older. Background check required for new volunteers.

Hope Lutheran Church Milton, Wisconsin's Pastor John stopped by the Club this week to provide a donation from their congregation to support local youth. Our CEO is looking forward to speaking at their Adult Forum in October, where she will share some campaign updates and our mission! Thank you for supporting our Club and the hundreds of members we serve each year!

Did you know Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 but for many families it’s a well-known time to celebrate liberation and culture? Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. When talking to youth it is important to remember Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and recognizing the perseverance of black people in this country. Having open conversations about the past can help young people process it, build their critical thinking skills, and deepen their empathy and understanding of others.

This week teens have been on the move!

To start off the week, teens visited Skelly's Farm Market to pick some fresh strawberries.🍓We had a great time and can’t wait to make a yummy treat later on in the week! Thank you for having us and for all of the delicious treats.🤗

Today, teens got to do an Automotive Camp with Blackhawk Technical College. This camp was such a great experience for our teens and it was so cool to see the teens be knowledgeable in the field, as well as recognize tools and car parts from our Workforce Development program called Career Launch. As a part of Career Launch, teens get to use VR headsets to complete simulations relating to the career field they choose, and automotive has been one of the top hits!

Teens had the opportunity to complete service checks, change a spare tire, learn how to balance and level tires, check tire pressure and tire tread, raised the vehicles, learned how to use a jack, changed the oil, and more!

It was such an interactive and fun day and we can’t wait to be back! Thank you again for having our group!

This week we celebrated the first day of summer camp where the kids discovered their groups (yellow, green, orange) and participated in a beach ball toss game to get to know each other. We also toured the club to set expectations for each area, and they decorated their cubbies, name tags, and folders. They did a team-building activity involving an egg-and-spoon race and made a paper chain spelling out "team."

We are looking forward to a fun-filled summer with more creative activities and learning.

Did you know that students experience a summer slide when they are not in school? Students, especially those from low-income families, experience learning loss during summer break. Kids lose an average of two months in reading achievement over the summer, causing them to fall almost three grade levels. To help kids keep learning when school is out, our Club uses educational programs during summer camp. Check out the article below to learn more ways to prevent learning loss during the summer.

Thank you United Way Blackhawk Region for helping our local youth continue learning during the summer!

https://www.bgca.org/news-stories/2024/June/5-ways-to-stop-the-summer-slide-and-help-kids-keep-learning/

Summer camp at the Club kicks off tomorrow and we are so excited! Staff have been busy preparing for the elementary and teen members by getting the Club organized and cleaned and going through staff training. Staff are talking about the Club's mission, and our commitment to youth, trauma informed practices, positive child behavior guidance, teambuilding, active supervision, and safety procedures to ensure a successful and fun summer for our Club members.

What a great day Sunday! Thank you to staff and everyone who came to Mocha Moment and helped us raise awareness and donations for our Capital & Endowment Campaign, "Building Great Futures for Our Youth & Community." The love and support of our community was amazing!

Thank you for sharing the love on social media and congratulations to our raffle basket winner Britten Langfoss!

Coffee for kids. Mocha Moment coffee shop donates day's profits to Boys & Girls Club campaign JANESVILLE – With a full house Sunday, on a day it would normally be closed, a coffee shop on Janesville’s southside was buzzing with customers for a cause. All of

A huge thank you to AJ at Traditional's Barber Shop along with Alex Creative Studios, Sonni Sonni The Barber, Chato Cuts, Michael NAIJA CUTS, Anita's Sweets&More and Erik at DJ Luna X Entertainment for putting together a summer kick off event for the kids!

AJ and this amazing team of talented young women & men came together and offered free haircuts for our club members, as well as any child in the community who needed a haircut in preparation for summer. So cool to see one of our very own club alumni Sonni giving back to our current members now🤩

Erik played music during the event to provide that true “barbershop feeling”. 🎵🎶

The smiles on the kids faces said it all🤩

Check out some pictures from the event earlier today!

Thank you again to all who helped make this event possible, we couldn’t have done it without you all!!

We are so thankful for the community support we have received towards our campaign so far. Thank you Janesville for giving the next generation a chance at a great future.

Halfway there: Boys and Girls Club of Janesville continues to fundraise for new facility JANESVILLE -- The Boys and Girls Club of Janesville says it's close to hitting a key milestone in its effort to raise $12 million to build a new facility on

Join us tomorrow at Mocha Moment from 8:00 am to 11:30 am. Open outside of their normal hours and all funds will go to the Club's Capital Campaign!

Our Club relies on the community sharing our story so we will do a social media contest on Sunday for all the coffee lovers who come in that day. Anyone who comes in on Sunday will get an "I Support BGCJ" sticker. If you take a picture showing off your sticker AND tag us in a post on Facebook, you will get entered into a drawing for a Mocha Moment gift basket including a $25 gift card to come back for some more delicious ☕️.

This school year has been full of fun and educational activities for our elementary members. They have experimented through DIY STEM, focused on literacy, been creative through art, worked one-on-one with staff during homework help, and grew confidence through our mentoring program. This week they celebrated the end of the school year and the start of summer with kids' choice, where they were able to play Wii sports, gym, and art! We wrapped up healthy habits with a fruit salad and had our 5th grade graduation and an ice cream social. Congratulations to our graduates!

OPEN SUNDAY! Mocha Moment will be opening up this Sunday and donating 100% of gross sales (see flyer for details) to our capital & endowment campaign 💙.

To share the love, we will do a social media contest on Sunday for all the coffee lovers who come in that day for a chance to WIN a Mocha Moment gift basket including a gift card to come back for some more delicious ☕️.

SEE THE PICTURE IN THE COMMENTS FOR THE GIFT BASKET!

This Sunday 8-11:30am! Come for coffee, treats, and know 100% of our proceeds go to this benefit ❤️