The Boys & Girls Club of Janesville is a valuable partner with the City of Janesville and ensures that youth have a safe, positive place to be, learn, and play after school. The Club helps students achieve literacy and offers a summer camp that is affordable and accessible.
With the new facility, the Club will help bridge the gap for households struggling to obtain and maintain affordable afterschool childcare and provide peace of mind that their children are safe and taken care of.
Acting City Manager David Moore
The Boys & Girls Club of Janesville plays a critical role in our community by providing affordable childcare to those in need. The Club currently has a waiting list of over 100 kids, and a new facility would triple the daily capacity.
As a lifelong Janesville resident who has dedicated a great portion of my life to public service, I have seen firsthand the need to close the opportunity gaps for low-income youth and youth of color. The Boys & Girls Club of Janesville has a history of providing support to the community and offering high-quality youth services.
Tim Cullen
This project will help address the ever-growing need for affordable childcare and provide a safe and positive environment for children outside of school. The proposed S. Jackson Street location is near the families the Club serves, is on a bus route, and will triple capacity.
Our community needs to support all of our children, and this project supports that aim. The Boys & Girls Club of Janesville has a history of providing support to the community and offering high-quality youth services. The positive community impacts will be a valuable asset to the City of Janesville and greater Rock County community.
Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Sue Conley
The new facility will allow the Club to increase their daily capacity and would allow for a dedicated teen center to expand workforce development options for teens, create a commercial kitchen to serve youth dinner in a food desert, and is crucial to ensure the 100+ kids on the waiting list have access to safe, affordable care.
A new facility is a crucial investment in our kids and our future.
Wisconsin State Senator Mark Spreizter
The development and expansion of youth programs offered by the Boys & Girls Club of Janesville is addressing important needs in our community, including access to affordable childcare and exposure to literacy, intentional programming to support a diverse community and aid in learning outcomes, and provides an emotionally and physically safe place for area youth.
With the current limited capacity of space and youth per day, a new building will offer more programming, but also a better building without competing spaces. The current facility leaves many of our youth unable to participate. In addition, the new location is ideally located in a HUD census track and will help serve an under-resourced area in our community.
Forward Janesville Inc. CEO Angela Pakes
Over 70% of Janesville School District elementary students are economically disadvantaged. Janesville needs to continue to change the educational strategies and community resources provided to Janesville students in order to be successful. The Club is a strong partner with the district in providing services for at-risk youth and programming that is an extension of the school day, focused on closing achievement gaps for all students.
Investing in our youth is critical in developing strong citizenship and academic skills to guide the future strength of the Janesville community and workforce. The new facility will provide the support our students, families, and community need.
Janesville School District Superintendent Mark Holzman
Math and reading proficiency are critical for long term academic success and yet, 49% of Janesville 3rd graders are reading below grade level. In Rock County, 20% of children live in poverty; significantly higher than the state average. Given that 97% of Club youth are low-income, 51% live in single parent households, and 47% are youth of color, a new facility will help close the opportunity gap for more low-income youth, and youth of color in Janesville.
We and our volunteers understand that it is by leveling the playing field for all children that we achieve the greatest results. The Club is a leader in this realm, delivering results and documented academic outcomes. Please join our community leaders and members in supporting the Club as they work to expand their reach and footprint, and to welcome more children to a safe, vibrant, and nurturing place of learning about themselves, each other, and the world around them.
United Way Vice President Denise Peters-Kauihou