Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County

Our Mission

To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

Current Goals

1. Identify and negotiate terms for a site location.
2. Begin a capital campaign to raise the needed resources to open a club and begin programming.
3. Keep our community informed in regard to progress.
4. Identify and recruit volunteers to support the Boys and Girls Club work.
5. Educate the community about Boys and Girls Clubs.

EVERY KID
DESERVES A PLACE

We can do more for our kids! In a community where so many young people face challenges like poverty, food insecurity, academics, and trauma we must work to ensure every kid has a place to feel safe, a place to feel connected, a place to belong. A place where they are cared for and their basic needs are met and then receive transformational opportunities for a brighter future. Together, we can create a place where some of our most vulnerable youth in Manitowoc can thrive despite their circumstances.

Together, over the next five years, we can:

• Initiative 1: Make it Theirs - Securing Operations and World-Class Programs in a temporary location.  

• Initiative 2: Build their Place - A Club for a Neighborhood in Need 

The average cost to operate a Boys & Girls Club facility today is approximately $500,000 per year. Our plan is to establish operations in a temporary facility by summer of 2021. We will do this by conducting a Founder’s Campaign that will dedicate funds to the daily operational costs of a temporary facility and programming operations for three years. 

This temporary facility, located in a neighborhood of need, could serve as many as 150 kids per day in grades 1-12, equipping them with the tools they need in an environment that is fun and safe, including flexible facilities and furnishings, active learning, access to technology, equipment designed to inspire innovation and creativity, and access to industry experts and career pathways.

Every kid deserves a place to feel safe. A place to feel connected. A place to belong. A place to be cared for with every opportunity to become the best version of themselves. And they need it now more than ever………………………. 

• 5 in 10 Kids in the Manitowoc Public Schools are considered living in poverty.
• 25 of every 100 kids in Manitowoc County are at risk for hunger.
• 6 in 10 Kids in Manitowoc County are not proficient in Reading and Math and are  academically at-risk.
• 17 of every 100 high school kids in Manitowoc County have considered attempting suicide.
• There are more than 5000 youth in Manitowoc and fewer than 500 are served in consistent after school programs.
• As many as 500 children are absent from Manitowoc Public School District schools every day.   

Boys and Girls Club Have A Strong Impact On Youth

1. Club kids are more successful in school. 76 percent of low-income Club members ages 12 to 17 report earning mostly As and Bs in school, whereas 67 percent of their peers nationally report doing so.
2. Club kids are more likely to engage with their community. 68% of Club 12th graders volunteer at least once per month, while 39% of 12th graders nationally do so. 
3. Club kids make healthier daily choices. Higher percentages of Club girls and boys report being physically active every day than their counterparts nationally. 
4. Club kids are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. 91% of Club ninth graders report abstaining from alcohol, compared to 77% of ninth graders nationally.

Every $1 donated to Boys & Girls Clubs returns $9.60 to the community through current and future earnings and cost-savings for healthcare, public assistance and criminal justice system involvement.

Manitowoc is currently one of the largest communities in Wisconsin without a Club.  It is time for that to change!  Please consider supporting our mission to found a Club.  Without a doubt it would be life changing for the youth of our community.