Kanopy Dance Company+Boys and Girls Cub of Dane County the Creative and Showcase  Performance   “Dance Your Voice” at the Overture Center  (Rotunda)  FREE

Saturday May 5, 1-2PM  

A Reception  sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County will follow after the performance.

Thirteen students ages 5-11 enrolled in a pilot  dance  initiative  (Dance Your Voice) sponsored by Kanopy Dance Company and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County present a demonstration of  modern  dance techniques and choreography they have learned during the semester-long program.In addition, clips from a documentary being produced by professional photographer  Mats Rudels–chronicling the project and introducing the children– will be shown. It all culminates with a graduation ceremony on stage introducing  Madison’s  newest crop of dancers! Lisa Thurell,creative director of Kanopy hand-made costumes for the production which the children will be able to keep.

The classes have been taught by Kanopy dancer and instructor Tiana  Ching Maslanka and were held on Wednesdays and Thursdays after school at the Taft Street BGCDC headquarters. BGCDC provided the beautifully refurbished dance studio  at the Taft Street location for the classes. Participation  in “Dance Your Voice” was  free for the children who are members of the BGCDC.

Funding for the professional dance teacher (Tiana Ching Maslanka who is also a member of the Kanopy Dance Company ) and for participating students and their families  to attend mainstage performances by Kanopy Dance  at the Overture Center that were an important part of the initiative -giving children a chance to see professional dance as well as having a chance to go back-stage–was provided by Kanopy Dance  Company. Kanopy received a grant from CUNA Mutual Foundation to provided the tickets for the two Kanopy performances the students attended at the Overture Center  —”Baba Yaga ” and “Cassandra”. Susanne Voeltz,president of the Kanopy Board of Directors served as the volunteer project coordinator for “Dance Your Voice”

The  Kanopy/BGCDC pilot “Dance Your Voice” is a class offering of the BGCDC ‘s CAPA after school arts program. Joey Banks is the Creative and Performing Arts Manager at the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.

The results? In the medium sized apartment complex, there are two trash dumpsters and one recycling dumpster that are emptied weekly. After sorting through half of one dumpster, separating trash from recyclables and compostables and weighing 85 pounds of material, students found that 40% of the “garbage” could have been recycled or composted. The group will present these findings to apartment residents, along with a recycling educational chart, and conduct a follow audit a month after the initial audit to measure progress.

The event was held Tuesday, April 24th from 4:00-6:00pm at the Allied Boys and Girls Club on 4619 Jenewein Road.

The event is part of a larger Green initiative on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County to practice ecological sustainability. BGCDC is partnering with Sustain Dane’s MPower Business Champions Program to develop goals to reduce energy usage and waste, and to educate employees, families, and kids.

Madison, Wisconsin March 26, 2012 –The Boys & Girls Club of Dane County is being featured on the front page of the official blog for the U.S. Department of Education for the strategic role the Club is playing in addressing the achievement gap.

The blog highlights how the Boys & Girls Club along with other community partners will be working together to face Madison’s educational challenge head-on through partnerships with the Madison School District. The Boys & Girls Club currently partners with MMSD through its AVID/TOPS program. AVID is college readiness system that includes an elective course focused on organizational strategies, study skills, critical thinking, tutorial support and career and college awareness. In addition, the Boys & Girls Club through TOPS provides full-time student coordinators in each of the four high schools, summer internships, after-school mentors, provides funding for more than 40 tutors during the elective course and a variety of college and career field trips. Partnerships like the Boys & Girls Club AVID/TOPS program have shown results. According to a University of Wisconsin assessment performed by the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Post secondary Education (WISCAPE), 100% of the students in the AVID/TOPS program have graduated from high school and 95% have enrolled in college.

According to the blog, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson says “Today there are more than 500 students in the AVID/TOPS program, and the Boys & Girls Club provides more than 40 tutors in the classroom. For African American students, we’ve seen more than 30% improvement in GPA scores and a 50% decline in disciplinary point.” He continues, “We are excited about the community’s support and the generality of local donors like philanthropist Mary Burke, who co-founded the AVID/TOPS program in Madison, Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, and the Madison Community Foundation for taking the lead to help fund such an effort.”

The Boys & Girls Club recently received over 1 million from a dozen corporations and hundreds of local donors to help address the achievement gap in Madison. “I am proud the community is investing in our local students to tackle these issues,” says Johnson.

To view the blog please visit: http://www.ed.gov/blog/

For more information contact: Janine Stephens at jstephens@bgcdc.org or 608-257-2606 ext. 219

When: Saturday, March 24, 2012

Where: High Noon Saloon

Time: 12pm-4:30pm

Cost: $7.00 per person (Open to all Ages)

All proceeds will go toward the Boys & Girls Club Creative & Performing Arts Program

Resources That Are Needed

BGC is seeking gifts from the community to ensure that each child has at least one wrapped gift in time for the holiday. We have over 600 members to provide a gift for.  Some of the most requested items include: flying helicopters, Build-a-Bears, video games (all systems), and pillow pets.  Please consider donating a gift to the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.  Visit our website for a complete list of wish list items.

Volunteers Needed

BGC needs 75 volunteers the day of the event to help wrap, organize, and distribute gifts to our club members.  We encourage our local dignitaries to take time out to serve our kids the day of the event.  Please contact Jacquesha McFarlane at 608-257-2606 ext. 214 or jmcfarlane@bgcdc.org.

“We know that one strategy to help us close our achievement gaps is to expand programming that prepares students who will be the first in their generation to attend college, and I am pleased that the AVID/ TOPs partnership is doing that,” Superintendent Dan Nerad said. “We know that it will take many effective strategies to close our achievement gaps, but we are pleased that this partnership is making progress. I want to thank the Boys & Girls Club for their efforts in making AVID/TOPs successful.”

The partnership between Boys & Girls Club and the MMSD is a unique partnership and the only such program among the 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. The collaboration between the Boys & Girls Club and the District helps students who have average grades, but above average motivation, to further their education beyond high school.

“We are happy to partner with the District,” said Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Club. “We are excited to see the initial results, and we know it will take many more innovative approaches and partnerships like this to ensure that all of our students are able to achieve at their highest level.”

The Study tracks 303 students in AVID/TOPS classes of 2013 (117 students) and 2014 (186 students) for the 2010-11 school year and shows progress for students of color.

“I am glad to see that this partnership is making progress for our students of color,” said Mary Burke, Co-Chair of the AVID/TOPS Steering Board. “As we serve more students with the AVID/TOPs Program, we need to continue to make sure that it maintains this level of effectiveness and retains students.”

AVID is college readiness system that includes an elective course focused on organizational strategies, study skills, critical thinking, tutorial support and career and college awareness. In addition, the Boys & Girls Club through TOPS provides full-time student coordinators in each of the four high schools, summer internships, after-school mentors, provide funding for more than 40 tutors during the elective course and a variety of college and career field trips.

The Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education has evaluated the past two years of the program by comparing AVID/TOPS students with students of similar demographics in a comparison groups. According to this year’s report:

• AVID/TOPs students, especially African American and Latino students, have a higher cumulative and core GPA than comparison group students.
• AVID/TOPS students enroll in advanced courses including advanced placement, honors and embedded honors at higher rates than comparison group students
• African American and Latino AVID/TOPs students score higher on EXPLORE than comparison group students.
• AVID /TOPs students of color attend school more than their comparison group students.
• African American AVID/TOPS students have lower behavior referrals than their comparison group students.

For more information contact: Rachel Strauch-Nelson, 608-663-1903

 We believe the proposal presented by Madison Preparatory Academy can be one of those solutions. The supporters of Madison Preparatory Academy have heightened the conversation around the achievement gap and we applaud them for their effort. We reviewed their plan and we have concluded that they have offered a comprehensive proposal that has the potential to help close the academic achievement gap. Therefore, we ask that the Board of Education give full consideration to this proposal and find a way to work with the leadership team of Madison Preparatory Academy to help move the education agenda of our children forward.

CONTACT:
Janine Stephens
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
2001 Taft Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53713
Phone: 608-257-2606 ext. 219  | Fax: 608-257-7570
Email: jstephens@bgcdc.org

Volunteers Needed

Boys & Girls Club of Dane County needs 75 volunteers the day of the event to help serve meals, assist with activities and clean facilities afterwards.  We encourage our local dignitaries to take time out to serve our Dane County families the day of the event. A variety of shifts are available. Please contact Jacquesha McFarlane at 608-228-5237 or jmcfarlane@bgcdc.org.

Resources that Are Needed

BGC is seeking gift cards in any denomination to purchase food and supplies for this event.  The anticipated cost of this event will be $5,000.00. Donations can be dropped off at our administrative office, located at 2001 Taft Street until noon, November 23, 2011.

In addition, we would like to secure raffle items to offer families who attend. If you have items to donate, please contact us immediately.

Delivery of Thanksgiving Meals to Local Families

Boys & Girls Club CEO and community partners would like to surprise three families with a Thanksgiving meal prepared by Boys & Girls Club members, staff and volunteers. These meals will be delivered to the homes of the three families between 10:00 am and noon on Thanksgiving Day.  Recommendations for a family to receive a catered meal on Thanksgiving Day should be emailed to jmcfarlane@bgcdc.org.

Holiday Photos for Families

A professional photographer will be taking photos for at least 50 families who might not otherwise be able to afford a family portrait during the event.

In support of Wisconsin spirit, we will have a room set up for watching the Green Bay Packers vs. the Detroit Lions game kick-off time is 11:30 am CST.  The room will be stocked with game day munchies.

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About the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County

The Boys & Girls Club of Dane County is a not-for-profit youth development organization that serves nearly 2,000 young people every year. The Clubs fuel kids with the inspiration to dream and teach them the skills to achieve when they’re most impressionable through quality programs in five core areas: Character & Leadership Development; Education & Career Development; Health & Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness & Recreation. Boys and Girls Clubs also run the Teens of Promise (TOPS) program in all Madison Metropolitan Schools. This initiative works with high school students to prepare them for college. For additional information about our clubs and programs please visit: www.bgcdc.org and www.avidtops.org.