By Kylie Balk-Yaatenen - April 4 2024
JANESVILLE
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has helped secure $500,000 for the planned new Boys & Girls Club of Janesville, in her role as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
It’s part of $260 million earmarked for over 80 community-driven projects across Wisconsin in the first and second bipartisan funding packages which were signed into law last month.
“I worked hard to secure funding to support projects across South Central Wisconsin that will improve the lives of working families. With this funding, we’re expanding access to affordable housing, tackling food insecurity, keeping communities safe, and growing our economy,” said Baldwin, a Democrat who represents Wisconsin. “These community-driven projects address some of our most pressing challenges and help chart the course for a brighter future.”
Boys & Girls Club CEO Rebecca Veium said the organization applied for the federal funding last year. With the announcement from Sen. Baldwin’s office, the club now has in hand just under half of what it needs to build the new facility in Janesville’s Fourth Ward and to create an endowment fund for it.
Veium said the goal is $12 million, with just under $6 million now secured. She added that the club continues to apply for grants and funds from foundations and other sources.
“We are beyond grateful for Sen. Baldwin’s support of investing CDS funding to help us build a new, state of the art facility for our Janesville youth. During a time of critical childcare shortages coupled with young people struggling academically and emotionally, our new facility will allow us to triple our capacity and expand our nationally developed programming to prepare our local youth to be our next workforce and community leaders,” Veium said in a release Thursday.
On April 16, Texas Roadhouse plans to donate 10 percent of its proceeds from diners who mention the Boys & Girls Club, to the club.
Veium told The Gazette in July that the current building, at 200 W. Court St., is only able to accommodate 70 youth a day, and the club consistently has over 100 kids on its waiting list. A room for teens in grades 6-12 can only accommodate 15 youth comfortably.
The Janesville City Council voted on Dec. 12 to give three city lots to the club. The city had previously rezoned the lots on South Jackson Street and in the 300-block of West Delavan Drive, to align with the club’s vision for the site.
The club expects to break ground for the new building in March and to open by the summer of 2025.
Other organizations that secured funding for their projects are:
• The River Food Pantry in Dane County
• The Center for Black Excellence in Madison
• University of Wisconsin-Madison to improve agriculture research facilities.
• City of Lancaster to renovate the fire and EMS station.
• Green County Family YMCA for a facility expansion
• Village of Loganville for sewer and water upgrades
• Urban League of Madison for its Black Business Hub
• Family Health La Clinica for an expansion in south-central Wisconsin
• Portage Recovery Center to support individuals in recovery and their families.
• Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce for its Latino Economic Gateway
• Wisconsin Emergency Management replacement of the video display in the Wisconsin’s State Emergency Operations Center
• Richland Hospital for hospital and medical clinic facilities and equipment.
• City of Richland Center to extend water and sewer infrastructure to Richland Hospital.
• Village of Rock Springs for an economic recovery project
• UW-Madison to establish a regional center to combat the fentanyl crisis.
• Village of Windsor for the DeForest Windsor Fire and EMS District.
• Briarpatch Youth Services to support therapeutic and clinical counseling for youth who are experiencing homelessness.
• Columbia County Health and Human Services for construction of a mental health and substance abuse clinic.
View Article Here.