The Boys and Girls Clubs will be holding its annual All White Party this year at a brand new space — the new McKenzie Regional Workforce Center — on Saturday, July 15. The nonprofit will celebrate the official opening of the center, located at 5215 Verona Rd. in Fitchburg, throughout the day with a morning bike ride, a tour of the facilities, and a party from 6 to 11 p.m.
Although VIP tickets are currently sold out, those who were able to secure some will have the opportunity to meet actors Taye Diggs, Larenz Tate, Bern Nadette Stanis, and Christian Keyes while enjoying music, horse de oeuvres, entertainment, and mingling. Michael Johnson, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County, is excited to share the new space with people over the day that is planned to draw a crowd of 1,500 people.
“You’re here to make a difference in kids’ lives, hire good people, raise resources for them, and provide them with the best. This is the best; it gets no better,” Johnson told Madison365, reflecting on the growth the Boys and Girls Club has seen in Madison over the last decade.
“This is going to be the largest youth workforce center in the history of the Boys and Girls Club of America. The fact that they’re gonna now be doing this in 22 other cities based on what we started here, it’s pretty amazing.”
Johnson is hoping to raise just a little bit more to reach the goal of $35 million … enough to sustain a space with high-quality equipment and offerings for youth interested in labor and trades, especially as an alternative to college.
“There was this period where we asked, ‘What about those kids who don’t go [to college]?’” Johnson explained. “We know in America only 51% of working-age adults have a college degree. You have to do a career pathway for them, so this provides that pathway. We’re gonna teach kids how to become plumbers, carpenters, electricians, entrepreneurs, and we’re not gonna do it by ourselves.”
The McKenzie Regional Workforce Center will also serve as a space where the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County can work in collaboration with community partners. Organizations such as WRTP | BIG STEP, Habitat for Humanity, and the Latino Workforce Academy represent some of the connections that are sure to happen in the building, giving youth a network of support and resources.
“This program is pushing hard to get kids into family-sustaining jobs, and to me, this is economic development all day long,” said Johnson, speaking on his own experiences as a young adult and how engaging youth early on is as important as the work the Boys and Girls Clubs do for young adults in the 18-25 range.
“We’re starting as early as fifth grade. Kids started eliminating careers in fifth grade, so we want to start educating them as they get older and start participating in some of the certificate programs that we create with our partners,” Johnson added. “Then we’re partnering with MATC and some of our other partners. Along with MABA, Madison Area Builders Association, as our anchor partner. A lot of the businesses are pretty much saying, ‘We’ll hire kids right after they come out of this program.'”
Johnson was positive that such investment into the community will bring rewards, especially as costs of living call for jobs that are both in demand and pay well. Beyond retaining and providing for a workforce of laborers who help develop and maintain the infrastructure of our city, Johnson also was proud of the work the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County can do in showing Black and brown youth that the trades are a space for them as well.
“I wanted images of boys and girls that you don’t traditionally see in the trades. There’s gonna be 37 canvas photos all around the building and on light posts around the building. When you hit this spot, you see those images of CEOs, architects, engineers, construction superintendents, plumbing foremen. Then you come in the building and you see those salaries … being able to see that could be me.”
To learn more about the upcoming White Party event and to purchase tickets, visit this page on the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County website.
