Neighboring organizations joining forces in the 2023-24 school year.
Both organizations will host a community-wide event at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque on August 15, 2023, from 5-7 p.m. to celebrate the partnership.
Change is ahead as neighboring organizations St. Mark Youth Enrichment and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque will work together to provide more benefits and opportunities for area youth.
Starting in the 2023-24 school year, Dubuque St. Mark Afterschool Programs will take place at the Boys & Girls Club (BGC). Afterschool programming for St. Mark’s Peosta Elementary & Dyersville Elementary will continue on location at those schools.
The shift will mean St. Mark will be able to continue its work with kids from Lincoln, Audubon, & Marshall elementary schools in one location, with the goal of being able to reach more kids in the coming years.
St. Mark will work with the RTA (Regional Transit Authority) and Trolleys of Dubuque to provide transportation from participating Dubuque schools to the BGC. Parents will pick up students at the Club. School-year programming in Dubuque is free for all eligible students thanks to support from 21st Century Grant Funding.
There are so many benefits of this partnership: kids will be able to eat dinner together during afterschool programming, older St. Mark students will have the option to stay at the Club after 5:30 p.m., and both organizations will have increased capacity to work with more children and provide more caring adults for every BGC & St. Mark student in the future.
“In addition to these immediate benefits, this partnership will also help St. Mark kids be comfortable at the Boys & Girls Club and see it as a safe space to be in after school when they transition to middle school,” said St. Mark Director of Programs Amelia Foley. “It is our top priority at St. Mark to help every child in our program be in an environment filled with love, safety, and belonging at all times. This partnership will help us in our mission to do just that.”
According to St. Mark Board President Brad Scardino, the two organizations are no strangers to collaboration. The two organizations have worked together to host St. Mark’s summer programming for nearly a decade.
“The Boys & Girls Club and St. Mark Youth Enrichment have had a long-standing collaboration,” said Scardino. “Both organizations aim to serve our youth in different ways to provide them with as many opportunities to learn, feel safe, and be encouraged to do great things. This partnership leverages each organization’s unique strengths and enables St. Mark to continue offering the quality social-emotional programming it has for years in the safe, welcoming environment of the Boys and Girls Club. This is a win-win for the kids in our community.”
According to St. Mark Executive Director Dawn Cogan, this collaborative approach to working with students and their families is the “next natural step” in the organization’s partnership with the BGC.
“While our agencies have been working together for quite some time, we want to take it to the next level to reach additional students and their families and to do it with greater depth,” said Cogan. “We know that by working together, we will be able to more fully surround young people in our community with opportunities and resources that help them thrive. Every piece of what we can do together is so exciting because it allows us to share what is unique about us while collectively making a greater impact.”
According to the Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Tom Sullivan, it’s a partnership he’s “thrilled for.”
“This partnership means that we can expand our reach and work together to serve even more kids in need,” shared Sullivan. “We are proud to be a part of this collaboration and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our community.”
Boys & Girls Club Board President, Randy Sigman, shared the excitement.
“We are excited about the collaboration between St. Mark and the Boys & Girls Club, particularly as it relates to the transition for children who age out of St. Mark programs,” added Sigman. “With this partnership, kids can get to know the Club and feel comfortable transitioning to a safe place where they can have fun and learn life skills. Additionally, this collaboration will provide St. Mark with additional space to help even more kids while benefiting the Club’s kids as well. We are proud to be a part of this initiative and are confident that it will make a positive impact on the lives of children and families in our community.”
To learn more about St. Mark programs, visit www.stmarkyouthenrichment.org/programs.
To learn more about the many options & programs offered through the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque, visit www.boysgirlsdubuque.com.
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St. Mark Youth Enrichment (formerly St. Mark Community Center) is a non-profit organization that has been serving the Dubuque Community for over 30 years.
St. Mark provides healthy and enriching afterschool and summer programming focusing on academics and social-emotional well-being in the Dubuque, Dyersville, and Peosta areas.
The organization works with kids from kindergarten to fifth grade and surrounds them in environments of love, safety, and belonging.
To learn more, visit www.stmarkyouthenrichment.org.
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The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque provides Dubuque-area youth with programs that promote health, wellness, educational, social, cultural, leadership and character development skills. We place an emphasis on areas with the greatest potential impact, in an environment that enables our members to become responsible, productive, and positive citizens.
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque believes every kid has what it takes. The mission and core beliefs of our Club fuel our commitment to promoting a safe, positive and inclusive environment for all. The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque supports all youth and teens of every race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, socio-economic status, and religion in reaching their full potential.