GCC volunteer newsletter, August 2024 💚

August 2024

Dear Goodman,

Early this month we wrapped up our Backpack Drive, which so many of you supported with your time and donations (thank you!). This year, we set a goal of providing 500 local kids with a backpack and school supplies, and thanks to the generosity of our community, we made it happen! The kids and their families came through with their shopping lists, picked out their favorite backpack and left with supplies ready for the new school year. It was a whirlwind of a drive!

Our collective power never ceases to amaze us. Our community is stronger together, and your show of support for Madison youth proves just that.

What did we accomplish together?

754

students picked up free school supplies and backpacks.

volunteers organized, collected and distributed piles of donations.

250+

Financial donations.

100+

people donated through Amazon.

200+

community partners donated backpacks, including 88 from Fenrici and 100 from Levy Giving Fund.

Countless

goods brought from the community.

Shoutout to the groups from Fetch, Old National Bank and Baker Tilly who helped organize and distribute supplies — it was a monumental task!

From the bottom of our hearts, thanks to everyone who supported our drive in any way.

Susan Ramspacher, Volunteer Manager

sramspacher@goodmancenter.org or 608-204-8048

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Chris Graupner

Data & Systems Manager

"Hi I’m Chris and in my role I focus on optimizing GCC processes, so that we can be more efficient with our time! For instance, I’ve had the pleasure to help upgrade our enrollment tools and processes for youth programming to allow for task automation and increased efficiency. I also built and update the monthly GCC Dashboard, which displays key organization metrics, and help collect metrics for grant reporting. I’ve been at Goodman for just over three years."

Below are Chris’s answers to our staff Q&A.

What has been your favorite job? When I was a data management contractor, I worked for a natural gas company out west that was creating an aerial patrol program to observe digging activities taking place above the pipelines. Doesn’t sound too interesting when I write it out like that, but the work environment was really special. Lots of collaboration, discussion, innovation, and a sense of getting to build something new from the ground up. Plus, we got to travel all over California.
If given the opportunity, what could you talk about for hours? I think I’d rather listen for hours…about endurance sports or history or science.
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new skill (not a superpower) what would it be? I would like to be able to draw well.
What's the best advice you were ever given and by whom? Be where your feet are. Not sure who said it first, but I first heard it from my wife.
What do you look forward to most in the next year at GCC? Just continuing to work with everyone and improving where we can. I love solving problems and building tools to help accomplish tasks more easily, so hopefully I can do more of that.
What’s a favorite experience at GCC? Most recently, it was GCC’s 70th Birthday Party. What a wonderful event! I loved hearing everyone’s stories about the Atwood Community Center and how our current home came to be.

Although Chris is most often sitting at Brassworks at his computer you can also sometimes find him subbing for volunteers in the senior meal.

OPPORTUNITIES

Become a *START Tutor

Teach elementary schoolers to read!

This opportunity includes a mandatory 30 hours of training on Tuesdays Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3-5pm between Sept. 10 and Oct. 10.

Tutoring sessions with Goodman elementary afterschool youth will run for 8-weeks starting Oct. 15 during the same weekly timeframe as the training sessions.

Ideal volunteers will be able to attend all training AND tutoring sessions across the 13-week period. Fewer days/hours may be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

Learn more about becoming a tutor.

Your Turn to Serve

Goodman’s Fit Youth Initiative is looking for an Assistant Volleyball Coach. Experience with volleyball a plus. Fall camp runs September 9 – November 1. Volunteers needed:

Mondays, 5:15 – 6:15 pm
Fridays, 4:15 – 6 pm

Learn more about coaching volleyball.

SHOUT OUTS

Big shout out to Thiemo Roehr who helps with food pantry and senior meal! He shows up each time with enthusiasm, energy and glee, and is a joy for all who get to work alongside him. He is willing to take on a variety of roles within Goodman and signs up for extra projects like the AtwoodFest food pantry drive as well. He interacts with everyone he meets with the upmost respect, patience and a friendly smile. Huge thanks, Thiemo!

Kudos to Norah Paulsen who started with the Older Adult Program this spring as a walking group volunteer. Throughout her time, she has built great relationships with our seniors. Norah created a tracking system to record how far each walking group participant walks. Because of this, our walking group can say that they have walked as far as the Wisconsin River, The Wisconsin Dells, and soon, Camp Douglas! The sense of accomplishment this creates for our older adults is exciting. Norah has been with the group for many walks this spring and summer and she hopes to return this fall. The older adults always look forward to seeing her and planning the next walking adventure that they will go on. Thank you, Norah for all the time, dedication and extra thought you put into being a walking group facilitator! Staff and participants are very grateful.

MILESTONES

Birthdays

Here’s to our September birthday friends! Hope your trip around the sun was filled with good fun, good health and good people in your life! Salute for another great year!

Sept. 9

Nelson Reisdorf

Sept. 11

Lori Vogel
Nathan Stade

Sept. 13

Amy Rudersdorf

Sept. 19

Stuart Baker

Sept. 20

Carol McCartney

Sept. 25

Diane Stapleton
Paul Raisleger
Dennis Hume
Elizabeth Revington

Sept. 26

Lindsay Marlovits

Anniversaries

Happy anniversary to these individuals who started with GCC in September and continue to commit to putting their best foot forward to strengthen lives and futures! We are glad you’re here!

9 Years