Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee will extend its summer programming for thousands of area youth after receiving a $500,000 donation from former Sen. Herb Kohl.
The donation will allow the nonprofit organization to keep 36 of its clubs operating through August, according to Vincent Lyles, president and chief executive officer.
Of those clubs, 30 sites are remaining open through Friday, Aug. 14, and six will operate through Friday, Aug. 28.
This summer is the first that the organization has been able to extend its youth programming, Lyles said.
When Boys & Girls Clubs kicked off summer programming, it had 40 clubs open. Without Kohl’s donation, the organization would have been able to continue running just 14 clubs through the end of summer.
The $500,000 gift will back the organization’s full-day activities for more than 5,000 kids ages five through 18. Kids benefiting from Boys & Girls Clubs summer programming also receive meals with help from partners Hunger Task Force and Milwaukee Public Schools. More than 70,000 meals are being served.
Kohl has been a “longtime supporter” of Boys & Girls Clubs, having assisted the organization during both his time as a senator and as the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Lyles.
