For the City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — The YMCA and Boys & Girls Club are excited to announce the recent $500,000 investment from the Gottschalk family to the “Building Futures Together” capital campaign.

Guy and Kathy Gottschalk, along with their daughter Fawn and son Andy see the project as a unique opportunity to invest in the community and are drawn toward helping provide a good start for kids in the local area. On Dec. 4, both organizations announced the Building Futures Together Capital Campaign aimed at raising the final $6 million needed for the project. Individuals can make a contribution to the project online at https://app.southwoodymca.org/, through mail, or by phone by calling 715-818-6017.

All contributions can be done now or by spreading payments over a period of up to five years. The Gottschalk family has been vested locally for generations in the cranberry business. Seeing the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club continue has great interest to the Gottschalk family as they have personal experiences with both organizations.

Many of their family members grew up attending the Y, from learning how to swim at the Port Edwards facility to attending pre-school or playing youth sports through the organization. Fawn Gottschalk has a special place in her heart for the Boys & Girls Club. The Club provided a convenient, fun place for her sons on mornings and afternoons while they attended school on two separate schedules.

“What a tremendous statement to our organization and to the community. The Gottschalk Family continues to be leaders in our community and this gift will ensure the Club can continue to mentor young people, foster positive adult relationships, and sustain our programs for many years to come said Kent Anderson, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club.”

The proposed facility will be a combination of renovated and newly constructed spaces encompassing approximately 90,000 square feet. The new facility will house both organizations and provide synergies along with numerous opportunities with surrounding service providers. It will include spaces for programs designed to address a wide range of community health, wellness and developmental needs.

Fawn and her family hope the new facility is a place for people of all ages and stages to develop healthy living habits.

“We hope to see people of all ages interacting since they will be together on one site,” said Gottschalk. “We want to see the Y and Club able to offer more programs than they currently can and be able to serve more kids than ever before.”

The Gottschalks strongly believe this capital project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community. The potential impact, level of need, and opportunity to help others who might not otherwise receive it serve as a guiding light in giving for the Gottschalk family.

“The joining of assets, organizations, and individuals makes this project unique and can have a tremendous, positive impact on our community,” said Gottschalk.