Dear friends & neighbors,

Tomorrow marks the official last day of summer here at Goodman. Our teen programs wrapped up last week, and our preschool and elementary programs will send kids off to get ready for the school year tomorrow. What a summer it's been! From field trips to locations near and far to partnerships with local organizations adding enrichment to our already purposeful programs, kids ages 3 to 19 spent time learning and growing in community with their peers, our staff and our neighbors.

Now it's time to start thinking about getting ready for the new school year. Many of our teachers and direct service staff are taking some much-deserved time off, and then they'll be diving right into professional development, training and planning for the fall.

And of course, our families are getting ready as well. Thanks to the generous support of our partners and community – including YOU – we'll be ready when families start school supply shopping with us next week. We set a goal of providing supplies to 200 kids this year, and wow, did you step up! You showed us what it means to #BeTheGoodMSN and donated enough supplies and money to provide at least 300 kids with a backpack filled with the school supplies they need.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your unending support! Together, we're strengthening lives and securing futures in Madison. I can't wait to see what fall has in store.

Warmly,

Letesha Nelson, CEO & Executive Director

P.S. I have an important update about the Goodman Center's mask policy. We have required masks in our buildings throughout the pandemic. Starting on Monday, Aug. 22, masks will be recommended, but not required.