By Florence Edwards-Miller, GCC director of communications and annual giving

After 10 years, Goodman Community Center has concluded its partnership with Girls Inc. Moving forward, Girls Inc. of Southeast Wisconsin, headquartered in Racine, will now manage the Madison-area sites and continue the program. GCC took over the Madison affiliate from the YWCA in 2014.

“We are extremely proud of the work we did with Girls Inc.,” Catie Tollefson, GCC’s vice president of mission and programs, said. “We are committed to supporting and empowering all young people — including young women and girls — through programs that help them build healthy bodies and minds and develop the skills they need to succeed in our community. We are focused on improving and expanding our programs for young people of all gender identities.”

During a strategic process to refocus Goodman’s work on its core mission in 2024, it became clear GCC needed to prioritize programs happening within Goodman for its participants and the community. It was a challenge — for both Goodman and Girls Inc. — to navigate being two organizations with two sets of priorities under one roof.

Girls Inc., founded in 1864, is a national nonprofit that encourages girls to be “Strong, Smart and Bold.” It supports girls through direct service and advocacy with research-informed programs so they can realize their full potential.

Most Girls Inc. affiliates are stand-alone agencies, and a community center setting led to unique barriers and complications. After extensive consultation and collaboration with the national office of Girls Inc. over the course of a year, both organizations came to an agreement to conclude the affiliation at the end of August.

GCC capped off its involvement with a very successful collaboration with Madison School and Community Recreation to produce two events. The final one was Aug. 1.

Girls Inc. staff employed by Goodman were given the option to transition to equivalent roles within GCC. Some of the strategies created by GCC Girls Inc. staff, including the summer career fair, have now been repurposed for all youth in Goodman’s programs or for use by MSCR.

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