Recent

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 4, 2025

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025

Neil Potter Promoted to Director of National Sales at Allen & Heath USA

August 1, 2025

Sonique Drums Unveils Poly Pro Slim Snare Wire Straps

August 1, 2025

NAMM Announces New Leadership Teams For Women of NAMM and NAMM Young Professionals

July 30, 2025

Jeff Mulvihill Appointed Combo Drum and Concert Percussion Brand Manager for KHS America

July 29, 2025
Thursday, August 7, 2025
  • Contact
MMR Magazine
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
MMR Magazine
No Result
View All Result

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Receives $5 Million Gift from Keith Mardak and Mary Vandenberg

Christian Wissmuller by Christian Wissmuller
May 23, 2015
in Upfront
0
The Music People's TCM9150 U-mount.

The Music People's TCM9150 U-mount.

938
SHARES
2.3k
VIEWS
Share on Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) today announced it has received a $5 million gift from longtime donors Keith Mardak and his wife Mary Vandenberg to establish the MarVan Scholars, an extended learning day program in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The gift is the largest donation in recent BGCGM history.

MarVan Scholars, which will launch in fall of 2015, is a five-year model designed to support a seamless learning day for MPS students, increase achievement through the use of online based tools and help expand collaboration between day-school and after-school staff. The program will be rolled out at four MPS pilot schools in the first year and end with 33 in the final year.

ADVERTISEMENT

The program will be implemented under the direction of the Clubs’ first-ever chief academic officer, the newly hired Melinda Wyant Jansen. Formerly a counsellor at Vieau School, Wyant Jansen has experience in the classroom as a teacher, as well as years in the private sector. Additional positions that will be hired as a result of this gift include an education data manager and 33 academic coaches. BGCGM will also increase the number of training and planning hours allotted to 66 academic coordinators and educational coordinators who will work with students day to day.

Through this extended learning day program, the goal is to set up Milwaukee’s future leaders for success through increased daily attendance and improved academic performance. MarVan Scholars’ academic improvement will be measured through the use of online learning tools and related analytics.  

In the fall, MarVan Scholars will be offered to students in grades K-8 who are members of BGCGM at four pilot MPS-based community learning centers (CLCs). In the first year, the program will focus on CLCs that are diverse in culture, have strong leadership and collaboration in place in both the day school and CLC setting and have shown progress toward closing the gap measures during the 2014-2015 school year. The MPS pilot schools include:

·      Allen-Field Elementary School (730 W. Lapham Blvd.)

·      Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School (3275 N. 3rd St.)

·      Engleburg Elementary School (5100 N. 91st St.)

·      Clarke Street School (2816 W. Clarke St.)

 

“We are pleased to make this gift to Boys & Girls Clubs to positively impact a significant amount of our community’s future leaders,” said Keith Mardak on behalf of himself and Mary Vandenberg. “As a graduate of Milwaukee Public Schools, we want to give kids the same tools I had to build a successful life.”

 

The program will serve a significant amount of BGCGM members, beginning with 539 daily at the four pilot schools and over 3,000 each day when the program is fully operational. By the 2018-2019 academic year, the program is projected to serve over 17,000 members each year. The students will participate in an expansion of the current after school homework and online tutoring time at the Clubs, as well as additional time for daily and weekly coaching sessions from on-site academic coordinators and educational coordinators who will monitor progress and results.

“We are extremely grateful for the support Keith and Mary have given, and continue to give, to our Clubs members,” said Vincent Lyles, president & CEO of BGCGM. “Our goal with this new effort is to work collaboratively with schools to increase students’ time on task. Together, we will help kids reach their goals on a path to a bright future.”

“MPS is proud to continue its collaborative partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs to further support the education of our students,” said Dr. Darienne Driver, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. “This program will enable us to provide additional academic support to young people to help them improve their academic outcomes.”

This donation announcement comes on the 20th anniversary of Mardak serving on the Clubs’ board of trustees. Keith Mardak and Mary Vandenberg have long been strong supporters of BGCGM, having provided the funding for the development of the Mardak Center for Administration and Training, the Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Club and the Vandenberg Center for The Arts. In addition, each year, Mardak and Vandenberg also support Club operations, the James Clark scholarship for Club members attending Pius XI High School as well as partnerships that expose members to programming at First Stage Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and Junior Achievement.

Tags: Keith MardakMary Vandenberg
Previous Post

CAD Taps Dockrill As Regional Sales Manager

Next Post

Eminence Adds Neves to International Sales Team.

Related Posts

MMR Global

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025
MMR Global

NAMM Announces New Leadership Teams For Women of NAMM and NAMM Young Professionals

July 30, 2025
MMR Global

NAMM’s Top 100 Dealer Awards Rebranded as The NAMM Retail Awards

July 21, 2025
Upfront

Guitar Center Launches First-ever In-store AI Shopping Assistant in Music Retail

July 21, 2025
MMR Global

ESP Guitars Distributes Morley Pedals in Latin America

July 21, 2025
Upfront

UK distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., (JHS) Closing

July 18, 2025
Next Post

Eminence Adds Neves to International Sales Team.

Please login to join discussion
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

New Spring King Junior Reverb Pedal from Danelectro

May 11, 2025
A picture tells a thousand words - a historic Gresch gathering at Carnegie Hall.

Gretsch at Carnegie Hall: Capturing a Moment in Time

August 2, 2013

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Graph Tech Guitar Labs Launches Barrel Knobs for Ratio Machine Heads

January 6, 2025

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 4, 2025

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
The Latest News and Gear in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today!
  • August 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • July 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • June 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • May 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • April 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
© 2005 - 2025 artistpro, LLC
7012 City Center Way, Suite 207
Fairview, Tennessee 37062
(800) 682-8114

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!

© 2005 – 2024 artistpro, LLC 7012 City Center Way, Suite 207 Fairview, Tennessee 37062 (800) 682-8114

This is Modal Title

Click Me
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?