Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield Director of Community Outreach Discusses the Impact of the Organization

Thursday, February 5th, 2026 -- 12:01 PM

Since launching in 2025, the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield has provided a lot of services, meals, and activities to area children.

I spoke with Kaitlyn Konrardy, Director of Community Outreach for the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield, and she discussed some of the things they’ve done in 2025 and what lies ahead in 2026.

Listen to the interview with Kaitlyn here!

Again, if you’d like to learn more, volunteer, or donate to the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield, you can contact them by going to their website (https://www.bgclubpc.org/) or Facebook page.

(AI assisted transcription by Otter.ai)

Kaitlyn: "So, since launching back last summer, we've opened up a school site at Grant Elementary. So, our first summer, we operated in partnership with the school district where we served 91 youth after summer school each day. We were open a total of 33 days. Served over 2,000 snacks and meals to kids, and it was really great for summer."

"Since then, we transitioned our services to Lincoln Elementary in Marshfield. There, we have 88 club members registered and we're seeing an average daily attendance of 60 to 70 per day. So, we're definitely seeing the need in Marshfield in terms of, you know, after school care for kids."

"And you know, the work's not done. When we talk about what the future looks like, we're planning to, you know, obviously, continue with our school based programs, but then also eventually develop into a standalone center."

Riley: "And now also you provided free meals and snacks. And then, of course, there's all the volunteer time that goes into this as well. Can you touch on that a little bit?"

Kaitlyn: "Yep, so to be a Boys & Girls Club member, it's actually quite affordable for families. So, in general, to be a member, it's only $100 and that's during the entire school year. So, it's not like a per week or per month type of fee. That's the entire fee for the entire year."

"And if a child is on the free and reduced lunch list through the school district, that price actually gets bumped down to $10 only. So, when you talk about families that have maybe four or five kids and a family, and talk about after school care really becomes an affordable option for a lot of these people."

"We also have tons of volunteers that help out with homework help after school. So, when kids come into club, they obviously get a snack, they get help with homework, and then they engage in a variety of programs that are led by not only like our program staff, but those volunteers like I mentioned before."

Riley: "And some of those programs as well include local field trips. Can you kind of touch on some of the places that they've been to?"

Kaitlyn: "So, especially during our first summer in Marshfield, our main objective, or our main goal, in serving our youth, is giving them the summer experience that every kid deserves. And so we took them to a variety of places here in Marshfield, a lot of local attractions such as Vandahay Water Park, Rogers Cinema, Melody Gardens, and just engage them in a bunch of fun activities to help fill up their time in the summer when school's not in session."

Riley: "And now another thing I wanted to touch on is you, when first getting launched, you had the initial operational campaign hoping to raise a million dollars. And you guys did exceed that. You raised $1.2 million and then you also had a very good Giving Tuesday, and you're continuing to see more and more donors. Can you touch on that?"

Kaitlyn: "Yeah, I mean, it's been inspiring to see how the Marshfield community has just grasped onto this organization, you know, Boys & Girls Club especially with how affordable our fees are. You know, we wouldn't be able to do it without the support of our community."

"So, it's been great to see Marshfield step up to the plate and really fund this type of program here for our community. You know, obviously, now the work becomes kind of turning those donors into annual supporters, so we have a sustainable revenue stream for years to come."

"So, a part of that includes the development of annual fundraisers. So, we actually do have a fundraiser coming up in May, May 17. That's going to be a River Edge Golf Course and Banquet Facility. It's called breakfast for BGC and it's community breakfast geared towards families of club members."

"And it'll be a really fun day. We're serving really good food. We'll have raffle baskets, 50/50 raffles, a Youth Art Gallery as well. So, that's just one example of the things that we're doing to diversify our revenue streams."

Riley: "So, we've talked about the past, now let's talk a little bit about the future. What's coming down the road for the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield?"

Kaitlyn: "So, within the next 18 months, I would say we're hoping to develop the former JC Penney building inside the mall area in Marshfield into a standalone center. So, details are yet to be disclosed and that'll be something that I can reach out to everyone about once we're able to share more details."

"But right now, yeah, right now, we're in conversations with the current owners of the place to do a purchase agreement there with them and so it's 30,000 square feet that will be renovated into a youth center and so not only will we be able to serve the kids that we're currently serving at Lincoln, but we'll be able to expand into the whole school district, as well as develop into the middle school and high school age ranges a population that's kind of severely developed under developed in terms of. Of after school activities for them."

Riley: "And now, if there are individuals out there that are interested in learning more about Boys & Girls Club or maybe volunteering or even helping out financially, what's the best way for them to do that?"

Kaitlyn: "Best way for them to do that is to go to our website, marshfieldbgc.org, there, you'll be able to see numerous tabs at the top that are anywhere from get involved, support a cause, things of that sort, but then also follow along on our Facebook page for more program updates and to stay in tune with what's going on in the organization."

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.