A Boys & Girls Club provides a safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences, hope and opportunity.
In Manitowoc County:
- Approximately 13% of children in Manitowoc County are living in poverty (2018 data) and many more live in families struggling to make it paycheck to paycheck. A 2020 United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Study of Financial Hardship found 31 percent of Manitowoc County residents earned an income below the basic cost of living.
- Approximately 51% of the students in the Manitowoc Public Schools qualify for free or reduced lunch. In 2016, this was at 43%. More families are living at the poverty level. This has the potential to get even worse post Covid-19 pandemic.
- Almost 500 children are absent from Manitowoc Public School District schools every day.
- 2018-2019 State Forward Exam testing results indicated that 60 percent or more of the youth in Manitowoc County are not proficient in reading or math. (Data from Wishdash Public)
- 27 percent of the children in Manitowoc County live in a single parent home.
- Ongoing drug, alcohol, and mental health issues have a big impact on our community.
- Over one hundred youth are often in court ordered out of home care in Manitowoc County. Another 100 are often in voluntary out of home care. Much of it related to addiction and mental health issues. These traumas have a huge impact on our community youth. One in five children across Wisconsin have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience.
- The Four-year graduation rate in Manitowoc County is 89 percent. (2017-2018 Wisedash Public data)
- A 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for Manitowoc County for grades 9-12 found:
- 50% of students surveyed in grades 9-12 report increased anxiety.
- 29 percent felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that they stopped doing their usual activities.
- 17 percent had considered attempting suicide in the last 12 months, 13 percent made plans of how they would do it, and almost 7 percent – or approximately 190 students had tried death by suicide at least once in the past 12 months.
- 11 percent of the students reported misuse of over-the-counter and/or prescription pain medicines in the past 12 months. 8 percent attended school under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the past 12 months. 25% of students had at least one alcoholic drink in the past 30 days.
- Only 21% of students report they get the help they need when they are in emotional distress.
- 25 percent of students had food insecurity due to lack of food in the house during the last 30 days.
