Zilber Foundation donates $1.5 million to Boys & Girls Club

The Joseph & Vera Zilber Family Foundation recently donated two grants totaling $1.5 million in grants over the next five years to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee.
A $500,000 grant will be used to construct a wellness clinic at the Augusta M. LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club, 2739 N. 15th St in Milwaukee’s Lindsey Heights neighborhood.
A second grant was donated to support the Club’s collaboration efforts with community groups to develop youth leadership programs in the community, the grants were developed as part of the ten year, $50 million revitalization plan of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative.
“The community connections and relationships developed through the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative’s quality-of-life planning process have already shaped our thinking and our goals for the Center,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee. “Going forward, we believe we can intensify our impact by engaging young people in assessing teens’ preferences, developing projects, and contributing to community revitalization.”
The Zilber Neighborhood Initiative is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Milwaukee neighborhoods, including Clarke Square and Joe Zilber’s childhood neighborhood of Lindsey Heights.
 “The Zilber Family Foundation award will allow the Boys & Girls Clubs to focus on youth leadership and career development,” said Sharon Adams, co-founder of the Walnut Way Conservation Corp, the agency that coordinates the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative in Lindsay Heights. “The grant also funds much-needed health services, including dental care and dental sealant services that area residents requested.”  
Construction on the center should be completed by spring of 2011. The Zilber Health & Life Skills Center will provide health screening and wellness services to more than 600 people.