THE LATEST NEWS & INFORMATION FROM BASE
BASE is now hiring for the 2019-2020 school year!
We are in the heat of summer, but the 2019-2020 school year is right around the corner. BASE is committed to providing quality programs to kids during the hours of 3-6pm and we are looking for creative, energetic and passionate people to join our BASE Family!
This is a great part-time opportunity to gain experience, build your resume, learn valuable skills, become part of something positive & fun and make a different in the life of a child.
Hop over to our employment page for more information and to apply.
Fort Healthy Supports BASE
BASE recently received a $1,500 donation from Fort Healthy Wellness Coalition to purchase new recreation equipment for their summer and school year programs.
The vision of Fort Healthy is to help Jefferson County become the healthiest county in Wisconsin. Fort Healthy’s goals are to reduce obesity, educate our community about the nutritional content of food, how to select healthy foods, promote water consumption and increase the physical activity of our citizens.
According to Executive Director, Alicia Norris, BASE will use the recreation equipment on a daily basis during outside and gym time and for wellness programs. “BASE is thrilled to have new recreation equipment for our members. These items will be well loved and encourage a variety of activities for our kids to explore,” noted Norris. “ We are appreciative of the support so we can have a greater impact on our kids and their health.”
BASE Kid of the Year Breakfast
Our 3rd Annual BASE Kids for Change Breakfast was this morning and it was another great celebration of our kids and mission. Congratulations to Connor, our 2019 BASE Kid of the Year! We hope everyone who attended felt inspired by our eight candidates and realize their true impact as BASE supporters. You all make a difference.
A special thank you to our Director of Operations, Melissa Willkomm who spent countless hours on this award and event. Thank you to our BASE Staff for mentoring all of our candidates through the process and our panel of 5 judges for taking the time to review all the materials. To our BASE Board for always pushing and moving the organization forward and our donors & community partners for being there all along the way! I feel honored to be a part of this organization and the work we do every day.
With thanks,
Alicia Norris
Executive Director
In case you missed it here is the 2019 BASE Kid of the Year Breakfast- enjoy!
BASE Kids for Change Week
We are looking forward to a great week celebrating BASE and our mission to provide quality out of school care that will inspire our local youth to be contributing, productive and responsible community members!
This weeks activities & themes include:
Monday, April 29th- Team Building
Tuesday, April 30th- Creativity
Wednesday, May 1st- Wellness (Kids VS Parents Dodgeball Games!)
Thursday, May 2nd- BASE Kid of the Year Breakfast and Community
Friday, May 3rd- Celebrate BASE!
BASE is also inviting local businesses to participate in our Blue Jeans for BASE Campaign. This is a great way for employees to get involved and have some fun at work! Full campaign details can be found HERE.
We are proud of our organization and our work to keep kids active & engaged during the crucial hours when school is out. Join us in celebrating BASE and the kids we serve!
Thank you for your continued support to make this all possible-
Alicia Norris
Executive Director
Wings & Wheels Right Around the Corner
Our annual Wings & Wheels Fly In Breakfast is right around the corner! On Sunday, June 2nd we will be out at Chemair Helicopters at the Fort Atkinson Municipal Airport from 8am-noon. The event will feature a delicious country style breakfast prepared by Jones Dairy Farm. All proceeds from this event will benefit our after school programs.
Tickets are available at each of our BASE locations starting May 1st and your local BASE Board Members will also be selling! Tickets may be purchased at the door too!
Sponsorship requests are due for this event THIS Friday, April 26th. BASE is also offering sponsorship opportunities for our Duck Race & Day for Kids on August 17th and our Harvest Dinner on September 28th.
National Volunteer Week
BASE relies on the generosity of many people to support our mission and the impact we have on the hundreds of youth we serve each year. This generosity comes in many forms including financial support, in kind donations and very importantly the gift of time & talent.
This week is National Volunteer Week and we want to take a moment to thank all of our volunteers both past & present for sharing their time and talent with our organization.
To our dedicated and passionate Board of Directors- thank you for your countless hours at meetings, events, fundraising and being advocates for youth in our community.
To our many committee volunteers- thank you for your continued work on our strategic plan initiatives, bringing new ideas to the table & making them happen and developing new partnerships to carry our work forward.
To our program volunteers- thank you for connecting with our kids, sharing & inspiring them to be the best version of themselves and for providing an extra level of support & love to our programs.
Our programs are better, stronger and futures brighter because of our volunteers- THANK YOU. You make a difference.
You can make a difference too! We are always looking for volunteers to support our mission. Head on over to our volunteer page for more information on how you can get involved with supporting kids in our community!
3to6 Day
Every afternoon, between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m., 10.2 million children and young people around the United States are engaged in exciting, hands-on learning in their afterschool programs. In recognition of the importance of the after school hours, Afterschool Alliance is shining a spotlight with 3to6 Day. A day to show the importance of afterschool programs like ours that hundreds of kids & their families in our community count on— and the boundless opportunities in the hours of 3 to 6 p.m.
After School Enrichment Program (BASE) we serve elementary school kids who are at least 7 years old at all four of the public elementary schools. We have supportive staff to keep the kids engaged in a variety of programs that focus on academics, healthy lifestyles and good character.
And some of our facts & figures from 2018
We have so many great things coming up at BASE including our annual BASE Kid of the Year Breakfast on May 2nd to celebrate GREAT kids who participate in our program and Lemonade Day on May 4th. We also are registering kids for our 11 week summer program which starts June 10th!
Happy 3to6 Day! #326day
We rely on the continued support to make our programs possible. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to enrich the lives of youth in our community.
BASE Announces 2019 Special Events Schedule and Sponsorship Opportunities!
Badgerland After School Enrichment Program (BASE) is seeking community support for our 2019 special events. The support of your business helps BASE provide quality out of school time care that inspires local youth to be contributing, productive and responsible community members. With your support, our organization is able to serve over 400 members each year.
Our 2019 event calendar includes a new sponsorship opportunity for our BASE Kid of the Year Breakfast on May 2nd. This special event recognizes and celebrate amazing kids in our community!
Our Annual Wings & Wheels Breakfast is on Sunday, June 2nd at Chemair Helicopters located at the Fort Atkinson Municipal Airport. Wings & Wheels is a wonderful opportunity for community members and businesses to enjoy a delicious breakfast cooked by Jones Dairy Farm. This well attended event will also feature a 50/50 raffle, car show, airplane rides for an additional cost and family friendly activities!
Our Duck Race & Day for Kids is on a new date- Saturday, August 17th. The Duck Race is a wonderful opportunity for community members and businesses to enjoy a fantastic afternoon in the park racing ducks and having fun at our kid inspired community event.
We are proud to be hosting our 2nd Annual Harvest Dinner on Saturday, September 28th at Kutz Dairy Farm. This premier dinner event features local food, prepared by local chefs to support local kids at a beautiful farm setting. This is an event you will not want to miss!
We appreciate your consideration in partnering with our organization for our 2019 fundraising events. With your support, these special events help build great futures for hundreds of youth in Fort Atkinson. Your commitment and investment in our organization and the events we host makes a difference.
Please fill out the attached sponsorship form and return to BASE at 734 Madison Avenue Fort Atkinson, 53538. Interested sponsors for our BASE Kid of the Year Breakfast should submit forms by Friday, March 15th and Wings & Wheels Breakfast sponsors should submit the form no later than Friday, April 26th so that we can include you in our marketing efforts as soon as possible. For more information on our special events visit our website at www.basefortatkinson.org/specialevents
Lemonade Day Comes to Fort Atkinson
Lemonade Day Comes to Fort Atkinson
This spring in partnership with the Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce and Fort Community Credit Union, BASE will be participating in Lemonade Day, a program that teaches youth how to start, own, and operate their own business- a lemonade stand.
Lemonade Day was started in Houston, TX in 2007 and has since expanded to over 60 cities nationwide with over one million youth participating to date. The goal of Lemonade Day is to give all children the opportunity to learn how to make money through their own business so they can “spend a little, save a little, and share a little”. All profits from your child’s lemonade stand business are theirs to keep.
Through this nationwide program, youth learn how to set a goal, develop a plan, secure an investor, create a product, make a profit, and manage money. The culminating event is a city wide Lemonade Day on Saturday, May 4, 2019 when your child will have the opportunity to set up for business in public areas of the city with adult supervision. Health department and business license waivers have been secured for this one special day. Check out the article from the Daily Jefferson County Union on the city’s recent proclomation of May 4th as Lemonade Day!
Registration for Lemonade Day is now open. As of 3/20- you are welcome to register but you will not receive any paper copies of Lemonade Day materials. Please visit www.lemonadeday.org/Fort-Atkinson to register. We invite BASE parents to be an active part of your child's participation in Lemonade Day by being their mentor. While not required, it is a great opportunity for our BASE families to participate in this program together.
Registered children will be bringing home a Lemonade Day backpack that contains their personal Entrepreneurial Workbook along with a Mentor Guide for you to use if you choose to help bring the lessons to life. We will be teaching the lessons through our programs here at BASE and working with the Chamber to provide additional community support for this program.
2018: BASE Year in Review
Right before the Holidays, we spent a week spreading some holiday cheer to donors who make a difference. We had 30 boxes of puppy chow and handmade cards, a van donated from Griffin Ford and 4 afternoons with BASE kids who earned the privilege to ride along. We are so appreciative of all of the support we receive from our community and this is a fun way for our kids to say thank you. It was inspiring to feel the connection between our BASE kids who benefit so greatly out meeting the people that make it happen. Over the years, the support of our community has grown as the need for serving kids during the crucial hours when school is out also increases. The power of giving back and our community is strong and we appreciate you supporting our organization.
As we reflect on 2018, it was a year of change, growth and a lot of hard work & dedication by staff and volunteers alike. We transitioned to a locally operated non-profit in October so we can best support kids in our community, continued to provide after school programs in the four public elementary schools & a 11 week summer wrap around program, hosted 3 fundraising events including a new Harvest Dinner and provided countless quality experiences for the hundreds of kids who attend our programs. Here is a quick YEAR IN PHOTOS video for all to enjoy.
We have a renewed vision and passion as we enter 2019. Now more than ever we need your support. With your support, we can do more. Whether it is time or money, your commitment to our mission and the kids we serve will make a difference. Here is how you can get involved at BASE:
Financial contributions are tax deductible and support program activities and staff support for our BASE Kids. DONATE online here!
Board and Committee involvement is central to our organizations success. Our dedicated board and committee members work to achieve strategic goals to best support our BASE kids and our community. GET INVOLVED today!
Volunteer during our after school or summer programs. We are always looking for individuals to help support our BASE kids. Volunteer involvement provides supportive relationships, expands experiences and enriches the lives of our BASE kids. VOLUNTEER today!
Special Events help raise the necessary funds and increase community awareness. We host three major fundraising events: Wings & Wheels Fly In Breakfast, Duck Race & Day for Kids and our Harvest Dinner event. Community participation is always required and volunteer participation is always appreciated. LEARN MORE about our events!
We appreciate the support of our community and are looking forward to being an active part in making a difference in the lives of kids who live here. Happy New Year.
With thanks,
Alicia Norris
Executive Director