The Oshkosh Corp. Foundation presented the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh with two donations on Oct. 22.

The first donation of $30,000 was given to the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh earmarked for its annual It Just Takes One campaign. The second donation of $10,000 was earmarked for the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh's unit Club, the Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area, located in Berlin.

Chairman and CEO of Oshkosh Corporation Bob Bohn, along with the Vice President of the Oshkosh Corporation Foundation Connie Stellmacher, presented a check to the Boys & Girls Club's CEO Marc Dosogne and long time Board members Ron Lampe and J.R. Vette.

“This generous donation will help us get closer to reaching our 2009 annual campaign goal,” said Dosogne. “Our Clubs, in Oshkosh and Berlin, are honored to accept this gift. This contribution truly will help, not just our Clubs, but our communities as well. It's a snowball effect. This money will help us provide kids with a safe place to go after school, which in turn will allow parents to work later hours or obtain part time jobs, which will put additional dollars in our parent's pockets.”

Currently there are over 2,000 members enrolled at the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh.

According to MSNBC and Moody's Economy.com Adversity Index, statistics are showing that Oshkosh and the Fox Cities are slowly coming out of a recession and moving into a recovery period.

The Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area's Advisory Board President, Craig Johnson and Center Director, Harper Mruk also accepted a check from the Oshkosh Corporation Foundation. Also on hand during the check presentation were additional advisory Board members Tom Jenson, Lisa Nelson and Steve Sondalle.

“This gift will make all the difference at our Boys & Girls Club here in Berlin,” said Johnson. “Contributions like this allow our staff to keep our building safe for around 400 Tri-County kids. It also allows us to focus on programs that provide basic needs to our members and their families.”

With more and more Oshkosh Corporation employees residing in the Berlin and Green Lake area, Oshkosh Corporation demonstrated their support for not only Oshkosh, but also its surrounding communities.

“We are passionate about providing youth in our community with basic needs. Even in these challenging times, we must continue to invest in our future,” said Stellmacher. “We recognize that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, so we want to give them every opportunity to succeed in our world.”

The Boys & Girls Club graciously thanks the Oshkosh Corporation Foundation for helping break the cycle of poverty for hundreds of youth in both Oshkosh and the Berlin area.

For more information on the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh, please contact the Club at (920) 233-1414 or visit the Club online at www.bgco.us.

As always, the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh is a United Way Agency.