Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and Panda Cares Open a Panda Cares Center of Hope

MILWAUKEE– (November 13, 2023) Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM), in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Panda Cares, the philanthropic foundation of Panda Express, is excited to announce the opening of a Panda Cares Center of Hope at its Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club. The ribbon cutting is set for Wednesday, November 15 at 4 p.m.

Panda Cares Center of Hope is a newly renovated space within BGCGM’s Mary Ryan Club designed to deliver more joy, education, and critical social-emotional development to the local community. Project Learn, the platform that unites each Center of Hope, is a holistic strategy intended to reinforce and enhance what youth learn during the school day, while creating experiences that invite them to fall in love with learning. Rooted in social-emotional development, this program is based on research showing that students do better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun and academically beneficial activities.

“We are grateful to our Panda Express and Boys & Girls Clubs of America partners for supporting the development of this fun and engaging space for our Club members,” said BGCGM President and CEO Kathy Thornton-Bias. “We are fortunate to have been selected to receive a Panda Cares Center of Hope in our Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club and can’t wait to see our Club members enjoy educational and inspiring activities in the center. Thank you to everyone who made this meaningful gift possible.”

The Panda Cares Center of Hope was designed to meet the needs of Club members and includes new chrome books, tablets, iPads, learning activities, an SED calming cart, and a smart board. The redesigned room will also have new furniture and décor providing a fresh space for them to learn, engage, and grow.

The opening of this Center of Hope aligns directly with Panda Express’ commitment to foster academic success among Boys & Girls Clubs members across the country.

The ribbon cutting for the Panda Cares Center of Hope will be held at the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday, November 15 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. It is located at 3000 N. Sherman Blvd., Milwaukee WI, 53210.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) is one of the largest and longest youth-serving agencies in Milwaukee and the largest Boys & Girls Club in the country. With more than fifty locations in the city of Milwaukee, BGCGM provides youth ages 4-18 with safe, fun, enriching after-school and summer programming including academic support, mentorship, organized athletics, arts, and nutritious meals. Our programs strengthen academic performance, build character, encourage healthy lifestyles, and meet the basic needs of Milwaukee’s youth. More than 80 percent of BGCGM’s annual budget goes toward youth programming. Learn more at www.bgcmilwaukee.org.

About Panda Express

On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express® is the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp™, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express, including the Wok Smart® selections, is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,400 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to twelve international countries.

Powered by this global family of associates, Panda Cares® the philanthropic arm of Panda Express, has raised more than $282 million and dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 13 million youths, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2020, the organization established the Panda Cares Scholars Program to provide the necessary funding, – academic support and leadership development to help high school and college students learn, lead and thrive towards a bright future. For more information, visit pandaexpress.com or pandacares.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.