“Children are our most valuable asset and the Callahan Youth Fund is designed to provide programming to enrich their lives in perpetuity,” notes MAC’s Foundation Board of Directors President Chuck Wellington.
As the Monroe Arts Foundation moved to launch a new youth fund recently in memory of former MAC Board of Directors President Kevin Callahan, it has been met with overwhelming support from private donors; as well as, a generous new challenge grant. The challenge grant offers a $1.00 match for every $2.00 raised — up to $666,667.00, once $250K is reached. Fundraising is in full swing with the deadline of December 31st, 2026 for pledges and donations to be submitted.
This challenge grant initiative hits at a pivotal moment for MAC as it seeks to expand its arts programming for area youth. Just last week, MAC sponsored the Missoula Children’s Theatre through in-school performance-related workshops in Monroe’s elementary schools; as well as, a staged performance of “The Jungle Book” (adapted by Michael McGill) in MAC’s historic Gunderson Stiles Concert Hall. When casting began for “The Jungle Book,” 50 area youth turned out to audition to have this extracurricular theatre experience — almost a third more students than last year’s production! After a week of nightly rehearsals with Co-Directors Alex Webster and Pablo Fulbrook from Missoula’s Children’s Theatre Company, the youth cast took the stage culminating in two performances held for the public on Saturday, January 17th, 2026.
MAC Foundation Board of Directors member Ron Spielman says, “Providing the Missoula live stage performance at Monroe Arts Center offers a multitude of benefits for youth. Our youth enhance their communication skills, enjoy increased self-confidence and refine their social interaction skills.”
It’s opportunities like bringing Missoula’s Children’s Theatre Company in to work with area youth — or MAC’s upcoming master class for middle school aged students in February with performer Barron Ryan, that offers youth the rare opportunity to mentor and learn about the arts with professional artists as they interface with the Monroe Arts Center.
MAC’s mission is to:
“Nurture our diverse community by providing opportunities to Experience arts, Encourage creative development, and Ensure preservation and accessibility of our historic facilities.”
Expanding MAC’s arts programming to educate the public — specifically with this focus on area youth, is especially exciting as many schools are currently coping with tight budgets. MAC has the space and initiative to make sure the arts are accessible to everyone — even when times are tougher. The Monroe Arts Center is grateful for the support it has found in its community for the last 51 years. What the MAC Foundation Board is currently doing to extend further support for youth arts educational programming in perpetuity fits the history of our community’s giving spirit and is so impactful. As MAC’s Executive Director, I believe we have a diamond here in southern Wisconsin in terms of arts programming through the Monroe Arts Center. With the addition of the Callahan Youth Fund in concert with this wonderful challenge matching grant, we are dreaming big as a staff at MAC and hoping to continue to bring the gift of the arts to a new generation.
If you can help the Callahan Youth Fund reach its goal of an endowment of One Million Dollars — which will ultimately provide approximately $40,000 per year for youth arts programs at MAC, please contact Chuck Wellington (608) 325-2191, or Ron Spielman (608) 558-0258. Please note that donations are tax deductible and every dollar donated to the Callahan Youth Fund helps us create continued arts programming for our community’s youth. As we honor the memory of Kevin Callahan, we are simultaneously ensuring an unstoppable future for arts educational opportunities that will awaken the next generation of creatives.
— Marie Perry is the Executive Director of the Monroe Arts Center. Contact the Monroe Arts Center aat 608-325-5700 or 888-596-1249.
