This April, Camp Helen Brachman welcomed 51 mini-Einsteins for two days and two nights of STEM fun during our first ever overnight STEM Camp! Youth from ages eight to 15 from COA’s Auer Ave Community Learning Center (CLC), Westside Academy CLC, MLK Jr. Safe Place, and Keefe Ave Safe Place, as well as youth from [...]

Each year at COA’s Oscar Night Hollywood Gala, we honor one amazing program participant with the Rising Star Award. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate what it means to reach their greatest potential. This year, we honor COA teen program participant Jocelyn Banks for her outstanding dedication to her music, peers, community, and her tremendous [...]

Charity Navigator’s 2019 ratings now list COA Youth & Family Centers as the highest rated charity in the State of Wisconsin.  In addition, COA is listed as: The highest rated “Human Services” charity in Wisconsin, The highest rated provider of “Children’s and Family Services” in Wisconsin, and Nationally, Charity Navigator gives COA the 6th highest rating [...]

Two big factors drove Safe & Sound to launch their groundbreaking Barbershop Mondays program. First, the average haircut costs over $20. Haircut costs can put a serious dent in families’ pockets. Second, the barbershop is an important place where youth and adults can share conversations. As neighborhoods face challenges, it is important for young people [...]

When four-year-old Karan first joined COA’s Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program, he had trouble speaking. According to his concerned mother, Sarah, he was too shy to talk to other people. Whenever he did he could only say small words. When Sarah learned about COA’s HIPPY program in fall 2017, she breathed [...]

Teens in COA’s Music and Video Production program lit up the town with amazing performances during the past few months. Since October, youth have performed original songs at five exciting venues: NO Studios, Company Brewing, Saint Kate Hotel, FreeSpace, and Milwaukee Art Museum! Performing gives these kids an opportunity to show the world the [...]

On November 28th the American Camp Association (ACA) granted COA’s Camp Helen Brachman an award for being its longest-serving camp in the State of Wisconsin! This prestigious award recognizes camps that have over 100 years of service. COA’s Camp Director, Eve Smallwood, and Camp Registrar, Leslie Woodruff, traveled to the annual ACA Wisconsin Fall Conference [...]

Fresh off a sizzling summer of fun, Camp Helen Brachman is gearing up for a white winter full of even more delights for Milwaukee’s children. COA looks forward to our upcoming Winter Camp session from December 28th-30th. Camp continues to be a life-changing experience where kids learn about the great outdoors as well as themselves [...]

On Thursday, November 8th, COA celebrated National STEM Day with our 2nd Annual STEM Expo held at our Goldin Center (2320 W. Burleigh Street). National STEM Day encourages youth around the country to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. 100 youth participated in fun STEM activities at COA’s two-hour STEM Expo. Children from COA’s Burke [...]

In March 2018, COA partnered with Hunger Task Force to open a brand new community food pantry in our Goldin Center! Located within our Ethel Nutis Gill Family Resource Center, COA’s new food pantry serves approximately 500 people per month. The pantry has increased hundreds of families’ access to healthy foods in the Amani neighborhood, [...]