1970 - 1979
It was a time of rising crime and increased juvenile delinquency. By the end of 1969, the Children's Outing Association had the staff, facilities, and expertise to do something about the youth problems plaguing Milwaukee. The organization had 60 years of experience in working with young people, a staff that included social work professionals, a dedicated, hard-working board, and a good reputation.
The ability to respond to the needs of the community and a seemingly endless supply of government funds, set the stage for a decade of tremendous growth for the organization in the 1970s.
As the camping programs grew at Sidney Cohen, the need for a camp for teens was apparent. The agency purchased a wilderness camp in Vilas County--Camp Flambeau--for campers and youth workers ages 13-18. In addition, the need for programs for children in the city became apparent and, thus, a need to expand our facilities. In-city programs now included a day camp, Creative Playground, after-school programs, a nursery school, and several specialty intervention programs.
Another type of change was also occurring within the organization. Men were becoming more important and, in January 1974, the women who had run COA for some 70 years elected Don Polacheck the first male president of the Board of Directors.
