“Each child belongs to all of us and they will bring us a tomorrow in direct relation to the responsibility we have shown them.” - Maya Angelou COA Youth & Family Centers is proud to celebrate Black History Month by engaging children of all backgrounds in fun and educational activities that honor Black history and [...]

COA Youth & Family Centers is pleased to welcome Charlotte Cannon-Sain as our new Executive Director! Charlotte’s appointment follows the retirement of Tom Schneider, who joined COA in 2001 as Executive Director and led the organization for nearly 20 years. Over the past two decades, Tom has demonstrated vision and innovation in advancing COA’s mission [...]

We’re excited to announce Tom Schneider, Executive Director of COA Youth & Family Centers, won BizTimes Media’s 2020 Nonprofit Executive of the Year Award! The prestigious award was presented by BizTimes Media at their 7th Annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards, held virtually on Friday, November 6, 2020.  Each year, the Nonprofit Executive of the Year Award [...]

On Friday, June 19, COA Youth & Family Centers held a Juneteenth celebration in Moody Park, adjacent to COA’s Goldin Center in Amani. An estimated 100 people joined together for a fun and uplifting day full of community-centered activities including COA staff, children and families, volunteers, residents, and community members of all ages. Juneteenth is [...]

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 [...]

When COA’s STEM Program Coordinator Lina Nguyen first introduced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) lessons to preteens and teens in COA’s youth development program they were not very excited. “A lot of kids didn’t really know what it was,” recalls Lina. “Younger kids didn’t take it too seriously. Older kids were turned off as [...]

When local musician and youth advocate Kiran Vedula began giving music and video production workshops at COA’s Riverwest and Goldin Centers in fall 2017, one of the biggest challenges was actually getting kids into the recording studio. Many of the preteens and teens in COA’s new Music and Video Production Program were nervous to [...]

Thanks to the generous support of Herb Kohl Philanthropies, a group of teens from COA’s Goldin Center got the incredible chance to take a 5-day trip to Washington, D.C.! During the week of March 26th, 34 teens and nine chaperones enjoyed five exciting days of sightseeing, historical and cultural tours, and college campus visits. Youth [...]

Each year at COA’s Hollywood Gala, we honor amazing program participants with the Rising Star Award. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate what it means to reach their greatest potential. This year, we honor Riverside High School seniors Ty’Johnna Gardner and Keshawn Williams for their outstanding dedication to their school, their peers, and their communities. [...]