COA Youth & Family Centers recently hosted its annual "Beyond the Book Bag" back-to-school event, bringing together the Amani community for a day filled with fun, learning, and generosity. In partnership with Northwestern Mutual, a leading financial services company who generously provided school supplies and volunteers, the event ensured that families in the Amani Neighborhood [...]

COA's Teen Program is Making an Impact COA Youth & Family Centers is committed to providing holistic, high-quality youth development programs to youth living in Milwaukee. Programming is made possible by a large community of COA champions who believe in our vision of providing child-centered, family-focused, community-connected opportunities that expand possibilities, change lives, and build [...]

COA's Riverwest Youth Development Program Help Youth Reach New Heights COA’s youth development programs provide Milwaukee youth opportunities to thrive in a supportive environment where they are empowered to realize their greatest potential. Read on to learn more about COA's youth development program at our Riverwest community center and discover how programming is making an [...]

Meet COA’s Family of the Year Honoree: The Keating Kahn Family  Chuck Kahn and Patti Keating Kahn and their family are the recipients of COA’s 2022 Community Family of the Year award. The Kahn family's involvement with COA goes back five generations, dating to COA’s first Fresh Air Camp in 1906. Chuck’s grandmother was a [...]

Meet COA’s Family of the Year Honoree: The Martinez Family Leticia (Leti) and Victor Martinez and their family are the recipients of COA’s 2022 Family of the Year award.  Leticia Martinez currently works as COA’s Samson Family Resource Center Program Coordinator, but her connection with COA was formed much earlier when she participated in COA’s [...]

COA's Samson Family Resource Center: A Place of Belonging and Support   At COA’s Samson Family Resource Center (FRC), there is always an opportunity for families to read a book together, sing songs, do fun arts and crafts, or enjoy the sunshine on the playground. Children laugh and play together. Parents connect and listen to [...]

Meet Camp Counselor Kellen Q: Can you tell me a little more about your connection to Camp Helen Brachman?  A: My connection to Camp Helen Brachman, and COA, actually goes way back. My dad went to COA's summer camp before it was Camp Helen Brachman and once he was old enough, he started to work [...]

Over the summer, teens at COA’s Goldin Center participated in programming with Cream Skills Incorporated, an organization whose mission is to promote entrepreneurship skills through sports. Cream Skills is a unique basketball program. As a microcosm of the NBA, youth in Goldin’s teen program had the chance to participate in a draft, playoffs, and even [...]

COA's HIPPY Program Empowers Children and Parents At the heart of COA’s Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program is the mission to empower parents as their child’s first teacher and improve school readiness for children along the way. But to Jessica Namaste, COA’s HIPPY Program Director, HIPPY is more than a place [...]