Juneteenth Celebration at COA Promotes “Social Justice Through a Child’s Eyes”
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 [...]
Expanding COA’s Food Pantry & Opening a Free Meal Program in Milwaukee’s Amani Neighborhood
COA Youth & Family Centers is responding to COVID-19 by making sure children and families in Milwaukee’s low-income Amani neighborhood have access to healthy foods. COA is expanding its food pantry - which experienced a 618% increase in the number of people served in March. COA is also partnering with Hunger Task Force (HTF) and [...]
12-Year-Old Lailaa Crockerhan Inspires Her Peers at COA
Each year at COA’s Oscar Night Hollywood Gala, we honor one amazing participant from across all COA programs with the Rising Star Award. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate what it means to reach their greatest potential. This year, we honor Lailaa Crockerhan for her incredible leadership and growth in COA’s youth program. Through her [...]
COA’s “Real-ationships” program builds trust, respect between youth and police officers in Amani
When COA’s Community Engagement Director Nicole Franklin first learned about a new program taking shape focused on strengthening youth-police relationships in Moody Park, she was skeptical the program would work. Relationships between law enforcement and youth in the park were often strained; youth felt targeted, and police felt they could not relate or get any [...]
COA’s STEM Expo Makes STEM Exciting for Kids!
On Friday, November 8th COA celebrated National STEM Day with our 3rd Annual STEM Expo held at our Goldin Center (2320 W. Burleigh Street). Over 120 youth ages four to 14 from multiple COA sites attended the Expo to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 18 themed stations lined the gym at the Goldin Center, [...]
COA Celebrates Year of Successes at 2019 Annual Meeting
"What in our lives has been around for 114 years? And yet here we are…" Last month COA Youth & Family Centers held its 2019 Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation. COA board members, staff and volunteers gathered at the Wisconsin Club to celebrate COA’s incredible impact over the past year, and to honor the remarkable [...]
Success Story: Darian Flourishes at COA
This story was originally published in COA's 2019 Annual Report. Read the whole report here. Darian is a three-year-old biracial child enrolled at COA’s Riverwest Early Education Center. When Darian joined COA’s Riverwest Early Education Center at age three in January 2019, his teacher Ms. Shawndra quickly noticed his antisocial behavior. He refused to share [...]
COA & MCC Teens Take D.C.!
Thanks to generous support from Herb Kohl Philanthropies, COA brought another group of teens to Washington, D.C.! COA’s inaugural D.C. visit was such a positive experience for teens last year that COA staff and youth were eager to make the incredible journey happen again in 2019. This past June, 23 new teens and seven chaperones [...]
COA and Aurora’s new Centering Program Supports Infants and Expectant Mothers
Over 14% of infants in Milwaukee’s Amani neighborhood are born premature; and over 15% of infants in Amani are born with a low birth weight. COA Youth & Family Centers serves children from birth to age 17. However, these alarming trends motivated COA to serve children before they are even born. COA now addresses these [...]
COA Hosts 2nd Annual STEM Fair
On Friday, May 17th COA welcomed approximately 60 youth from six COA sites for COA’s 2nd annual Kohl’s Explore Your Future STEM Fair at the Goldin Center. In order to prepare for the STEM Fair, youth worked hard for two months to complete group STEM projects. These projects were displayed around COA’s Goldin Center gym for [...]