Ministries Growing to Increase Impact
Located in a severely underserved community, the ELCA Outreach Center offers a safe place for neighbors to visit and get help. In 2023, there were 17,500 duplicated visits to the Center. This year, the Center has seen about 120 visits each day (double what it was in 2022). This increase can be partly attributed to the influx of immigrants to the area and the addition of Spanish-speaking staff and volunteers.
Several impactful programs meet clients’ needs including a referral program where outreach coordinators help people locate other needed services. The Center offers free legal advice from volunteer attorneys, hosts three Bible Studies a week, operates a well-stocked clothing closet, runs a Prescription Voucher Program, and hosts a "sold-out" youth summer camp. A new immigration assistance program helps Spanish-speaking clients with completing the paperwork required to file for asylum.
Primary Focus: Helping Citizens toward Self-sufficiency
Lutheran Affiliation: ELCA
Location: 6218 26th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53143
Website: https://elcaoutreachcenter.org/
Funding will support: The Outreach Center seeks support for a highly successful Summer Camp Program for 75 to 85 low-income grade school youth in Kenosha. The camp provides children with a healthy meal and a safe environment to be active, gain academic enrichment, have fun, and grow in social competency. Participants go on field trips, and classroom time focuses on reading and math. Around 15 high school students are hired as helpers. This experience gives youth hands-on leadership and work experience. Youth leaders participate in team-building activities during the training week at Camp Lutherdale in Elkhorn. To help make this camp a success, the Outreach Center collaborates with the Kenosha Unified School District, Kenosha Parks Alliance, Kenosha Public Library, and the YMCA.
The loss of funding from the Mary Frost Ashley Charitable Trust, which discontinued funding in the Kenosha area in 2022, has created a funding gap for this program.
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