Sojourner Family Peace Center: Making an important family resource a reality

How do we make Wisconsin’s children the healthiest in the nation?

At Children’s Wisconsin, that is our vision. To everyone who works here, those are more than words, and we strive to improve the health of all children each and every day. We are making progress.

How do we do it? We don’t do it alone. Our work takes us into the community where we partner with organizations with the same commitment to kids. Through our partnerships with the YMCA, COA Goldin Center and the Next Door Foundation, for example, we have helped open healthcare clinics in neighborhoods that were previously underserved.

Helping families cope with the effects of domestic abuse

Among the most vulnerable of the children we serve are those who have been victims of domestic abuse. Last year, Governor Scott Walker proposed — and the State Legislature approved — a state grant for $10.6 million (half of the overall cost) to build a first-of-its-kind-in-the-state family justice model.

Today, we took another important step forward in providing families a place to find care, healing and justice, when we announced a gift of $2.5 million from the Selig family to support Children’s Wisconsin’s child advocacy services at the new Sojourner Family Peace Center. We are grateful for the support of many, including Charles G. Stark Hospital Foundation, Zilber Family Foundation, Stackner Family Foundation and BMO Harris Bank.

The new center will open in 2016 and provide:

• identification and treatment of child abuse
• child trauma therapy
• professional and community education
• a shelter for families
• a dedicated space for law enforcement officials, medical and social services, mental health counseling, job training and more

Located on Walnut Street in downtown Milwaukee, the new facility will be among the first of its kind in the nation, housing a network of advocacy services designed to treat the whole family and the whole child. Coordinating services under one roof is a cost effective method of providing care and a sense of security for children and families who’ve experienced domestic abuse.

We are so grateful to our elected officials and the Selig family, along with many others that are here in support of serving families impacted by violence and abuse. By working together, we can integrate the very best our community offers and provide a safer and healthier community for our kids — and that’s really what this is all about.

Peggy Troy, MSN, RN President and CEO Children’s Wisconsin

Supporting Children’s Wisconsin — whether through direct donations, event participation, fundraising or volunteerism — is the investment of a lifetime. When you make that investment, you are supporting critical and preventive care programs that make a difference in the lives of kids and families.