GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — A two-year campaign by Friends of Pals, Youth and Families raised nearly $1.3 million to expand the Brown County Family Center, which will unveil its new space October 17.
The Center offers a home-like environment for supervised visits between children in the care of Child Protective Services and their biological parents.
It’s also a space for foster families to meet and connect.
“As we came here, we got to be in different private rooms with a ton of the toys that the kids loved,” remembered foster parent Michael Schwartz, who has adopted three foster children with his wife.
About 40 families visit the center each week. It’s the only one in the state.
“In other counties, they often just see their children in office space, court rooms, that kind of thing,” explained Schwartz.
Families play outside the center during the summer months, but Schwartz said that there wasn’t a play space inside the facility for the colder months—until now.
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Part of the expansion included the construction of an indoor play area, where kids can let their energy out and families can make memories together.
A $250,000 grant from the Packers Give Back Foundation went toward the project, but community donations made up most of the funding.
In addition to the play space, the expansion included adding a fifth private room and a kitchen remodel.
“Today, a mom who’s seeing her kids for the first time in awhile...is so excited about the kitchen,” said Schwartz, “Because she gets to bake a cake with her kids.”
The goal at the family center is reunification between children and their biological parents. Visits at the site are a steppingstone in that journey, but Schwartz says they’re an important one.
“These are the types of things that build families and promote that healing journey,” he stated.
The Brown County Family Center will officially unveil its expansion with a ribbon cutting ceremony October 17.
