Building Our Future

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Building Our Future

Building Our Future is a local movement in Kenosha County working to ensure every child has every opportunity to succeed in school and in life.

Partnership of local leaders representing all sectors of Kenosha County committed to improving student outcomes by using education related data and local expertise.

06/02/2026

Creating lasting change for children and families requires more than local action—it requires statewide alignment.

Last month, Building Our Future joined Achieve Brown County, Higher Expectations for Racine County, and Milwaukee Succeeds in Milwaukee as part of the Wisconsin Partnership. Guided by Jennifer Saenz, Director of State Policy at StriveTogether, we worked together to develop a shared policy agenda focused on improving outcomes for children and young people across Wisconsin.

Together, we identified three key priorities:
• Stabilizing Wisconsin's child care sector
• Ensuring child care reimbursement reflects the true cost of care
• Advancing a shared approach to defining and measuring kindergarten readiness

As members of the StriveTogether network, we know that helping more young people reach economic mobility requires collaboration, alignment, and a long-term commitment to systems change.

Read more about the convening and the work ahead in our latest blog post:
https://www.buildingourfuturekc.org/blog/building-a-statewide-policy-agenda-for-wisconsins-kids

05/31/2026

The energy was incredible! 💙👟

From student speakers and community leaders to families, partners, and participants crossing the finish line together, the Youth-Led Stride for Minds 3K Walk/Run was a tremendous success.

More than 100 people came together to support mental health awareness and celebrate the power of youth leadership.

This video captures just a small glimpse of what made yesterday so special. Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, walked, ran, volunteered, and supported this student-led effort.

Together, we took another step toward creating a community where mental health matters and every young person has the opportunity to lead.

05/30/2026

What an incredible morning! 💙

More than 100 community members joined us for the Youth-Led Stride for Minds 3K Walk/Run in support of mental health awareness and wellness.

We are so proud of our Youth Voice Project students, who envisioned, planned, and led this event from start to finish. Their leadership, passion, and commitment to reducing the stigma around mental health were on full display today.

Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, sponsored, and supported this effort. We are also grateful to our speakers, Kari Foss, Miss Kenosha Ella Kohlmeier, and County Executive Samantha Kerkman, for helping make the event so meaningful.

Today's event was a powerful reminder of what is possible when young people are given the opportunity to lead.

Here are a few highlights from an amazing day. 📸

Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services

05/29/2026

Tomorrow is the day! 💙👟

We are excited to share that more than 100 participants have already registered for the Youth-Led: Stride for Minds 3K Walk/Run happening tomorrow at Petrifying Springs Park!

This event, organized by students through Building Our Future’s Youth Voice Project in partnership with Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services, is bringing our community together to support mental health awareness, wellness, and youth leadership.

There is still time to register and support this important youth-led effort. https://forms.gle/yMf5bHQWfvJyzoXX7

✨ Welcome from Youth Voice Project students
✨ Remarks from Kari Foss, Director of Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services
✨ Keynote Speaker Miss Kenosha Ella Kohlmeier
✨ Remarks from County Executive Samantha Kerkman

📅 Saturday, May 30
⏰ Registration opens at 7:30 AM
📍 Petrifying Springs Park – near Biergarten
💙 Free for all ages

We hope to see you there!

05/27/2026

3 days to go! 💙👟

The Youth-Led: Stride for Minds 3K Walk/Run is happening this Saturday at Petrifying Springs Park, and we are excited to bring our community together in support of mental health awareness and youth leadership.

This event is being organized by students from Building Our Future’s Youth Voice Project in partnership with Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services.

Event highlights include:
✨ Welcome from Youth Voice Project students
✨ Remarks from Kari Foss, Director of Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services
✨ Keynote Speaker Miss Kenosha Ella Kohlmeier
✨ Remarks from County Executive Samantha Kerkman
✨ Youth-led program and race kickoff
✨ A morning focused on wellness, connection, and community

📅 Saturday, May 30
⏰ Registration opens at 7:30 AM
📍 Petrifying Springs Park – near Biergarten
💙 Free for all ages

There’s still time to register and join us:
https://forms.gle/yMf5bHQWfvJyzoXX7

05/26/2026

🔦 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 & Philanthropic Investors!

When we talk about opportunity, it often starts with something simple but powerful: the ability to read and succeed in the early grades.

This month, we’re proud to recognize Herb Kohl Philanthropies & Herb Kohl Educational Foundation for their support of Building Our Future’s Early Grade Reading Initiative—an investment that helps strengthen early literacy across Kenosha County.

This work is about more than programs. It’s about what happens when schools, families, and community partners come together around a shared commitment: ensuring every child has the foundation they need to thrive. Through cross-sector collaboration, family engagement, and aligned community resources, we are working to improve early reading outcomes and expand opportunity from the very beginning of a child’s educational journey.

We see the impact in real time, when children gain confidence as readers, when families are more engaged in learning, and when systems begin working together instead of in silos.

We are deeply grateful to Herb Kohl Philanthropies for believing in this work and investing in the long-term success of children and families across Wisconsin.

📽️ Learn more about who we are and why this work matters in our video.

05/22/2026

This week, Building Our Future joined partners from Achieve Brown County, Higher Expectations for Racine County, and Milwaukee Succeeds for a statewide partnership retreat facilitated by StriveTogether.

Over two days, partners engaged in thoughtful conversations around shared priorities impacting children and families across Wisconsin, including:
• Early childhood education
• Child care and sustainable funding
• Kindergarten readiness
• Shared policy advocacy
• Strengthening systems that support long-term economic mobility

The convening created space to build stronger alignment across communities, deepen relationships, and continue identifying opportunities for collaboration across the state.

Building lasting change requires partnership, trust, and a willingness to work collectively toward better outcomes for children and families. Building Our Future is grateful to be part of this statewide work and collaboration.

05/20/2026

Our students are putting their leadership into action — and now they’ve created a video to help spread the word about the upcoming Stride for Minds 3K! 🎥💙

This youth-led event is focused on mental health awareness, community wellness, and bringing people together through movement and connection during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Please help us support these amazing young leaders by registering, attending, and sharing this event with your networks.

📅 Saturday, May 30
📍 Petrifying Springs Park
💙 FREE for all ages

Here's the registration link: https://forms.gle/yMf5bHQWfvJyzoXX7

05/19/2026

Building Our Future was proud to be part of the Life Balanced Link-Up hosted by Kenosha Area Business Alliance.

We were excited to have Brandon Morris, our Partnership Development Manager, serve as one of the community ambassadors helping welcome newcomers and strengthen connections across Kenosha County.

Events like this remind us how important relationships, collaboration, and community belonging are in building a strong future for families, employers, and residents alike. Thank you to KABA and all of the partners who helped make the event such a success!

05/18/2026

Good data helps communities make stronger decisions.

This month, we’re highlighting the “Tell Me About Kenosha’s Workforce” section of the Kenosha County Overview Dashboard — an interactive tool featuring local workforce, employment, and cost-of-living data.

The dashboard includes estimates from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, helping users better understand the income needed to support families in Kenosha County across different household and employment situations.

Why it matters: Workforce conditions and economic stability shape long-term outcomes for children and families. Shared data helps partners align strategies that support opportunity and mobility across our community.

🔗 Explore the dashboard: https://www.buildingourfuturekc.org/county-overview.html

Address

5500 6th Avenue
Kenosha, WI
53140

Website

http://www.buildingourfuturekc.org/

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