Rawhide Youth Services gets grant to expand Oshkosh counseling

Oshkosh nonprofits get a boost

OSHKOSH, Wis. (WISS) – Twelve organizations in the Oshkosh area have been awarded grants totaling $375,000, the Oshkosh Community Foundation announced Wednesday.

The funding comes through a regrant from the Minnesota-based Otto Bremer Trust, a private Minnesota-based charity which recently distributed more than $1.5 million to groups across ten counties in Northeastern Wisconsin.

The grants go specifically to support initiatives in literacy, foster care and adoption, children’s health and disability services, mental health, and capital projects for hospitals and clinics.

One grant recipient is nonprofit turning 60, with a Packers founder

One of the grant recipients is Rawhide Youth Services, a New London-based nonprofit that provides counseling, therapy and support for at-risk youth.

Rawhide operates eight outpatient locations and four equine therapy sites across Northeast Wisconsin, from Peshtigo and De Pere down to Oshkosh and Greater Milwaukee.

Its New London residential campus serves as a headquarters. The campus serves court-adjudicated boys ages 11 to 17, as well as youth under protective services through the CHIPS program.

The nonprofit has a unique origin story. Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr helped launch Rawhide by raffling off his MVP Corvette to fund the purchase of land for the campus.

Rawhide is marking a major milestone this week—its 60th anniversary. To celebrate, the organization is hosting “60 Years of a Legacy of Love” on Friday, August 15. The event will feature a classic car show, live music, a traditional fish fry, and tours of the museum.

Grant will help expand mental health services in Oshkosh schools

What began as a single foster home has grown into a comprehensive network of youth services. Rawhide is in more than 50 schools throughout Northeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee.

It’s receiving $28,000 through the Oshkosh Community Foundation to expand mental health services in Winnebago County.

The organization currently provides counseling in five Oshkosh schools and operates a community clinic at the Boys and Girls Club in Oshkosh.

“We really want to expand the schools that we’re in, and access to therapists in that region,” says Angie Lee, Rawhide’s Manager of Development and Grants.

Demand for providers is a complex challenge

Finding therapists, however, is an ongoing challenge.

“We see mental health as an interconnected service [and] need. We need corporate partners. We see that mental health is not just a singular issue, but one that’s complex and layered, and needs all of the community to come together,” Lee says.

In 2024, Winnebago County had one mental health provider for every 330 residents, slightly better than the statewide average of one for every 370, according to County Health Rankings.

According to an annual report from the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, one in four kids in Wisconsin statewide faces emotional, behavioral, or developmental challenges. Nearly half of high school students report struggling with anxiety.

For Lee, this work is personal

For Lee, the importance of expanding access isn’t abstract. It’s deeply personal.

“I have a personal friend who was looking for a mental health provider. She planned to drive her daughter to Menasha from Oshkosh. And was baffled how to fit it into her schedule. I told her Rawhide offers counseling at the Boys and Girls Club where her daughter attends… and I could see the relief on her face.”

That relief deepened when the mother learned there were also services available within her child’s school.

“The relief and gratitude were clear. She’s seen a lot of positive changes in her daughter since.”

“That story hits at the heart of our mission,” Lee said. “We get to participate in the transformation of youth. It perfectly highlights our work helping youth and their families.”

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