From the desk of our Executive Director

As I sit down to write my very first newsletter of 2026, my heart is full. 

2025 was a year of extraordinary growth for Courage+. Growth in ways we planned for, and growth in ways that stretched us, challenged us, and ultimately strengthened us. We grew our staff, welcoming passionate, committed people who show up every day for LGBTQ+ youth with care, professionalism, and love. We expanded our footprint, reaching more communities, more counties, and more young people than ever before. And we deepened and broadened our programming, ensuring that LGBTQ+ youth, especially those navigating the social welfare system, are not only seen but supported, affirmed, and believed in.

None of that growth happened by accident. It happened because of community. Because of people who said yes, who leaned in, who believed that LGBTQ+ youth deserve safety, dignity, and the chance to thrive. 

Now we step into 2026.

This year carries special meaning for Courage+. It marks our 10-year anniversary. Ten years of showing up. Ten years of building safe spaces. Ten years of listening to young people when the world too often tells them they do not belong. And in a time when our country feels divided and uncertain, we are intentionally returning to our roots.

In 2026, we are centering our movement.

That means coming together. It means strengthening our Courage+ family. It means raising awareness about what LGBTQ+ youth in and out of the social welfare system are truly experiencing. It means breaking the stigma that surrounds all children in the social welfare system, especially those living in group homes. These young people are not “problems to be solved.” They are resilient, brilliant, and deserving of compassion, stability, and opportunity. 

This anniversary year is not just about celebrating where we have been. It is about recommitting to why we exist.

I am inviting you, our Courage+ family, to stand with us in 2026. To help raise awareness. To share our story. To grow this family so that no young person ever feels alone in their journey. Together, we can continue to shift narratives, build understanding, and create spaces where courage is not just encouraged, but lived. 

Thank you for being part of this movement. Thank you for believing in our youth. And thank you for growing courage with us.

With gratitude and hope,

Brad 

Holiday Season Round-Up

The holidays were a little brighter than usual over here at Courage+. Gala festivities kicked-off the holiday season, starting with a welcome party for award honorees, board and staff, and many donors and partner organizations.

We say it every year, but 2025’s Gala was truly the best. The energy was abuzz all evening long, our drag-show was electric, and Jaida Essence Hall really was the essence of the party. We are all still so amazed by this community and all that you do to support and uplift queer youth. YOU all helped us raise OVER $200,000 dollars! 

Moving into December, continued our tradition of providing holiday magic to hundreds of kids in our neighborhood, Clarke Square. Thank you to all who donated gifts, money, and time to make this happen! Through the generosity of this community, we were able to provide holiday gifts for nearly 150 children in our community. A very special thank you to Regal Rexnord (pictured below, left), Rockwell, and Goodwill (pictured below, right) for spreading cheer, blasting holiday tunes, and wrapping gifts with us! We are always grateful for our amazing donors and partner organizations, and there’s something extra special about the way that our community always comes together, regardless of the time of year.

Last, but certainly not least, our entire team collaborated for our end-of-year fundraising countdown. Over the span of 38 days, we shared stories of our team and residents, brought awareness to statistics and information focused on the LGBTQ+ community in Milwaukee and beyond, and reached new audiences across the country to share the heart and mission of Courage+. Together, with the incredible $50,000 match of an anonymous donor, we were able to raise over $147,000. This fundraising effort was about so much more than money; it provides resources, safety, and community for LGBTQ+ youth in the Milwaukee-area and beyond. This fundraising amount will help give homes to those who need it most, will help us  create safety and space for those who need it most, and will help us place Courage+ employees in all four quadrants of the state, helping bring Courage+’s mission to more folx than ever in 2026 and beyond. From the bottom of all of our hearts: THANK YOU.

New House, Who Dis?

You read that right: the Courage House is moving! Our original digs on 10^th street will forever be a part of our heart and story. Moving is bittersweet, but we are so ready for this next chapter. Construction and renovation on the new house is well underway! We couldn’t have done this without the care of the community, from our Gala in November, to the holiday fundraising effort, and beyond. We are enormously thankful and fortunate to have received a grant from Sam Smith’s foundation, The Pink House. With this grant, we have designed and are constructing a sensory room in the new home’s basement. This sensory room will provide additional comfort and an additional safe-space for all youth who call our new home “home”.

I AM MY OWN WIFE, the Pulitzer Prize-winning solo play directed by Alexander Coddington and performed by Jonathan Riker as part of an all-local creative team is coming to the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre from January 23^rd until February 8^th, 2026.

I AM MY OWN WIFE explores one of the 20^th Century’s most singular lives: that of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an openly gender-nonconforming antiques collector who boldly endured two of the world’s most repressive regimes in the Nazis and East German Communists while preserving countless Weimar and Jewish cultural artifacts in her East Berlin home museum. What begins as a celebration of queer resilience and transgender experience unfolds into a far more complex portrait of survival, truth, and the authentic life at the core of this remarkable story.

I AM MY OWN WIFE by Doug Wright will run from January 23 – February 8, 2026 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre (158 N Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202).

Together, we are Courage+.

If you’re able, please consider making a donation to help us continue creating safe, supportive spaces for every young person who needs us.

This is only possible because of your generosity.

Thank you for being a part of the Courage+ family!

Courageously, 

The Courage+ Team