GOLD2022

Good Fight Community Center Inc

Be Prepared For Life

LA CROSSE, WI   |  https://thegoodfight.club/

Mission

At the Good Fight Community Center our mission is simple: Love kids. Serve kids. Value kids. We believe hope & healing begin in the heart. Our small size is our strength, allowing us the opportunity to focus on loving kids by creating a safe space where kids can simply be what they are- kids- & by meeting real-world needs on a personal & immediate level. We serve kids by addressing 4 pillars of well-being & supporting each with corresponding programs & services designed to provide holistic, wrap-around support for the whole child: Physical, Emotional, Social & Academic. We value kids by listening to their input, concerns & viewpoints; praising & encouraging them; emphasizing their inherent worth & dignity; & listening to feedback from kids themselves as to what they want & need.

Ruling year info

2016

Founder and executive director

Mr. Nathaniel Coleman fou

Co Principal Officer

Amanda Worman-Holmgaard

Main address

118 6th Street North

LA CROSSE, WI 54601 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

81-2930941

NTEE code info

Neighborhood Center, Settlement House (P28)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

The Good Fight Community Center Perfect 10 Program

The Perfect 10 Program is our proprietary summer program that works with students preparing for 8th grade. In this program students learn 100 vocabulary words, brush up on 8th and 9th grade math skills, work through social and emotional management skills with the Carey Guides, and are given reading assignments. They also serve our local community by feeding the homeless, volunteering at senior centers, and doing neighborhood clean-ups. Throughout the course of the program students are taken on 10 amazing field trips designed to introduce them to fun and educational opportunities and resources in their region. At the end of the course students are rewarded with a graduation ceremony to showcase and celebrate their success with friends and family, a certificate of completion, $100 to use for school supplies, and gift cards to help them find success in 8th grade and beyond!

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Children
Preteens
At-risk youth

Teaching discipline through physical fitness and boxing training. Teens feel like a champion when they train like a champion. We are a USA Boxing registered gym and coaches are Safe Sport certified as well. Physically fit kids are also more confident and actually do better in school. Many of our kids will never compete, but will benefit from the physical fitness and discipline of regular training.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Children
Preteens
At-risk youth

A weekly Wednesday night program at The Good Fight Community Center that brings in community professionals to talk to our teens about career, finance, safety, and other topics that will help our kids to be successful in life. We buy pizza for this program…thus the name “Quick bites”- bites of information and bites of pizza. Currently we have partnered with Goodwill and they provide our weekly speaker.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Children
Preteens
At-risk youth

This program picks ten 8th grade students each school semester and follows them for 12 weeks. It focuses on teaching life skills, habits and thought processes for success. Students learn hands-on how to cook, budget, shop, set up successful strategies for studying, do laundry, banking, and numerous other skills needed to be successful in life. They work with a tutor to assure they stay on task and up-to-date in school.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth
Adolescents
Children
Preteens

A summer educational and adventure program that takes 5 teens each Monday for 8 weeks on numerous field trips designed to help the student think about the world around them. Last summer's adventures took our kids to The Wisconsin State Capitol, The George Floyd Memorial, The Minneapolis Outdoor Art Museum, and introduced many other educational opportunities. This program was created through a partnership with La Crosse County Systems of Care. There is no cost to the students.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Children
Preteens
At-risk youth

A proprietary in-school program for 8th graders that talks to students about the differences between middle school and high school. The program is offered to all 8th graders in the school district at no cost to the schools, or the students. The program discusses and prepares students for the new challenges and opportunities that high school will bring. We discuss students' current strengths and how to move past doubts and fears.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth
Adolescents
Children
Preteens

In partnership with the La Crosse School District this program brings Good Fight staff into our local middle schools. Through this program we work with students who are struggling with school attendance, school connectedness and school achievement. We also work with caregivers to help them become a bigger part of their students’ success. Students are provided with second chance transportation, a free membership to The Good Fight Community Center, tutoring services, school visits from our staff, and individual rewards for progress. We track attendance, student achievement, and report to school administrators regarding challenges and successes.

Population(s) Served
Caregivers

In partnership with the YMCA Youth Center, students will compete for the traveling Young Chef’s Challenge trophy. Young men and women between the ages of 12-18 get the opportunity to learn to cook great food, compete, and earn rewards for their efforts.
Students are taught how to prepare various proteins each week, then choose side dishes to complete the meal. In week four of each month, students will cook for local personalities or chefs who will judge the items and give feedback.

Students are challenged to maintain good school attendance and grades to participate. They will learn a valuable life skill, healthy competition, and maybe discover a talent and passion for cooking.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Children
Preteens
At-risk youth
Adolescents
Children
Preteens
At-risk youth

Where we work

Awards

Martin Luther King Leadership Award 2016

City of LaCrosse

Affiliations & memberships

Martin Luther King Leadership Award 2016

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Disadvantaged and at-risk youth of the Wisconsin Coulee Region.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, Progress tracking and program effectiveness, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Creation of The Good Fight Way program in partnership with the La Crosse, WI school district. To positively affect local middle school students with the following four points: Student school attendance Academic achievement Student school connectedness Caregiver engagement

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    It hasn't changed our relationships at all, but served to better inform our policies and programs to increase effectiveness.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people,

Financials

Good Fight Community Center Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Good Fight Community Center Inc

Board of directors
as of 11/15/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mrs. Sonna Severson

Retired City of La Crosse MTU

Sonna Severson

Retired City of La Crosse

Sue Peterson

Education Consultant

Troy Muller

CFO Ashley Furniture

Melissa Murray

Middle School Principle, LaCrosse School District

Lauren Herzog

College Student/Nursing Major

Jordeen Butler

Campus Talent Strategist

Steve Schlicht

S&S Framing

Marcia Brendum

Treasury Management Officer Citizens State Bank, La Crosse Wisconsin

Jay Lyngaas

La Crosse County Corrections

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/8/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person with a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 11/08/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.