Nearly 50 years ago, three Hispanic women living on Milwaukee’s Southside felt there was something missing in their neighborhood. So, they came together and created the first bilingual day care center designed to specifically serve the Hispanic community.

Today, that small childcare center has grown into La Causa, Inc., which offers far more than childcare to Greater Milwaukee community. La Causa’s mission is simple: “To provide children, youth, and families with quality, comprehensive services to nurture healthy family life and enhance community stability.”

The origin of La Causa’s roots still exists, as its Early Education & Child Care Center supports infants and toddlers (ages 4 weeks to 24 months), early preschool (age 2), and “Three and Ready” (ages 3 and 4) children. It also offers before- and after-school programs for children up to age 12. In fact, La Causa’s Early Education & Child Care Center has earned a Five-Star rating in Wisconsin’s YoungStar Program and is fully accredited by the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education.

But, La Causa also features four other divisions that address specific demographics and needs, including its:

• Charter School, which serves nearly 800 elementary and middle school students from four years old through eighth grade. The school offers bilingual and bi-cultural education its unique “Careers in Technology” curriculum, which prepares students for jobs in today’s highly technical fields.
• Crisis Nursery & Respite Center, which is a resource for child abuse prevention and other crisis situations that could have long-lasting, detrimental effects on a child’s emotional, mental and/or physical well-being.
• Social Services Youth Programs that focus on providing an array of services that can improve a child, adult, and/or family’s quality of life. This includes youth care coordination, Recovery Support, and the licensing, recruiting, and support of Treatment Foster care homes, making La Causa Milwaukee County’s largest provider of Wraparound services. Social Services Adult Programs that provide an array of services to support adults with mental health assessment, recovery support, and assistance with drug or alcohol abuse. This support can also include a peer specialist, who provides first-hand experience to inspire and empower individuals on the road to recovery.
• Support Services division also provides a wealth of administrative support to all its divisions and departments including finance, accounting, IT, and employee services, and marketing.

“We’re continuing to grow and have a five-year strategic plan that we use to help guide the way,” La Causa President & CEO George A. Torres said. “We keep our finger on the pulse of the needs of the community.”

La Causa has five locations, including its corporate offices, which are scheduled to open in late September. The new state-of-the-art building will be located at 413 W. Scott Ave. in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, which has undergone a significant change in recent years as old, boarded-up buildings have been refurbished into condominiums, restaurants, and other entertainment hubs.

As La Causa planned to build its new corporate offices, the leadership team searched for new banking options, which is how Town Bank and Wintrust entered the picture. The new corporate offices were only part of Torres’ vision, however. He also wanted to refinance and restructure and improve La Causa’s financial picture. But, more than that, he was looking for a true partner, which he found with Town Bank and Dan Brenton, vice president of Wintrust Commercial Banking.

“That was the mission and the goal right from the start,” Torres said of forging a partnership. “There were banks that came in and offered us nice deals, but we did not get the same feeling of excitement and buy-in we received from the Wintrust team. If you’re going to partner with us, either you’re all in or you’re all out.”

“I have witnessed the strong positive impact La Causa has had on the families in the communities they serve in the Milwaukee area,” Brenton said. “Wintrust is proud to support this organization and its work to serve families in this vibrant community.”

Sylvia Zapata, La Causa’s chief financial officer, said the organization’s new corporate offices were a long-held vision and Wintrust Commercial Banking at Town Bank helped make it a reality. Torres agreed, noting how Town Bank and Wintrust were all in and shared the vision.

“It took a visionary, and I’m happy to say that Wintrust believed in our vision,” Torres said.

Much like the vision of three Hispanic women nearly half a century ago, the trust and partnership between Town Bank and La Causa is one that we, too, hope lasts for next 50 years.

To learn more about La Causa and its programs, visit https://www.lacausa.org/.