By Victoria Ruiz de la Vega
Vera Court Neighborhood Center
For over 30 years, Vera Court Neighborhood Center has been committed to ensuring our young people have the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. Since we first opened our doors in 1994, and expanded our outreach to Bridge Lake Point Waunona Neighborhood Center in 2004, we have been committed to partnering with the community, schools and families to provide academic support and wraparound services that empower youth to flourish beyond the classroom.
Today, Vera Court partners with schools across Madison, supporting hundreds of students each year. While we continue to evolve to meet the needs of our community, one thing remains the same: our belief that education can change lives and strengthen our neighborhoods.
As we look to the future, Vera Court is launching the Rise Above and Beyond Campaign to amplify educational opportunities for the youth and the families we serve. This initiative will strengthen partnerships with schools, grow our Rise Program, enhance support for students after high school graduation, enrich family engagement, and establish a committee dedicated to academic excellence and innovation. Together these investments will connect every young person with the resources, mentorship, support and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
This exciting campaign launches with an extraordinary commitment from Lau and Bea Christensen, who have pledged $500,000 over the next five years. Their support creates a strong foundation for this initiative and highlights our shared belief in the potential of every child.
By joining together as a community, we can build on this momentum to expand meaningful educational opportunities, strengthen pathways to brighter futures, and create a lasting impact for our youth and their families. Together, we are investing in brighter futures and building a stronger community, one student, one family and one neighborhood at a time.
We’re inviting partners to join us in this work. To learn more or get involved, please contact Dagny Mochalski at dagnym@ve
racourt.org or Richard Jones at richardj@veracourt.org.
