Six teams of Wisconsin Lutheran College students, including “A Fresh Start,” were awarded a total of $14,000 to launch service projects that positively influenced the Milwaukee community.

The Serve2Lead Impact Challenge at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) began in 2019 to help students make a positive difference in the Milwaukee community.

During the Serve2Lead event in 2024, six teams, each led by students in WLC’s Christian Leadership Certificate Program, pitched their projects to judges in front of a live audience.

Proposed projects included clothing drives, youth health education, and a sports camp for people with special needs. Thanks to donors and corporate sponsors, all six teams were given money to launch their projects. The funds awarded totaled $14,000.

Organizations in the Milwaukee area that have benefited from these projects include Atonement Lutheran School, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, Milwaukee Women’s Center, Rogers Behavioral Health, and St. Marcus Lutheran Church.

One team of students, called “A Fresh Start” (pictured), proposed a service project that would provide professional clothing for homeless women through The Bottomless Closet at the Milwaukee Women’s Center. In spring they delivered 3,285 clothing items and 100 hygiene kits to The Bottomless Closet, far exceeding their initial goal of 100 clothing items.

As a part of the “Clothed with Dignity” team project, students partnered with a nonprofit company that offers comfortable, safe clothing to patients receiving psychiatric care. With a $3,500 grant, team members were able to purchase more than 100 crewneck sweatshirts to distribute to patients seeking inpatient care at Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc. Each sweatshirt was embroidered with an inspirational saying and delivered with a handwritten message of hope.

In connection with the project, the team also organized a campuswide mental health awareness night with information about how Rogers Behavioral Health serves the community, giving students an opportunity for open and honest conversation about breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and the treatment process.