Creciendo Juntos

Growing Together

Through 50 years of creciendo juntos, the United Community Center developed from a small youth program to a successful organization serving Hispanic and near south side Milwaukeeans of all ages through education, recreation, cultural arts, community development, and health and human services. Learn how the UCC and the community grew together with our interactive timeline of our 50-year history:
Click on each heading for more information.

• Milwaukee's Hispanic community grows 1920-1950

  In the 1920s, many Mexicans emigrated from Texas to Milwaukee for the city’s booming industrial economy and better-paying factory jobs. During World War II, factory jobs became even more abundant when the government called for many factories to be converted into arms and ammunition producers. Factory workers were the backbone of Milwaukee’s economy for decades.

  

• Meeting the needs of South Side youth 1950-1960

  As Milwaukee's Latino population grew, the community expressed concern about a lack of opportunities for youth. Public schools were unprepared to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking children. The city did not provide enough social services for the South Side community, and hardworking families did not have enough time to spend with their children. As a result, some teens joined street gangs, and participated in petty crimes. The drug trade became a problem in the community as well.

• Milwaukee Christian Center (MCC) forms Hard To Reach (HTR) program Early 1960s

  Recognizing the needs of South Side youth, the Milwaukee Christian Center (MCC) stepped up to help. The Baptist organization, founded in 1921, was dedicated to helping children. Under the leadership of director Rev. Ken Smith, with help from Rev. Gil Marrero, and with funding from the United Community Services Fund (now United Way), the MCC founded their Hard To Reach program. The program identified teens at risk of delinquency and connected them with support services.

  

• The Spot is founded 1966

  The Hard To Reach program found a new home in an abandoned tavern at 814 South 6th Street. The Women's Club of Wisconsin, a strong supporter of the program, paid the rent. The location, known as “The Spot,” became an important part of the local Latino community and was the birthplace of the United Community Center.

  

• The Spot serves South Side teens and community 1966-1970

  Open five nights a week, The Spot featured many programs and activities to keep teens engaged. The programs included a car repair club, physical fitness program, coffeehouse, beauty shop, TV repair shop, and boxing gym. Friday afternoon activities included dancing and roller skating in the community.

• The Spot gets a new director 1967

  After Marrero left The Spot for a new opportunity, Emilio Vélez took over his role as the director. Vélez came in with a broader vision for the organization. He pictured The Spot not only as a recreation center, but as a community service agency. Community members often contacted The Spot with questions and requests for assistance and referrals.

• The Spot expands 1968

  The Spot received a $122,900 grant from the Wisconsin's Board of Governmental Operations to add more programs and staff. Using the funds, the center expanded into a former drug store at 806 S. 6th Street and increased staff to ten. The newly renamed "United Spot" also featured additional activities for youth, programs for the elderly, and more community services.

• César Pabón joins the team 1969

  The Famous Puerto Rican wrestler, César Pabón, was hired by Vélez as a youth worker and subsequently as Program Director. Pabón would serve the organization in many important facets in the years to come.

  

• The United Spot fights for funding 1969

  The state did not renew its generous grant which helped the United Spot grow and function. United Community Services, now known as United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha, stepped up to help with a grant that would allow the organization to operate through 1970.

  

• Residents advocate for independence for United Spot 1970

  At the time, the United Spot was operated by United Way and their staff, as well as the Residents Advisory Council, while the MCC provided funding and governance. Meanwhile, local residents wanted more input and leadership with the United Spot, which they felt was important in the community. The MCC was reluctant at first to let their successful project go, but they eventually agreed to allow the Residents Advisory Council to take leadership of the center. The Board formed a Transition Committee to oversee the change.

  

• Fire destroys the United Spot 1970

  The United Spot burned down in 1970 and the center made the best of a tough situation. UCC board member, Ted Friedlander, recruited Michael Stirdivant from the YMCA to help find the United Spot a new home. The center moved temporarily to Ace Gym on S. 5th and E. Mineral Avenue.

  

• The United Spot overcomes challenges 1970

  In addition to the fire, the newly independent center faced many challenges early on. César Pabón was acting director until a permanent director could be found. The center initially had cultural conflicts between Mexican American and Puerto Rican members. Despite all these challenges, the center persevered.

• The United Spot officially becomes the United Community Center 1970

  At the end of 1970, the United Spot officially became the United Community Center (UCC) with its own board of directors. United Community Services provided transition funding while Rev. Jaime Dávila served as the first board president.

  

• Michael Stirdivant becomes director 1971

  UCC offered Michael Stirdivant directorship. Although not Latino himself, he was passionate about the center.

  

• Relocation 1972

  UCC purchased their current building on 9th Street from St. John the Evangelist Church, which marked a new beginning for the organization. The building was in a rough condition when it was bought, but the space it provided was worth the effort and money needed to make repairs. Faced with few resources and a new, empty building, the organization moving forward focused on expanding upon their new home and renovating the space to fit their needs.

  

• New athletic programs 1975-1979

  UCC expanded their athletics program, utilizing the gym in their new facility to foster the growth of teams and individuals. UCC also hosted local and state events, such as a statewide powerlifting championship. On top of powerlifting, UCC had programs for other sports, most notably boxing. Boxer Israel "Shorty" Acosta, a talented athlete that began boxing at UCC, would go on to represent the United States in the Olympics, ultimately becoming a boxing coach for UCC.

  

• New Beginnings Clinic 1979

  UCC also created their Drug Abuse Prevention program, which saw widespread success due to the trust shared between the organization and individuals in the community. Because of this success, Milwaukee County reached out to the Board of Directors and discussed the creation of a Drug Abuse Treatment program, ultimately creating the New Beginnings Clinic on 12th Street.

  

• New services: community training and development 1979

  UCC created two additional programs targeted towards community organizations and individuals. First, the "Training and Technical Assistance Program" was offered to other community organizations which were similar to UCC, offering training for management in an effort to boost the effectiveness of these organizations. Second, the "Resident Mobilization/Hispanic Development Program", offered services to individuals in the community to remedy socio-economic problems.

  

• First physical expansion 1980

  To accommodate the increasing membership as a result of UCC's new services, the board of directors looked to expand the space available on campus. Following an incredibly successful fundraising program, the construction of UCC's first major addition began. The expansion included a new gym, community spaces, and a small library that would cycle through books from the Milwaukee Public Library. The new space also housed areas dedicated to new smaller programs, such as youth employment, delinquency prevention, and gang intervention programs.

  

• Café El Sol 1983

  Created as a program to give unemployed youth work experience, the restaurant, Café El Sol, was built to create and serve culturally significant foods, as well as showcase music and other forms of art to the community. Café el Sol is well known for their Friday-Fish Fry Buffet as well as a hub for local nonprofits and area businesses to host meetings.

  

• Ricardo Diaz becomes director 1984

  Ricardo Diaz, a well known and respected visionary, became the director in November of 1984. His dedication and vision of growth included expanding the center’s original mission of quality recreation programs. Diaz helped the center gain a positive financial footing and reputation across the city.

  

• Laura Gutiérrez starts involvement with UCC 1985

  In the early 1980s, current Associate Executive Director of UCC Laura Gutiérrez (second from right) began visiting the center as a child. Her history with the organization would grow from there as she began working with the drug prevention programs as a teenager. Coming back as adult, Laura became the Assistant Principal and Director of Instruction. After some time away from the organization, she returned “home” in 2019 to the position of Executive Director to succeed Ricardo Diaz upon his 2020 retirement.

  

• Latino Arts, Inc. 1985

  UCC created an arts organization originally named The Friends of the Hispanic Community, though the name would later be changed to Latino Arts, Inc. The new program's goal was to explore the cultural heritage of Latinos in the community through all forms of art and to express these cultural artworks to the Greater Milwaukee community.

  

• Second physical expansion 1986

  As membership continued to grow rapidly, another fundraising effort once again saw immense success, leading to the second major addition to UCC campus. The second major addition included a newer gym space and the expansion of the library and other educational spaces. The old gym space was renovated into a theater. The expansion would nearly double the physical size of the United Community Center, a much needed addition as membership soared.

  

• Children At Risk 1988

  In 1988, one of the first major education programs, the Children At Risk program, was introduced at UCC. The program targeted youth who were at risk of falling short of requirements to advance to the next grade level and help them bridge any gaps that existed. The program helped students who did not speak English as their first language learn in an environment that is more suited to meet their needs, allowing them to succeed and advance in grade level. The program had a 92% attendance rate, largely due to the trust between the center and the community it serves.

  

• Walter Sava becomes director 1989

  In 1989, having completed his goals for the center, Diaz left UCC and was succeeded by Walter Sava. With the organization in a steady position financially and with a strong reputation, Sava took the opportunity to invest in new areas, such as education and cultural arts.

  

• New education programs 1990

  UCC expanded and merged with the Centro del Niño and Bruce-Guadalupe Community School (BGCS) to expand into the realm of K-8 education. The merger with Bruce-Guadalupe was significant as the school had a history in Milwaukee since the late 1800’s, starting as Holy Trinity School. (Pictured are Holy Trinity students in 1956.) In 1993, BGCS had 300 students and in 2019 the school served more than 1700 total students.

  

• UCC's 25th Anniversary 1995

  UCC Board launched $3.5 Million campaign to add more classrooms and educational space to the campus. Additionally, Walter Sava hired artist Robert Cisneros to paint murals on campus. These murals still adorn the building and share the history, struggles, culture and success of Hispanics in the community.

  

• Fourth physical expansion 1996

  UCC expanded their facilities a fourth time and renovated the building that now contains Café el Sol, Bruce-Guadalupe Community School, and senior programming.

  

• La Guadalupana Senior Center 1996

  In 1996, UCC collaborated with an existing senior care organization, La Guadalupana, and began operating an adult day care program for Latino elders within the community. A few board members from La Guadalupana joined UCC’s board as a result of the collaboration and then the senior center was moved onto UCC’s campus.

  

• Expansion of senior programs 2000

  UCC expanded their senior services with the construction of US Bank Village, a 20 unit elderly apartment complex. A transportation program also began to help seniors travel to and from the center.

  

• Construction of new Bruce-Guadalupe Middle School 2001

  With continued growth, UCC built a new school to house the upper grades of Bruce-Guadalupe Community School. This new middle school was built with state-of-the-art science labs, while the school began to integrate a pre-engineering curriculum called Project Lead the Way.

  

• Latino Arts Strings Program 2002

  The Latino Arts Strings Program was launched to provide pre-college, professional music training for Latino students. The program blends classical music education with Latin American folk music to train around 200 young musicians between the ages of 5-18.

  

• Ricardo Diaz returns as UCC Executive Director 2003

  Ricardo Diaz returned to the UCC in 2003 as the center's Executive Director.

  

• Hispanic Heritage Center & Latino Arts 2004

  In 2004, renovations were made to the lobby of UCC featuring a Hispanic Heritage Center celebrating the history of Latinos in the Milwaukee area. Renovations also included the conversion of the auditorium into the Latino Arts, Inc. Auditorium and Gallery. These events were important in celebrating the abundant Hispanic heritage in the South Side, as well as expanding the outreach of UCC to the community.

  

• Expansion of youth and senior programs 2007

  Several additions were made to the elderly and youth services; these additions expanded an adult day care facility and an early childhood education program. Later, this early childhood education program would become the K-3 program at Bruce-Guadalupe Community School. The expansion of the UCC youth programs continued to engage students and impact their educational journey from a young age.

  

• Olga Village opens 2010

  Olga Village senior housing community officially opened in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM). The program provides housing to seniors and allows them to maintain their independence while offering support services at the UCC Senior Center on site.

  

• Building on Success Campaign 2013

  The Building on Success Campaign was launched to raise funds for 18 new classrooms that would serve 600 additional Bruce-Guadalupe Community School students.

  

• UCC Human Services 2015

  The United Community Center was recognized for its substance abuse recovery program with a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding would allow UCC to expand and improve this program, which was the only bilingual substance use disorder (SUD) treatment program in Wisconsin at the time. The treatment site was also the only site that served as a Central Intake Unit for Milwaukee County's public sector substance use delivery system. Eventually, this program would become UCC Human Services and would expand to include three residential treatment homes, two for women and one for men in the community. UCC Human Services now serves almost 700 clients annually with three residential treatment facilities, day treatment and outpatient programs.

  

• Acosta Middle School 2018

  Acosta Middle School, named after longtime Dean of Students Dora \nAcosta and boxing coach Israel “Shorty” Acosta, was launched to focus on technology and skilled trades. The school offers a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) curriculum to middle school students and helps prepare them for a future in a dynamic job market.

  

• Bright Futures Future

  The Bright Futures Campaign was launched to build the new UCC Early Learning Academy that will serve the youngest learners from newborns to 3-year-olds, ensuring they are kindergarten ready. At this time, 60% of Hispanic children in Wisconsin do not have access to pre-k education. The program, located in the densely populated 53215 zip code, has outstanding potential to improve the \nfuture for children and families of the community.