As the Racine Community Foundation (RCF) celebrates 50 years of service, countless stories highlight what happens when a community invests in its people. Across Racine County, organizations are helping girls discover their confidence, young adults find meaningful careers, and families facing hardship feel supported and seen. Together, they show how nurturing potential—at every stage of life—creates a stronger, more connected Racine.
Below, meet three organizations building brighter futures with the help of RCF’s support.
Girls on the Run Southeastern Wisconsin: Confidence That Carries Forward
For Girls on the Run (GOTR), empowerment begins with movement—but the transformation goes far beyond running. Serving girls in 3rd–8th grade, GOTR weaves together physical activity, emotional skill-building, and mentorship to help girls navigate a world that often dims their confidence just as it should be taking flight.
Their evidence-based curriculum teaches girls how to manage emotions, make intentional decisions, support their peers, and tap into inner strength. Over eight weeks, girls discover they are capable of more than they ever imagined—and each season ends with a joyful, noncompetitive 5K where every participant crosses the finish line knowing she belongs.
Support from the Racine Community Foundation ensures this opportunity is accessible to more girls—particularly those who may face financial, social, or emotional barriers. With over half of participants requesting financial assistance, RCF’s investment removes obstacles like registration fees, running shoes, and healthy snacks. It ensures that cost never stands in the way of confidence.
In Racine County, where girls’ self-esteem often begins dropping as early as age nine, GOTR provides a powerful counterforce. Surveys show that caregivers describe their girls as almost twice as confident after the program. GOTR sees this happen every season—in the girl who goes from quiet to outspoken, in the teammates who learn to lift each other up, and in the faces beaming with pride as they cross the 5K finish line.
This is more than a program. It’s a foundation for leadership—and for life.
WRTP | BIG STEP: Opening Doors to Family-Sustaining Careers
For WRTP | BIG STEP, opportunity isn’t abstract—it looks like a young person stepping into their first union hall, or a student realizing they have the skill and potential to build the structures our communities rely on.
As one of Wisconsin’s leading workforce intermediaries, WRTP | BIG STEP prepares people for careers in the skilled trades through certified pre-apprenticeship training offered at no cost to participants. Their mission is rooted in equity: to ensure women, young people, and people of color can access jobs that provide stability, mobility, and long-term opportunity.
With support from RCF, WRTP | BIG STEP expanded its Racine Summer Trades Academy—giving recent high school graduates hands-on exposure to careers in carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, manufacturing, and more. Students toured union halls, learned from trades professionals, and practiced real skills, from wiring electrical circuits to assembling scaffolding. Some students went on to enroll in the organization’s first-ever Youth Entry-Level Construction Skills cohort in Racine County.
The program is about more than training. It’s about building futures with real, lasting economic impact. Construction apprenticeships in Wisconsin have a median salary nearing $100,000—and WRTP | BIG STEP ensures these pathways are open to everyone, not just those with existing connections or resources.
By supporting wraparound services like transportation, PPE, work apparel, childcare, and legal assistance, the organization removes barriers that often keep people from completing training. This comprehensive support is what turns interest into enrollment—and enrollment into a family-sustaining career.
WRTP | BIG STEP is shaping a future where more Racine County residents can thrive in the skilled trades—and where economic mobility is within reach for all.
Orchestrating Good: Meeting Families With Compassion and Connection
Some organizations make a difference by meeting people exactly where they are—sometimes literally on their front porch, at school pickup, or in the middle of a neighborhood block. Orchestrating Good is one of those organizations.
Rooted in the belief that kindness is contagious and community is strengthened by everyday acts of care, Orchestrating Good works closely with families facing immediate needs. Through the Orchestrating Good Resources Program, they deliver food, hygiene items, clothing, and essentials during moments of uncertainty—ensuring families feel supported, dignified, and seen.
But the organization’s impact doesn’t stop with necessities. With the help of partners including the Racine Police Department and Mount Pleasant Police Department, they create moments of joy and connection that stay with children long after the day ends.
Their annual Ice Cream Day brings laughter and relief to kids on hot summer afternoons. During the holidays, their mobile Christmas event delivers toys, gift cards, and magic directly into neighborhoods—with Santa, the Grinch, and local officers arriving in partnership not for enforcement, but for community-building.
Support from RCF ensures these moments—and this safety net—reach hundreds of families each year. In a community where many households are one emergency away from crisis, Orchestrating Good fills the gaps with generosity, dignity, and a deep belief in the power of showing up.
Their work reminds us that compassion isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
Together: A Stronger Racine for the Next 50 Years
Across these three organizations, a shared truth emerges: Racine’s future is being shaped by people and programs that nurture potential, open doors, and meet community members with empathy and respect.
- Girls on the Run builds confidence in our youngest leaders.
- WRTP | BIG STEP prepares young adults for stable, life-changing careers.
- Orchestrating Good supports families with compassion, dignity, and kindness.
Their missions may differ, but their impact intersects—reminding us that a thriving community depends on strong foundations at every stage of life.
As Racine Community Foundation marks its 50th anniversary, the stories of these organizations illustrate the ripple effect of generosity. When we invest in people—especially early, especially equitably—we build a Racine County where everyone has the chance to rise to their full potential.
The mission of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership | Building Industry Group Skilled Trade Employment Program (WRTP | BIG STEP) is to enhance the ability of public and private sector organizations to recruit, develop, and retain a more diverse, qualified workforce in construction, manufacturing, and emerging sectors of the regional economy. The nonprofit serves Wisconsin residents in the Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, and northern Wisconsin regions.