Spotlight on COMSA: Meeting the Needs of Newcomer Youth and Families in Green Bay
In a small but lively space tucked behind the Pancake Place restaurant on Green Bay’s Military Avenue, the Community Services Agency—better known as COMSA—is helping newcomer families build new lives in Wisconsin. Its afterschool and summer programs are more than a place for kids to learn and play. They’re a bridge between cultures—and a vital source of stability for families starting over.
A Program That Meets Kids Where They Are
COMSA serves families from Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine, offering both academic and cultural support for children and parents. “Our afterschool program is multifaceted,” explained Program Director Annmarie Lahti. “One goal is, of course, to support their academics. But we also work on helping them engage across communities. We have all three cultures together, which means they’re using English and learning how to get along with people who are different from them.”
That focus on connection and comfort is central to COMSA’s work. Many children are still learning English and adjusting to classrooms that feel very different from those in their home countries. The afterschool program helps make that transition easier—through learning, laughter, and shared experiences. “We do things like making caramel apples,” Lahti said. “It might seem simple, but for our kids it’s something new—and it helps them feel part of the community while introducing them to American culture.”
Helping Families Thrive
COMSA’s approach goes far beyond traditional afterschool programming. Each family that connects with the organization is assigned a case manager—someone who speaks their language and understands their culture. These case managers help with everything from finding housing and jobs to setting up medical appointments and driver’s licenses. “Our case managers are all from the communities they serve,” Lahti explained. “It makes it easier for families to trust us, and it cuts down on translation costs too.”
Families can also participate in women’s empowerment programs, English and citizenship classes, and even senior chair yoga sessions. It’s a model of wraparound support, recognizing that helping children succeed means helping their families find stability.
Building Confidence and Belonging
Many COMSA students have lived through upheaval most of their peers can’t imagine. Yet in the laughter and chatter of the afterschool room, that weight seems to lift as their confidence grows. Lahti has already seen remarkable gains in self-confidence and leadership among the children. But the challenges don’t end when the school day is over. As kids adapt more quickly to life in the U.S., cultural conflicts sometimes arise at home. To help bridge that gap, COMSA is beginning parent learning sessions so families can navigate those changes together and strengthen their connections.
Learning, Exploring, and Growing Together
The impact of COMSA’s work is easy to see in the energy and excitement of the kids themselves. Over the summer, they ventured beyond the classroom to discover their new community—visiting the Milwaukee Zoo, the Green Bay Botanical Garden, and local museums. For many, these were first-time experiences that sparked curiosity and connection. At the same time, they kept up with academics through online learning, answering nearly 61,000 questions and mastering more than 1,400 lessons on the IXL platform. Each new skill, each shared adventure, helped them grow in confidence and feel more at home in Green Bay.
Celebrating Culture, Building Community
What makes COMSA’s afterschool program so powerful is its ability to balance adaptation with celebration. “While helping them adjust to the American culture, we’re also celebrating their cultures,” said Lahti. “That’s something they wouldn’t necessarily get at the Boys and Girls Club or other programs.”
Executive Director Said Hassan echoes that belief, describing the program’s long-term goal of helping families integrate without losing their roots. “We don’t want a student completely out of their culture, and parents dragging behind the child,” he said. “Keeping both cultures in mind is a long-term goal.”
A Community Hub for the Future
With only a few years under its belt, COMSA’s afterschool and summer programs have become a cornerstone of Green Bay’s newcomer community. New initiatives—like an online drop-in tutoring program and a student advisory group—show how the organization continues to grow and evolve to meet families’ needs.
For Lahti, the work is both meaningful and deeply personal. “It just really spoke to my humanitarian side,” she said. “These families are resilient. They just need someone to walk alongside them.”
In the heart of Green Bay, COMSA is doing just that—helping newcomer families learn, connect, and thrive together.
