FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV) – It’s a tough time for us all right now, but the mission of one Northeast Wisconsin organization remains the same.

Rawhide Youth Services in Fond du Lac aims to help at-risk and troubled youth across the state of Wisconsin. The non-profit organization has been serving Northeast Wisconsin since 1965 and has been working in the Fond du Lac area for a year and a half. Rawhide offers youth counseling, therapy and residential treatment for teens and young adults. The youth services organization has six counseling centers in Appleton, Green Bay, Shiocton, Glendale, Fond du Lac and New London.

When many businesses and restaurants in the area were closing due to COVID-19, the counseling center chose to do the opposite.

“One thing we saw through the pandemic is that with our youth, depression went through the roof, anxiety went through the roof, and we saw suicide ideation go through the roof. Rawhide made the very purposeful decision to stay open during the pandemic, and just pivot a little bit,” says Sean Tiernan, Development Manager at Rawhide Youth Services.

The youth services program is familiar with pivoting. The state of Wisconsin is expanding Highway 23 and will be tearing down their current Fond du Lac building leaving Rawhide Youth Services to find a new counseling center. In June, they are opening a brand new facility at Highway 45 and County Highway K. The plan to build a new facility has been a year in the works.

“There will be half a dozen offices for therapists, there will be 12 equine stalls, there will be 37 acres for our horses and our herd to roam, so we can really take care of them properly and offer the horses the best environment possible, because they’re the Rawhide family as well,” says Tiernan.

When choosing a location for the new facility, the organization, committed to the Fond du Lac community, knew they wanted to stay in the area.

“Fond du Lac is an important part of our growth plan. We love being a part of this community and this community really supports us,” says Sean Tiernan, Development Manager at Rawhide.

There will be a ground breaking ceremony open to the community for the new counseling center on January 19 at 2 p.m.

To learn more about Rawhide Youth Services, click here.