When Julian Haliga, Sr. was a child, he was priced out of Little League. “Little League was a hundred bucks. I couldn’t even play in Little League as a kid.” That experience never left him.
Today, Julian leads the Milwaukee Baseball Club Community Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a clear mission: to bridge the gap between the suburbs and the inner city. He uses baseball, softball, soccer, art, and music to bring young people into the program, but the goal goes far beyond sports.
What began with a small group of students traveling across the city for training has grown into a pathway to college opportunity. Once students commit, they’re connected to mentors and guided toward college or employment.
As the program grew, so did the needs of the students and families it serves. What started on the field now extends far beyond it. The Milwaukee Baseball Club Community Center operates a Student Resource Center that provides tutoring, ACT preparation, FAFSA assistance, and hands-on support for families navigating school applications.
“What we’re doing is we’re taking the money need away from our families and giving them a place where they can bring their kids and they’ll be safe and taken care of,” says Julian.
The results speak for themselves: dozens of students are now pursuing higher education, with many continuing their athletic careers at the next level.
Determined to eliminate cost as a barrier, Julian sought additional funding to sustain and strengthen his work. He discovered the Woodson Center through a grant posting, applied, and found not only financial support but encouragement through the Community Affiliate Network (CAN).
“It helps me see that I’m not the only one. Everyone’s going through the same issue that I’m going through.”
The Woodson Center’s financial support quickly made a measurable difference inside the Student Resource Center. The Mini-Grant funded a whiteboard that expanded tutoring capacity and a projector system to host larger trainings. Previously, students had to huddle around a single computer screen during instruction; now, the whiteboard allows tutors to teach in a class setting “so all the kids can see.” These upgrades allow the center to serve more students effectively while creating a stronger academic environment for long-term success.
Milwaukee Baseball Club Community Center is rewriting the story for students who once would have been priced out, just as Julian was. Continued support from the Woodson Center and the generosity of its donors ensure that mentorship is always available, and that every child who walks through the doors has a real path to opportunity.
“We don’t have the connections that the Woodson Center has,” says Julian, “so we are completely grateful for them putting us on their platform and getting us in front of the eyes of people that care — care about kids and keeping them off the street.”