Rawhide breaks ground on Fond du Lac facility

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WBAY) - Rawhide is a step closer to expanding its youth counseling services in the Fond du Lac area.

On Tuesday afternoon, the agency broke ground on a new facility at Highway 45 and County Road K.

Although construction started in December, the official groundbreaking on Rawhide’s new counseling center took place Tuesday afternoon.

“This is a time period that everybody is struggling with this changed world due to COVID, so now more than ever our youth really need our help. They need therapy, they need some help to come along side them and give them the tools to be able to cope with the issues that they have,” said Alan Loux, the CEO of Rawhide.

The 23,000 square foot facility will sit on 37 acres of land, and will offer both traditional and equine therapy once it opens in the late spring.

“Why is this important, because horses provide a level of trust that traditional therapy might not work as well,” said Loux.

Rawhide has been a part of the community for two years, and one of the reasons they came here is because there’s a lack of therapy being offered in the area right now.

“I think it will further their mission. It will solidify their spot in the Fond du Lac Community and it will allow them to help more and diverse populations in the community,” said Joe Braun, a member of the Fond du Lac Area Foundation.

The organization says it will also expand upon a partnership with area school districts.

“We’re going to be able to serve hundreds of youth here in this facility. Rawhide is already serving within the community and in the schools between 100 and 150 youth each and every year. So we’re looking for this to help grow that in a much larger fashion,” said Loux.

Copyright 2021 WBAY. All rights reserved.