It was a trip to the Holy Land that changed Greg Behrend ’s direction in life. His career included serving as a paramedic and then as a pastor in the Moravian Church. He was helping people, but felt he could have an even greater impact.
He explained, “When I was in my 20s, I took a trip to the Holy Land and went into Palestine and visited Star Mountain (an institution of the Moravian Church that is dedicated to helping people with intellectual disabilities)," he said. "The experience was life-giving and beautiful for me, a person of faith. God felt most alive to me there, and that led to my calling.”
It was more than a decade before that dream would come together. Behrend spent 10 years as a paramedic, and then obtained a master’s of divinity degree. He served as a pastor, but he and his wife, Amy, talked and planned for the future. They wanted to start a nonprofit business that would serve disabled people.
Amy, who worked in human development with a focus on people with disabilities, believed there was a need they could fill. Their combined passion finally took root when they moved to Green Bay in 2021.
“I received a call to pastor a congregation in Minnesota, and while we were there, Amy and I had a vision for doing something different that focused on loving and serving people and making spaces for people together,” Behrend said.
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The research began in earnest. The couple interviewed about 80 individuals and business owners. Green Bay “jumped off the map” as a location due to it having a large population of people with disabilities.
“Green Bay had so many folks that wanted to partner with us and support our efforts that it was clear that this is where we wanted to be,” he noted.
You Belong was selected as a name.
“This was during the pandemic and people were feeling a deep sense of loneliness," he said. "We wanted to say, ‘We see you; we care about you, we love you.’ The question for us was, ‘How do we create a space of immense hospitality that provides a great sense of belonging?’”
Initially, the business started under the umbrella of the Moravian Church You Belong Faith Community. Programs were provided at an assortment of spaces including churches and homes. But that was temporary. As the success of the programs proved the need for their nonprofit, a search for a permanent home began. That led to leasing a 6,000-square-foot property in Ashwaubenon.
Behrend said, “We did a lot of work on the space in 2022, but had to file for nonprofit status in order to be eligible for grants. We hired an attorney to do the paperwork and in less than six weeks we were official.”
It was now 2023, and the Behrends were busy. They needed to become part of the Department of Health Services Children’s Long-Term Support program — a program that funds support for children with disabilities and their families. The goal of the program is to keep kids at home instead of in an institution.
“Being part of the program means that families can use our services,” Behrend said. “Once we were on the list, we needed to obtain referrals from communities who are doing disability work. They needed to see what we were doing and point people to us.”
Behrend, who could probably get an award for his networking ability, had more than 1,500 contacts that first year.
“People became aware of us,” he said.
You Belong set itself apart from other programs by creating a space they call Adventure Zone. Half of their building space was designated for programming; the other half become a space that he says is creative and accessible. It has colorful murals that welcome neurodivergent children with paintings like one of a T-rex with leg braces.
It took 16 months to get the business fully open, but the response was almost immediate. Filled programs and a waiting list attest to the growth of the business. There are three full-time and seven part-time employees, and a five-member board of directors. You Belong was one of the nonprofits supported in the Give BIG Green Bay campaign; 600 individual donors gave.
Support from businesses has also been encouraging (there is a list on their website youbelongwi.org ), but ongoing funding will be one of their biggest challenges.
“We put people before dollars,” Behrend said. “That’s the reality in everything we do. We’re not trying to take advantage of anyone, but we need to figure out our profit margins and how to make the biggest impact with those dollars. We are adamant about taking care of employees, also, and compensating them well.”
Pricing for the Adventure Zone is comparable to that of similar facilities; compensation from agencies is set by the government. To bridge the gap between income and expenses, a part-time grant writer was recently hired. Additional funds will allow them to add services.
In the next 18 months, Behrend said their primary goal is to take existing programs from good to excellent. In addition, they are considering adding programs for speech therapy, day programs for adults with disabilities, summer camps, day care, ability assessment, prenatal care, and more.
He added, “We are exploring a variety of tracks, but aren’t set on any of them. Who knows? Maybe we can do all of them.”
The biggest thing, so far, has been the return of families week after week. They are reaching a large group, but look to increase that to a broader target audience that might have been missed. A specific need continues to be obtaining volunteers for the respite program, a program that provides temporary care for caregivers to allow them to have a break from caregiving. Information on volunteering is available on the website.
“We have a partnership with other organizations in the area to provide that break for caregivers. Ask yourself, how can I respond? What if I could give one Saturday a month for respite so a family can do what it needs to do? There is a wait list every month,” he said.
That sense of giving defines everything that You Belong strives to accomplish. Behrend says that he knows every business comes with a risk, but it is one that the couple is willing to take.
He said, “For me, I see the hurt, sadness, and loneliness that comes to this population. It is real and life-giving relationships that can change the trajectory of their lives. It feels like a risk in a lot of ways, but the bigger risk is to not do this.”
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay couple creates You Belong play space to serve children with disabilities, their families
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