This year, Lighthouse Youth Center is celebrating 20 years of serving kids in the Milwaukee area and beyond. Over the past two decades, Lighthouse has grown to include five campuses and a wide range of after-school programming for area youth—from recreation and academic support to spiritual growth and community service.

In the spring of 2025, a new partnership began to take shape at Lighthouse’s Appleton campus with students from Fox Valley Lutheran High School (FVL). Troy Swenson, Lighthouse site director in Appleton, explains, “Kathy Stern, a math teacher at FVL, reached out to me and asked if she could bring some of her math club students to help our youth with math.” Swenson welcomed the opportunity.

Twice a month, Stern and several members of FVL’s math team make the trip to Lighthouse after school to help the youth with homework and lead math-based games. In addition to enjoying their time at Lighthouse, Stern notes that FVL students are growing in meaningful ways. “They have grown in looking for clues, noticing when some of the students they are working with are struggling or having a rough day,” she says.

Many of the FVL volunteers are international students, often from China, who have especially enjoyed working with others from other cultures and backgrounds. “The international students really embraced this opportunity—even desiring to stay longer to hang out with our youth,” says Swenson.

One such student is Chris Wang, a junior exchange student at FVL. “I love to see the children trying something they originally felt was beyond their capabilities,” she says. “After a year of doing math activities, I can see they’re becoming more positive and confident in participating in new games and having a math mindset.”

Wang also values the relationships built along the way. She adds, “I believe the love we’ve created in this community is a form of stewardship that honors and pleases God, which makes me keep going back.”

This enthusiasm from international students has led to additional opportunities for connection. “Some of these students are going [to Lighthouse] to serve an international meal and talk about their home countries,” Swenson says. Along with enriching the experience for Lighthouse youth, these efforts open the door to more opportunities for FVL’s international students to connect with God’s Word through service.

As Lighthouse celebrates 20 years of God’s grace, Swenson reflects on the ministry’s impact in the local community. In addition to providing after-school programming for families, he notes that Lighthouse has seen baptisms and is on the verge of having its first youth attend FVL and become a member at the local congregation. “Matthew 5:16 serves as a wonderful reminder of what we do,” he says.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).