Olivia El-Amin, New Horizon
Olivia El-Amin compassion for working with children is only matched by the high esteem in which she holds for her husband Saleem, who founded New Horizon Center, Inc. in December of 1985. Born and raised in Milwaukee, El-Amin attended North Division High School and later attended UW-Madison and then UW-Milwaukee, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications.
“I grew up in a single-parent household with three siblings. It was a struggle, but my mother made it work. By the time I was in college, my mother—who had married—and her husband began taking in foster children, so there were even more kids in the house. They even adopted a couple of the children,” said El-Amin.
Upon graduating from college, she worked for Channel 18—climbing up the career ladder from the mailroom to the traffic department. There, she began doing promotional work and public service announcements. El-Amin left Channel 18 to accept a position with WKTI radio station. Eventually, she transitioned into the nonprofit arena, taking a position with the Planning Council for Health and Human Services. El-Amin worked there for about six years. During this time, she met and married Saleem, who eventually convinced her to leave her job and join him at New Horizon Center.
“I’ve been at New Horizon ever since then,” she said laughing.
When El-Amin first joined the New Horizon Center, Inc. in 1996 the organization was operating a residential treatment facility for males. As Director of Corporate Affairs, El-Amin helped the non-profit expand its service to include a boys’ group home, residential treatment center for females, a children’s foster care placement agency, crisis stabilization and mentoring program, and a day care center. Over the next 20 years, New Horizon Center served hundreds of youth and families and employed hundreds of professional and para-professional staff.
“As co-owner of our day care center, I have had the opportunity to bring millions of dollars to the organization through grants, in-kind donations and fundraisers,” said El-Amin.
Over the years, New Horizons has received more than 100 awards. Moreover, El-Amin has amassed several awards for her services to the community, including awards and commendations from Governor Jim Doyle, (the late) Annette ‘Polly’ Williams, former Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines, Jr. and the Black Women’s Network. She was also named New Horizon Center’s Employee of the Year in 2010.
El-Amin explains that New Horizon Center has had its share of challenges as well. She said through it all youth, families and community remained their focus.
“When I first came into the business, there was an emphasis on making sure the children’s needs were met on every level—academic, emotional, physical, psychological and parental support. We didn’t have to seek out these services; they were provided as part of the wraparound services. Everyone worked together to ensure that—first and foremost—the children’s needs were met. The children felt protected and taken care of,” said El-Amin.
The El-Amin’s were proud of the fact that the group homes they ran provided a comfortable, homelike environment.
“Later, the foster care system’s emphasis became more about the bottom line and budget, and less about meeting the needs of the children. We knew that moving the children into communities to be cared for by people who didn’t look like them and facilities far away where family members could not travel, was not the best thing for our children. The kids retaliated. They became violent and lashed out because there was no one around that connected with them. There were no Black counselors, teachers, or social workers. They felt that no one cared about them and this bore out in their behaviors. The children were no longer healthy and healed; they became malicious. Sadly, that was a huge change of structure within the childcare environment in Milwaukee—fewer services and more emphasis on finances,” said El-Amin.
These days New Horizon spends its time and talent caring for children enrolled in their day care center and providing treatment for children in foster care. The organization’s founder has instilled a caring philosophy that permeates throughout New Horizon, from the top down.
Olivia and Saleem El-Amin, who have been married for 24 years have five children, including one son together, Najee. Her four adult stepchildren include—sons, Qaiyim and Khalif and daughters, Lena and Keena. The youngest, Najee, attends Rust College in Holly Springs, MS on a full academic scholarship. New Horizon Center has always been a ‘family business’. At one point or another, each of the children has been employed at the business.
El-Amin credits the longevity of her marriage and business partnership to Saleem’s upbringing.
“His parents were married for 60 plus years. They had five children, and all are successful college graduates. While my husband initially thought he would become an attorney, I think social work has always been his passion. He loves helping people, no matter what the circumstances. Even with our employees, he’s always looking for ways to build them up and make them better. They know who to come to when they need something. He just has a big heart,” she said with pride.
When asked about the needs of children in Milwaukee, El-Amin said that more resources geared to children are needed—financial, mental health, academic and trauma. She said that parents of children also need access to resources.
“Resources are not always about money. Some families are struggling and need help to move forward. Resources can come in the form of food, job training and employment. And, we need parents to begin instilling a mindset in our children to become entrepreneurs. Instead of encouraging them to get an education so they become employable, we need to start nurturing our children and to become their own boss. Even I do that to lead by example. In addition to New Horizon Center, I have an event planning business that I really enjoy. I have worked with such artists as The Isley Brothers, El Dabarge, TV Judge Glenda Hachett, and Tavis Smiley. It’s something I do to help myself and to embrace and demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit,” she said.