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Northwestern Mutual increases access to higher education | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
May 21, 2013
Each year, thousands of students face the tough decision of determining how to pay for college. According to a recent article*, only 9 percent of low-income students received college degrees, while 54 percent of students from wealthy families obtained bachelor’s degrees.
To help ease students’ financial concerns, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, is announcing 12 grants totaling $336,000 to Wisconsin colleges and universities that increase access to higher education.
The grants support scholarship opportunities and fund specialized programs in areas such as information technology. The 10 schools receiving grants represent both private and public institutions and are located throughout the state.
“Education is a driving force for any growing economy and healthy community,” said John Kordsmeier, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “These grants enable more first generation and minority students to cross the graduation stage, demonstrating how this support positively impacts the individual, the city and the talent pool.”
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Higher education institutions receiving a grant include: Alverno College, Cardinal Stritch University, Carroll University, Marquette University, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

author: Northwestern Mutual Foundation


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Shoes in City Hall display find way to kids in need | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
May 22, 2013
Next Door Foundation is donating more than 1,000 pairs of shoes to the Child Protection Center at Children’s Hospital. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Donated shoes hang from the rotunda in City Hall. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
There is a happy ending for more than 1,000 pairs of children’s shoes that hung in the rotunda at City Hall for the past two months to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect.
The shoes, collected and displayed by “parent ambassadors” at the Next Door Foundation, are being donated to the Child Protection Center at Children’s Hospital.
The “shoe transfer” came about after Milwaukee Police Department officer Carla Lehmann of the Sensitive Crimes Division happened to be at City Hall for a separate event, according to Sara Bauer, parent ambassador supervisor at Next Door Foundation. When Lehmann saw the donated shoes, she realized that they could be put to good use at the Child Protection Center, where she interviews victims.
Next Door Foundation, 2545 N. 29th St., is an education center in Metcalfe Park that works to support Milwaukee children and families. The parent ambassadors all have been affected by child abuse in some way.
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Milwaukee County reported 1,068 substantiated claims of child abuse or neglect in 2011.
“This was such a nice outcome to the project,” said Bauer. “We were probably going to donate the shoes to be recycled, but being actually able to give them to children is really exciting.”

source: news-milwaukeenns

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sharon McGowan


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Adam Carr
May 21, 2013

author: Adam Carr


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Adam Carr
May 21, 2013


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MPS’ Rufus King wins national ACT award for college and career readiness | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
May 23, 2013
Milwaukee Public Schools’ Rufus King International School has won ACT’s national College and Career Transition Award for high schools.
Rufus King is the only high school in the nation to receive the award, which was announced Wednesday evening in Washington, D.C.
Ranked among the best high schools in Wisconsin in 2013 by both U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post, Rufus King was nominated for the award by Gov. Scott Walker and Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers. The six states partnering with ACT for its inaugural College and Career Readiness Campaign were invited to nominate schools.
Schools are nominated by states to recognize “exemplary college and career readiness efforts” as they work to ensure students possess the knowledge and skills to enroll and succeed in college-level coursework at colleges and universities.
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In recognizing the honor, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shared the following about the school: “An International Baccalaureate (IB) school since 1979, Rufus King has created a college-bound atmosphere for its ethnically and socio-economically diverse student population. The rigorous IB curriculum prepares students for the next steps in their educational and life journey. The school uses quarterly assessments to monitor student growth, offers career exploration and college search support, and requires community service for all students.”
“As a nation, we have work to do in terms of college and career readiness, but we can get there,” said Jon Whitmore, ACT’s chief executive officer. “The individuals and organizations we honored this week prove that college and career readiness can be achieved. Our campaign is intended to encourage more people to take up the cause, to support them in their efforts, and to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments.”
“This is a tremendous recognition of the hard work of our teachers, counselors, students and families to ensure students succeed after they graduate,” Rufus King Principal Peter Samaranayake said.
Rufus King won its award based upon criteria including: demonstrated student growth; aggregate ACT scores; the percentage of students meeting college readiness benchmarks; demonstrated success in serving students of underrepresented racial/ethnic/socioeconomic backgrounds; dedication of administrators and teachers to ensure students gain the knowledge and skills needed for success; and the school’s commitment to providing leadership opportunities for students outside the classroom.
MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton said the national recognition “is a strong reflection of what we already know about the rigorous environment at Rufus King and our commitment to college and career readiness.”
MPS’ college and career readiness efforts and results include:

author: Milwaukee Public Schools


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Helping adults reach success through SDC | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
May 28, 2013
More than 70 women and men took a big first step on the road to realizing their dreams.  They graduated from the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) GED/HSED program.
The graduates completed classwork and testing for the GED or the High School Equivalency Diploma (or HSED) programs with SDC.  Alonzo Kelly, founder of the Kelly Leadership Group, addressed the graduates and their families and friends.  He said they had accomplished something amazing by going back to school and earning their diplomas.  He stated “I am so in awe of you” and added it was an honor to share the day’s celebration with them.
SDC Interim CEO Hannah C. Dugan congratulated the graduates and told them they had achieved something special.  “Your achievement
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The graduates included Randall Bordeaux who presented the class address.  He told his peers that they had put in months of hard work to reach the graduation.  He read a poem he wrote for the day that applauded his fellow graduates for their efforts and achievements.  He also urged them to continue to do what is right and to be “the best we can be”.
The graduation for the SDC GED/HSED program was bittersweet.  One of the graduates’ fellow students, Brandon Beckom, was acknowledged as having passed away during the semester.  SDC Education Coordinator Jake Gorges noted that Brandon had achieved perfect attendance in his classes up until his untimely passing.  His classmates gave his widow a standing ovation.
The GED and HSED programs are part of the Education and Training offerings at the Social Development Commission.  The HSED program which is designed for adult students with special learning challenges and is the only such program in Milwaukee County.
Both programs at SDC will in the near future begin using a recently completed state-of-the-art testing center.  This facility will not only be used by the GED and HSED programs but also to do testing for professional licenses and certificates.  It is part of SDC’s Economic Advancement Pilot Program and is designed to help increase employment opportunities for Milwaukee County residents.
The next GED/HSED class will begin at SDC this summer.  To learn more about the program or to find out how to register for the class, visit www.cr-sdc.org/index/Programs–Services/Education–Training/GEDHSED-Testing.htm.

author: Social Development Commission


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Graduates of SDC’s GED/HSED program celebrate.-May_2013_Grads_114_e | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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Tomas Barrios celebrated earning his high school diploma with his family at the SDC GED/HSED graduation.-May_2013_Grads_123_e | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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New grant makes “college possible” by preparing students for ACT | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
June 3, 2013
High school juniors spend four hours on a Saturday taking a practice ACT test organized by College Possible. (Photo courtesy of College Possible)
Juniors at 10 Milwaukee high schools have Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. to thank for supporting a program intended to raise their ACT scores.
Great Lakes, a Madison-based nonprofit that guarantees and services federal student loans, awarded $300,000 to College Possible Milwaukee for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
The philanthropic arm of Great Lakes seeks to improve lives by increasing access to and success in higher education, according to Amy Kerwin, chief educational opportunities officer. “We want to see these students succeed in college from the first day,” she said.
College Possible Milwaukee’s award was part of $4 million in “College Ready” grants Great Lakes awarded to 34 student-centered programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota for the coming academic year. The grants support specialized academic help for students from traditionally underserved backgrounds: first-generation college students, those from low-income families and students of color.
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College Possible coach Matt Coombs works with a South Division high school student. (Photo courtesy of College Possible)
“It is all about the academic preparation that they need to do as well as they possibly can on the ACT,” said Edie Turnbull, College Possible Milwaukee’s executive director. The ACT is one of two standardized tests used for high school achievement and college admission in the U.S.
“In the grant proposal, we specified that our goal is to help increase students’ scores by a minimum of two points,” she explained. That can make a significant difference in how many schools accept them and the ACT is also a very strong indicator of readiness for college, she added.
College Possible Milwaukee’s ACT prep includes four practice tests taken during junior year before the actual test in the spring. The practice tests are scheduled on Saturday mornings at local college campuses to mimic the actual test conditions, Turnbull said. The organization compares the scores from the first practice test taken before the prep classes begin, to the scores on the actual test taken in April. The average increase was 18 percent in the 2011-12 school year, according to the College Possible website.
To maximize a student’s chances for success in college “it is very important to find the [school that is the] best possible fit. The more acceptances a student has, the more likely it is that we will find the right fit,” Turnbull said.
Kerwin agreed. “When we were deciding about the grant, we looked at the fact that an increase in the ACT scores means an increase in a student’s options and that means a greater chance of success,” she said.
Kerwin called College Possible Milwaukee’s program “the shining star. Not only does it have a strategic program, but it also has the ability to track students’ progress and demonstrate their results,” she said. “This is important to us achieving our underlying goals of increasing students’ access and success.”
College Possible Milwaukee’s estimated budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year is $1.2 to $1.3 million, according to Turnbull. “Great Lakes has helped us with some level of grant every year from 2008, but this is the largest grant,” she said.
Milwaukee schools served are: Alexander Hamilton High School, International Peace Academy, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee School of Languages, Morse – Marshall High School, Pulaski High School, Riverside University High School, Saint Joan Antida High School, Saint Thomas More High School and South Division High School.
Turnbull said she is “truly grateful for Great Lakes’ support. We would not be in 10 schools today without the support they have given us every year.”

author: Andrea Waxman


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Adam Carr
June 2, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 2, 2013


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Special Report: Abuse victims on BadgerCare may face new barrier to treatment | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
June 4, 2013
Sojourner Family Peace House serves victims of domestic violence. (Photo by Sue Vliet).
Victims of abuse who rely on BadgerCare face an uncertain future that may involve higher out-of-pocket costs for domestic violence screenings and counseling, while the same medical and psychological services will be completely covered for those who have private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
In the coming months, bureaucrats and politicians in Washington and Madison have the opportunity to address that disparity.
The Affordable Care Act includes domestic violence screening and counseling under preventive services, and as such requires them to be covered with no cost sharing. However, it fails to clearly define what BadgerCare, the state’s Medicaid program, may have to cover in the future.
Depending on how officials define and interpret Affordable Care Act provisions, victims of abuse who are poor could face increases in out-of pocket costs and reduced access to domestic violence screenings and counseling services.
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“The idea of adding another barrier is a scary thing because there are already so many existing barriers for clients who are impacted by domestic violence,” said Carmen Pitre, the executive director of Sojourner Family Peace House, a resource and service center for domestic violence victims in Milwaukee. “This could be one more thing that prevents them from getting the help they need.”
Screenings and counseling
In emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and health clinics throughout the Milwaukee area, medical professionals screen for domestic violence, looking for both the obvious and subtle hallmarks of abuse when examining and interacting with patients.
“I suspect we’re missing a lot of domestic violence patients because the presentations are so cryptic that in the brief period of time that you work with the patient, you miss them,” said Dr. Chris Decker, director of the emergency department at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Health care professionals in Froedtert’s emergency room look for outward signs of abuse such as wounds, broken bones and bruises. They also look for patterns such as repeated visits to the emergency room, especially for non-specific complaints. In addition, every patient who is treated in Froedtert’s emergency room is asked about domestic violence, according to Decker.
But even concentrated screening efforts may not decode the more obscure signs of domestic abuse. For instance, Decker said, a domestic violence victim may walk in the emergency room complaining of a headache.
“If you think to ask about where they live and where they have been the last day or two and how are their relationships at home, those are the kinds of things that are subtle and sometimes you will miss them,” Decker said.
Victims who are continuously screened for domestic violence by health care professionals as they move through the system are more likely to eventually disclose the abuse, according to Pitre.
“We are trying to get doors open for survivors, women and men, who are trapped in violent situations and need to get out,” Pitre said. Screening “gives them a signal that one, you’re not on your own. Two, we take this seriously. Three, if you do disclose, I will help you.”
Once victims open up about abuse, counseling creates pathways for them to permanently remove themselves from physically and emotionally dangerous relationships, she added.
“The counseling allows you to look into what led you into that relationship, what happened to you and helps you unravel the trauma so you are a healthier person,” Pitre said. “You can heal and move forward and that can be an intensive and long-term process.”
Roxie H. (who asked that her last name not be used) is a victim of domestic violence. She has been in counseling for seven years, including three years while she was still living with her abuser. Domestic abuse counseling reconditions the victim emotionally, spiritually and mentally and is the only way victims can fully heal from abuse, she said.
Without counseling “I probably would have killed myself,” said Roxie, who now advocates for victims and is the author of a fictional account about her ordeal as a victim. “It is life or death.”
Walker’s decision changes game
BadgerCare currently covers domestic abuse screening and counseling with small co-pays of a few dollars, depending on the service that is rendered. Some BadgerCare recipients also pay a monthly deductible, based on their income.
Domestic abuse screenings are typically provided as part of office visits, explained Stephanie Smiley, the state’s Department of Health Services communications director.
The Affordable Care Act requires states that accept funding for expanded Medicaid programs to cover “essential health benefits.” In general, these include ambulance service, emergency care and preventive services such as domestic abuse screening and counseling. The newly eligible Medicaid recipients are primarily adults without dependent children.
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Roxie H., now an advocate for domestic abuse victims learned firsthand that emotional and spiritual counseling “reconditions” the abused to move on with their lives.
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However, the future of domestic violence screenings and counseling coverage is muddied by Gov. Scott Walker’s decision in February not to accept federal ACA money to expand the state’s Medicaid program.
Instead, his 2013-15 biennial budget proposes a new category for BadgerCare to cover these adults and all parents whose income is less than the federal poverty line.
If the proposal is approved by the legislature and becomes law, Wisconsin would have to apply for a federal waiver, required whenever a state changes its Medicaid program. All Medicaid programs that receive a waiver must follow Essential Health Benefits Package requirements.
Washington bureaucrats could deny the waiver or the governor could decide to amend a current federal waiver under BadgerCare. The amendment still would need to be approved by federal officials, and it is unclear whether that would trigger a requirement for Wisconsin to meet Essential Health Benefits Package standards.
Under the governor’s proposal, which decreases the eligibility threshold from 200 to 100 percent of the federal poverty line, about 87,000 people would become ineligible for BadgerCare. Those individuals would be eligible for the Health Insurance Marketplace and could be subsidized by the federal government to help pay for their insurance. In any event, they would be guaranteed domestic violence screening and counseling as a preventive service, with no cost sharing.
Regardless of Walker’s proposal to change eligibility, however, the federal government still needs to clearly define the Essential Health Benefits Package requirements for BadgerCare and, more specifically, to what extent domestic abuse screening and counseling must be covered. The government has until Jan. 1 to define these requirements.
“Until we know what that is going to look like, we really can’t make any speculations about what we will do,” said Claire Smith, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health Services.
“If it does turn out that BadgerCare will not cover those services specifically for victims of domestic violence and there (is) a disparity between BadgerCare and private health insurance, then it would definitely be a concern,” said Tony Gibart, the policy coordinator at the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Pamphlets explain the services Sojourner Peace House provides. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Lack of money shackles abuse victims
The poor who are physically and emotionally abused “stay in abusive relationships for many reasons and one of those reasons is that they do not always have the resources to leave, (such) as health care,” said Erin Perkins, the coordinator of the Milwaukee Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Domestic violence victims who suffer from repeated psychological trauma need ongoing care to be able to get out of the abusive relationship, according to Perkins. To complicate the situation even further, victims are more at risk for violence after they leave, Perkins added.
“There is certainly a lot of difficulty trying to break someone from a violent relationship. It’s not always as simple as telling a victim to get up and leave,” she said.
Gibart pointed out that before any domestic violence victim can be properly treated, she must have access to health care and the means to pay for it, whether it be through private insurance, the state’s health care exchange or Medicaid. Victims also must be seen by a medical professional who actually does screenings, he said.
BadgerCare coverage “is an important component, but one piece of the picture is making sure that this actually happens for victims,” Gibart said.
About one in four women will experience some sort of domestic violence in their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. According to the organization, 85 percent of victims are women.
Several studies during the last two decades have found an association between poverty and domestic violence. Domestic violence occurs in every economic class, but victims’ financial well-being plays a large role in their ability to leave a violent relationship, Gibart said.
“Folks with financial resources, while (it’s) not easy, are able to escape more easily,” he said.

author: Brendan O’Brien


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Adam Carr
June 4, 2013


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Adam Carr
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Medicaid | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 4, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 4, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 4, 2013


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How counseling saved Roxie’s life | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
June 4, 2013
Roxie H. was not right.
She couldn’t pinpoint it, put her finger on it. But something amiss stirred inside of her, eventually bubbling to the surface in her appearance and her disposition.
Roxie (who asked that her last name not be used) recalls what a woman said to her during a church function one Sunday afternoon about seven years ago: “Baby, there’s something troubling you,”
“She said that I needed to talk to somebody that could help guide me through this,” she recounted.
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At that exact moment, Roxie knew what she needed and was ready to get help. When she arrived at work the next day, she arranged, through her employer’s employee assistance program, to see a counselor.
Three days later, Roxie went to the first of dozens of counseling sessions to help her heal from the domestic abuse that she was enduring. For three years, she went to counseling during work hours, hiding it from her abusive boyfriend.
“Telling the truth is what gets us hurt, lying is what saves us,” said Roxie, who now advocates for victims and is the author of “How Far Will You Go For The Ring?” a fictional account based on her ordeal as a victim.
During the 45- to 60-minute sessions, to this day, Roxie typically sits in the corner of a soft paisley couch with tissue nearby. She is surrounded by colorful pictures on the wall in the homey office of her counselor.
At times, she takes off her shoes and sits on one leg, with her counselor sitting across from her.
The first few sessions were uncomfortable, she reported. Early on, she cried, a lot.
“Why would I tell them my business? We don’t tell our family we are getting beat up. We don’t tell our family what we are going through,” she said. “It’s tricky to trust that and tell a stranger.”
Over time, the victim is conditioned by the abuser, she explained. With Roxie, it started with complaints about the length of her hair, then her weight. Then it was jealously.
“Then the control, then the yelling, then hitting the wall and then it went to hitting me,” she said.
During their relationship, Roxie conformed to what he wanted, learning what would set him off into a fit of rage, resulting in beatings.
“I always knew right before he was going to hit me. I knew it,” she said. “You learn to conform, to adapt.”
Roxie and her counselor have deep conversations about her life, her relationship with the abuser and her emotions. The counselor never offered a diagnosis, however, leaving it up to Roxie to slowly realize for herself that she was in an abusive relationship.
“What I thought was normal, was not normal. Counseling helped me understand why I thought it was normal,” she said.
Reminders of abuse were everywhere  — during hospital screenings, in pamphlets and even on billboards on the side of the road.
“The first couple of times you hear it, you think ‘it’s not me, it’s somebody else,” she said. “You say ‘poor girl.’ But I was the poor girl.”
It took arduous work with her counselor to fully comprehend that she was being abused and what she needed to do to get out.
Once she realized she was a victim of abuse, the counseling turned to reconditioning her emotionally, spiritually and mentally, she said.
According to Roxie, counseling is the only way for victims to completely heal from domestic abuse. Without it, women face emotional problems, with some falling into drug and alcohol abuse. Others may get out of the abusive relationship on their own, just to enter a new one, Roxie said.
“Every woman who has been subjected to some form of abuse needs counseling,” she said.
For Roxie, it saved her life.
“I probably would have killed myself,” she said. “I would probably be dead, to be honest. It is life or death.”


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Adam Carr
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North Division students use spoken word to describe their neighborhoods | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alex Perry
June 5, 2013
North Division student Annie Spencer read her spoken word piece aloud at Community Night, the culminating event of “Our Neighborhoods: Past, Present and Future,” a 25-week program sponsored by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
“In my city there’s people,” she began, “And in my city with people there’s crime. And in my city with people and crime there’s hurt. And in my city with people and crime and hurt, there’s people wishing they weren’t in my city.”
Spencer and other students at North Division High School, 1011 W. Center St., were encouraged to recount their own experiences of growing up in the city during the Milwaukee Rep program, which brought photographers and playwrights as well as spoken word artists to 14 MPS schools.
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A number of students sounded a similar theme. “It’s a lot of crackheads in my neighborhood,” began Georgette Moore.
“There be gang violence, jumping,” Elexis Harris said, “Boys getting robbed just ‘cause the boy got on something another boy don’t got on.”
“Gunshots, gambling, moving, just chilling,” Heaven Kelley added. “Hanging out, fighting sometimes.”
But the students also imagined what better lives might look like. “White picket fence with a big big big house,” Kelley said. “Kids running around all smiling and stuff. Everybody being able to get along.”
“For me?” Kelley added, “Sitting at home. Eating junk food. Not being bothered by my mom or my sister.”
Despite the challenges of growing up in the central city, most students at Community Night remain positive about their hometown. When Kelley, joined by Rep Teaching Artist Marcy Kearns, asked how many agreed with the statement “I love Milwaukee,” she garnered applause and a show of hands.
The Milwaukee Repertory sponsored “Our Neighborhoods: Past, Present and Future” this spring. Middle and high school youths learned photography, spoken word and play writing skills from teaching artists the Rep placed in area schools and youth organizations. The students also saw the Rep’s production of Clybourne Park and Raisin in the Sun. They learned the history of their neighborhoods and explored what they might look like in the future.
Kelley’s vision of a “perfect day” is a day with no violence: “People getting along, going out to have fun. Doing whatever they feel like doing that’s not negative.”
Students at Milwaukee’s North Division High School are learning about themselves, their history, and visual and spoken arts, thanks to an ambitious Milwaukee Repertory Theater program.
[read more]
North Division students learned to create stories and poetry from their own lives in a Milwaukee Repertory program this spring.
[read more]

author: Alex Perry


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SDC Announces 2013 Summer Food Service Program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
June 6, 2013
The Social Development Commission (SDC) announces participation again in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Milwaukee.  Through its Food Service Program, SDC prepares and delivers meals that feed school age children during the summer months. SDC Interim CEO Hannah C. Dugan says “SDC Food Service made more than 68,000 meals last summer that kept children fed and healthy. These were in addition to the more than 1.75-million meals prepared during the year through the regular SDC Food Service Program. We are looking forward to again feeding children through this program who might otherwise go hungry during the summer.”  The Summer Food Service Program sites will bring the total number of locations being served by the SDC Food Service to over 100 located around Milwaukee County.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, provides nutritious meals to children during the summer, when free and reduced-price school meals are unavailable. Free meals will be made available to eligible children 18 years of age and under. Persons over 18 years of age who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who also participate in a public or private non-profit school program during the regular school year may receive free meals as well.
”This program fills a void created when school lunches are not available,” saidEarl Guyton, SDC Food Program Manager. “Helping parents meet the nutritional needs of their children is the strength of this program.”
Meals are provided to eligible children regardless of race, color, national origin, age, gender or disability and there will be no discrimination in the course of meal service.  To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights (Office of Adjudication), 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). TDD users can contact USDA through local relay or the Federal Relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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The following locations will be serving the free meals this summer, with beginning and end times of meal service:
Site Name
Address
Meal Times
Start Date
End Date
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17
8/16
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/24
7/26
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17
8/9
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17
8/9
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17
8/9
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17
8/9
8:00am-9:30am          11:30am-1:00pm
6/17
8/16
12:00pm-12:30pm                                              4:45pm-5:00pm
6/17
8/16
11:00am-1:00pm
6/17
8/16
12:00pm-2:00pm                                              4:00pm-5:00pm
6/17
8/16
5:00pm-6:00pm
6/18
8/15
12:00pm-1:00pm                                              4:00pm-5:00pm
6/19
8/15
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17
8/9
7:30am-8:00am          11:00am-11:30am
6/24
7/12
12:00pm-2:00pm
6/24
8/16
8:00am-8:30am          12:00pm-12:30pm
6/17
8/2
12:00pm-1:00pm
6/18
8/15
10:30am-12:15pm
6/17
8/16
12:30pm-2:30pm
6/17
8/16
11:00am-1:00pm
6/17
8/16
9:00am-9:45am  12:00pm-1:00pm
6/17         7/8
6/28         8/16
12:00pm-1:00pm    6:00pm-7:00pm
6/17
8/16
12:00pm-1:00pm
7/1
8/9
For more information on the SDC Summer Food Service Program, call   414-963-2684.


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A youth enjoys a lunch prepared by SDC’s Food Service Program as part of the 2012 Summer Food Service Program.-Summer_Lunches_Kids_eat_71712_004_e | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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June 4, 2013


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Neighbors sow seeds of connection, engagement | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
June 7, 2013
(From left) William Clary, Heidi Sutton and Daiquizion James plant vegetables in the community garden near 28th and Wright streets. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Since Metcalfe Park sits in “the center of the center of the city,” what happens there is significant for the whole city, according to Quan Caston, education chair of the Metcalfe Park Community Action Team (MPCAT).
“As a chess player, I’ve learned that the center is the most critical position on the chessboard,” Caston said.
Neighborhood residents have been working hard for the past year to heal Metcalfe Park, which has been hit hard by crime, the recession and foreclosure crises. On Wright Street, between 28th and 29th, more than half of the houses have been boarded up or torn down.
That’s one reason why MPCAT chose to build a community garden on the block. The new garden also is across the street from the Dr. Wesley L. Scott Senior Living Community. The Clarke Street School is just a block away.
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(From left) Mariyah and Keira Pressley-Smith and Sara Bauer, a Metcalfe Park coordinator for the Building Neighborhood Capacity Program, plant cabbage in the new community garden. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“We want to bring our seniors back into the neighborhood. We believe that they bring peace and that they can teach,” said MPCAT member Danelle Cross.
MPCAT grew out of the efforts of the Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (BNCP), a White House project to support and strengthen neighborhoods by empowering residents. The garden is the latest in a series of activities and events MPCAT has initiated since it came together a year ago.
“We want our community to be healthy and vibrant and strong and economically stable. We figured putting in a garden would be a good way to teach people to grow their own fruits and vegetables,” and not only give them access to healthy food but also an opportunity to come outside and get to know each other, said MPCAT President Duril White.
MPCAT’s vision for the community includes serving people with disabilities and seniors, and connecting them with the neighborhood’s youth, Cross said. The garden was designed to accommodate people in wheelchairs.
“We’re going to use this place for a social gathering place,” added Cross, who with Sara Bauer, coordinates the Metcalfe Park neighborhood BNCP.
Joining residents who ranged from toddlers to wheel-chair bound seniors, were staff and volunteers from Milwaukee Urban Gardens, and Young Farmers of Milwaukee, two programs of Groundwork Milwaukee, and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
On a weekday evening and a Saturday afternoon, the group built garden bed frames out of wood, filled them with rich soil and planted tomatoes, onions, cabbage and other vegetables. White, a private chef and caterer, provided lunch cooked on site.
Plans for the garden include cooking and juicing demonstrations, healthy eating classes, canning and an outdoor movie night, among other activities.
Caston, an artist, signed up the children to come back and decorate the wood frames with their handprints “to signify that this is their work,” he said. He plans to dip their hands in florescent paint that will glow in the dark.


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8956484326_584bc3bf5b_z | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 6, 2013


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8956559574_8f3baea808_z | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 6, 2013


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Three Milwaukee Public Schools receive more than $28,000 in books through Target, Zilber Family Foundation, Scholastic partnership | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Zilber Family Foundation
June 7, 2013
Volunteers from regional Target stores brought more than an extra set of hands and an all-star reading voice to three Milwaukee Public Schools on Wednesday, May 22. Through TARGET: Milwaukee Matters, they also brought more than $28,000 worth of books.
TARGET: Milwaukee Matters is a partnership between Target and the Milwaukee-based Zilber Family Foundation that aims to improve academic outcomes for Milwaukee children. Through the partnership, each teacher at three Milwaukee Public Schools received a $125 stipend to purchase books at their school’s Scholastic Book Fair. Thanks to the generosity of a Scholastic buy-one-get-one-free donation, TARGET: Milwaukee Matters then leveraged a total of $28,500 in books for teachers at Anna F. Doerfler Community School, 3014 W. Scott St; Gwen T. Jackson Early Childhood & Elementary School, 2121 W. Hadley St.; and H.W. Longfellow School, 1021 S. 21st St.
“The love of reading begins at an early age,” said Kanika Burks, principal of Gwen T. Jackson Early Childhood & Elementary School. “Books open minds to new ideas, people and places. The Zilber Family Foundation, Target and Scholastic have given our students and staff a wonderful gift of books that will nurture the love of reading and open minds for years to come.”
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On May 22, Target volunteers at each school delivered boxes of books to classrooms. “The kids were just buzzing like bees around the boxes as teachers unpacked the books,” said Jodene Schlueter, reading resource teacher at Anna F. Doerfler Community School. Volunteers then read the new books to elementary students, assisted classroom teachers in literacy activities, and joined the kids for lunch.
“We applaud Target and the Zilber board for their desire to help put more books into the hands of children in the Milwaukee area,” said Alan Boyko, president of Scholastic Book Fairs. “We share in their mission to help all children become lifelong readers, and are thrilled to have Scholastic Book Fairs be the place where teachers can use their donation dollars to build their classroom libraries, all thanks to the generosity of Target and the Zilber Family Foundation.
Target team members were so eager to share their time and talents that some extended their volunteer day to help in additional classrooms.
“As volunteers with Target, we are focused on giving back to education and making a positive impact on literacy,” said Jen Lassila, Waukesha Target store team lead and community captain.
Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit – which today equals more than $4 million a week – back to communities. As part of its commitment to education, Target is on track to reach $1 billion in giving to education by the end of 2015. A significant portion of this giving will go toward helping more U.S. children read proficiently by the end of third grade.
TARGET: Milwaukee Matters brings volunteers and other resources to benefit children and families in the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative communities of Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square, Silver City, Burnham Park and Layton Park. Target brings technical expertise, volunteer power and a commitment to public education and reading programs, and the Zilber Family Foundation contributes local knowledge, neighborhood connections and a commitment to community revitalization.

author: Zilber Family Foundation


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Class-with-Booksi | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 7, 2013


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Homework-helpi | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 7, 2013


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Lost-in-Booki | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 7, 2013


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Long-awaited Packers field opens in Mitchell Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
June 10, 2013
Dignitaries including Mayor Tom Barrett and County Supervisor Peggy Romo-West (front) prepare for the ceremonial first pass. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
On a gloomy Wisconsin day, a youth band plays as a crowd sits in the bleachers overlooking a football field adorned with the unmistakable and iconic Green Bay Packers “G.” It’s not game day at Lambeau Field, but it is a new day for Mitchell Park and Clarke Square. The Journey House Packers Field is now open.
With dignitaries such as Gov. Scott Walker, Mayor Tom Barrett, Packers’ President Mark Murphy and Packers Hall of Famer Willie Buchanan on hand, the field was celebrated as a place where youth will play football and learn life lessons such as teamwork, dedication, commitment and leadership.
“Those lessons will radiate from the field to their homes to their schools and communities,” said Charles Brown, director of youth programs at Journey House.
It was Brown who got the call from the Packers in 2009, asking whether he’d like a field once used by the team for practice, but now stored away in 30 huge rolls.
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Susan Lloyd, executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation, accepts an award from Charles Brown, Journey House director of youth programs and Dr. Michele Bria, Journey House executive director. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“We had a field and we never used it,” Murphy said.
Brown’s first youth football team at Journey House won no games and didn’t score a touchdown until the second to last game. The team spent that year practicing on a field with no goal posts or painted lines in a section of Mitchell Park that used to hold the sunken gardens. He couldn’t say no.
Brown called the field a dream come true and credited nearby residents who had  asked for more playing fields during the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative planning process, funded by the Zilber Family Foundation.
“The residents said they’d like to live in a neighborhood with football and soccer fields,” Brown said.
Now, according to Murphy, the neighborhood is the only one in the U.S. that has an NFL field not located at an NFL facility.
“Finally, we found a home here,” Murphy said.
Installing, constructing and preparing a site to house the field, which Brown calls an outdoor classroom, cost $1.4 million. The NFL contributed a $200,000 matching grant, and the Charles E. Benidt Foundation made gifts totaling more than $1 million for the field. The final $1.6 million to cover the cost of a new parking lot and other finishing touches is still being raised.
The project’s main partners are Journey House, Marquette University High School  and Milwaukee County Parks. The real winners, according to Barrett, are ”the kids who will play on this field.”
The high school’s freshman and sophomore football teams will play their home games on the new field, as will the lacrosse team. Journey House youth football league and cheerleading teams also will call the field home.
“They’re playing on the same field that Brett Favre and Donald Driver once played on,” Walker noted.
What do kids think about that?
“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Vance Rehak, who plays linebacker and wide receiver for the Journey House Packers, shortly after catching a touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone.

author: Edgar Mendez


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8996500394_b3127ffbc0_z | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 10, 2013


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8996555548_f4e317cd72_z | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 10, 2013


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Garden for Milwaukee’s poor | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Capuchin Community Services
June 11, 2013
Can you garden for Milwaukee’s poor this summer? Please expand your garden and plant for the House of Peace, a Capuchin ministry. We could use any and all produce for our guests. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, greens, lettuces, sweet corn, and more will be greatly appreciated. Please drop off produce at the House of Peace, 1702 W. Walnut, Milwaukee: Monday thru Friday, 8:30-11:30a to 1-3p.
http://www.houseofpeacemilwaukee.org/Garden_for_Milwaukee_Poor.shtml

author: Capuchin Community Services


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Impact of incarceration on African American males in Wisconsin | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee
June 13, 2013
A new report “Wisconsin’s Mass Incarceration of African American Males:  Workforce, Community & Nonprofit Challenges” by John Pawasarat and Dr. Lois Quinn of UWM will be the focus of a workshop organized by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee.  It will be held Tuesday, June 25 from 8:30 to 10:00 am at the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) Administrative Building at 4041 N. Richards Street in Milwaukee.
“SDC’s main office is located in one of the very areas discussed by this important workforce study,” explained Hannah C. Dugan, Interim SDC CEO.  “This study will help SDC craft future programmatic efforts to serve formerly incarcerated residents as they attempt to re-build productive family and work lives in Milwaukee County.”
Dr.  Quinn, Senior Scientist from UWM’s Employment and Training Institute and co-author of the study, will present the report that shows that more than half of African American men in their 30’s living in Milwaukee County have served time in prison.  The new study from UWM confirms Wisconsin’s unenviable distinction of having the highest per capita incarceration rate of African American males in the nation with a similar disturbing trend mirrored in the Milwaukee area.
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Following the presentation, a panel will discuss the findings. Joyce Mallory of Mallory & Associates will moderate the panelists who include Clarence Johnson, Associate Executive Director of Wisconsin Community Services, Torre Johnson from Wisconsin Community Services and the Holton Youth & Family Center, and Dr. C. H. McClelland, Pastor of Holy Cathedral Church of God in Christ.
The study focuses of the impact that mass incarceration has on the economic and social viability of men, women, children and families of the Milwaukee community. It also examines how that impact, in turn, presents many challenges for Milwaukee area human services and educational institutions which are already facing a growing need for their services in a climate of declining funding.
Milwaukee area nonprofits, community organizations, businesses, and governmental agencies are being invited to take part in the discussion.  The workshop is free and open to the public.  For more information and to register for the June 25 workshop, visit the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee website at www.nonprofitcentermilwaukee.org/workshopcal.php.

author: the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee


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Head Start program transitions | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
June 17, 2013
As reported in the media, the Social Development Commission (SDC) Board has discussed the potential for appeal of the Head Start decision to exclude SDC from the list of finalists to receive future federal funding.
While future decisions are pending, SDC Head Start funding ends June 30, 2013.  “Priority one for SDC is a smooth transition for Head Start children, families and staff,” affirmed Acting SDC CEO and Board Chair Kristina McHenry.
With the end of the current Head Start award on June 30, 2013, SDC is preparing its staff for the transition.
SDC is proud of the role it played in developing the original Head Start program model over four decades ago and its success in being replicated throughout the country.
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9033332645_dfce412281_c | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 17, 2013


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New test could force thousands to start over on GED exams | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
June 18, 2013
Gloria Contreras said she wants to earn her GED so she can find a decent job. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
If you’ve passed some of the five exams for your GED (General Education Development) certificate but you haven’t passed them all, you’ve got six months to do so before the rules change. Beginning Dec. 13, the state will institute new tests for the GEDs.
According to Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), which administers the GED program in the city, 2,800 students are in this situation. They thought they had as long as they needed to finish the tests, but were told early this year that they will need to begin again if they don’t pass them all before the changeover.
A new version of the test, which has been computerized since last year, will kick off nationwide on Jan. 2, according to Gloria Pitchford-Nicholas, dean of the MATC School of Pre-College. The test is expected to cost about $137; currently it runs between $80 and $120, though some programs offer them for free or at reduced rates.
Tara Griffin, 24, who dropped out of school at 17, said she has completed three of five exams. She’s afraid that if she doesn’t pass the other two tests before the changes, she won’t be able to get her certificate due to the cost and the fact that she’d have to start over. She’s been studying for her GED at the YWCA for a year now.
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“The impact financially is really going to be a big factor in our community,” noted Pitchford-Nicholas.
“I think that there are concerns and there’s always been concerns in terms of low-income individuals being able to pay their way,” added Patricia Adams, workforce training and education director at the YWCA, 1915 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The new GED test will include four exams instead of five, and test-takers will need to do more high-order thinking to pass, according to Westmore Holmes, instructional chair for the HSE/GED program at MATC. The test will continue to assess whether students have achieved the equivalent of a high school education, but will comply with state and national standards as well, Holmes said.
Garry Davis studies for the math portion of the GED test at the YWCA. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“Young folks will walk away saying, ‘this test ain’t no punk’,” he joked.
Jack Forbes, an instructor for Journey House’s Spanish GED class, is also worried about the change. He said many prospective students who are coming in now lack the skills to complete the tests within six months. Dozens of students stream in daily for Journey House’s English and Spanish GED prep classes.
Forbes said in the past, the Journey House program required a sixth grade reading level in Spanish to enter, but in January the requirement was raised to a ninth grade level so that students would be more likely to pass the tests by Dec. 13. Reading comprehension is a good predictor of success on the GED exams, he noted.
I’ve had to turn people away but if they show up with a third-grade reading level what can I do?” Forbes said.
With half the year gone, students are feeling the pressure.
“(The changes) make things seem more complicated and makes me nervous,” Gloria Contreras said in Spanish, as she practiced for the reading portion of the exam. Contreras, who recently began taking prep classes at Journey House, said she decided to come in after seeing two family members obtain their GEDs.
“One took four months and one (took) a year to get it,” said Contreras.
Adams said the YWCA’s GED program is so popular that the lab isn’t large enough to accommodate all the students. Last year, the YWCA served more than 2,200 students and the number rises each year, she said. The YWCA plans to open a new computer lab soon that will accommodate more GED students.
Garry Davis, born and raised in Milwaukee, sat in the YWCA lab recently studying for the math test. Davis said he’d been contemplating getting his GED for a while, and after working for a temp service decided it was time.
“I think I’ll be ready in two weeks,” he said, as he thumbed through a math pre-test workbook.
The YWCA offers free GED tests for Davis and other participants who go through its preparatory program, but it’s not clear yet how the increased cost will affect them.  “We haven’t quite worked out what we’re going to do …  going forward,” Adams said.
Holmes said the new test, which will be computer-based, takes into account that prospective workers and students need to be computer savvy. MATC started offering computer-based testing in October.
“Even on the foundational level of employment people need computer skills and this test speaks to that,” Holmes said.
The Spanish GED classroom at Journey House has only one computer; the English lab has several.
Holmes is a fan of the new test. He said a major improvement is that it will provide unofficial scores instantly. The test results will be more detailed, which will help students study should they need to take a retest.
Adams also said the changes to the test are for the best. “I think it’s going to be beneficial as you look at the needs of employers.”
Griffin, who hopes to go back to school to study culinary arts one day, is committed to finishing her tests before the deadline. “It’s going to be rough,” but “I need it. I need to further my education to get a better job.”


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9033332003_d7741fe1f3_z | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 17, 2013


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9033332645_dfce412281_c1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 17, 2013


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Celebrating Juneteenth | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Venice R. Williams
June 19, 2013
As I kneel in the garden, soil slips through my fingers and I offer a prayer in remembrance of my ancestors, whose forced labor helped build the U.S.
This June 19 at Alice’s Garden, a 2-acre urban farm in Milwaukee, we will celebrate Juneteenth Day, the oldest-known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the U.S. This year is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation (made official Jan. 1, 1863), but Juneteenth Day recognizes June 19, 1865, as the true end of slavery. This was the day the news of emancipation finally reached the enslaved in Galveston, Texas, delivered by Union soldiers led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger.
During the celebration at Alice’s Garden we will pour sacred libations, an offering of water onto the land, naming those whose prayers and faith helped sustain them through the inhumane conditions of slavery. We will give thanks for their endurance and honor their strength. We will call upon their courage for those of us who continue the fight for food justice in this land. We will break bread. We will recall those people of faith, such as the Quakers, who were among the first Caucasians to denounce slavery and join the abolition movement in the American colonies and Europe. We will cultivate a bit of soil in the Fieldhands and Foodways program area at Alice’s Garden, a demonstration section that pays homage to the agrarian and culinary traditions of our African and American Indian ancestors. We will turn to one another to testify to the fortitude and persistence of God’s children who could not rest until all were free.
The tagline for my email signature reads: The unfinished work of the ancestors is the blueprint for my life. For me, these words are more than a tagline. They are my inhale and my exhale; my obedient understanding of why I was brought into creation. Many of God’s people continue to be held captive on issues related to land, food, health, and the imbalance of wealth and power in this nation. Food justice is about those issues and more. The tussle for food justice is some of the unfinished work of my ancestors.
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This Juneteenth Day provides a cultural and spiritual venue to remind our gathered community of the psalmist’s words: “In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free” (Psalm 118:5; New International Version). This Juneteenth Day we will pour a libation for food justice at Alice’s Garden.
This story originally published in the Lutheran.

author: Venice R. Williams


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Global anti-bigotry campaign makes U.S. debut in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Jewish Federation
June 19, 2013
Hours Against Hate, a global initiative to address bigotry, will be introduced to the U.S. at a kick-off event celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Jewish Council for Community Relations on this evening at the Pfister Hotel.
Initiated by the U.S. Department of State, Hours Against Hate is a movement to help end bigotry and promote respect across lines of culture, religion, tradition, class, sexual orientation and gender. Powerful in its simplicity, Hours Against Hate encourages people to “pledge an hour to do something for someone who doesn’t look like you, pray like you, love like you or live like you.”
The Hours Against Hate website was launched in Milwaukee today in conjunction with a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Jewish Council for Community Relations. As part of the anniversary celebration, Hours Against Hate founders U.S. Department of State Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith and Milwaukee Jewish Federation President and CEO Hannah Rosenthal, former Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, discussed the program in a conversation moderated by James Causey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Farah and I have taken this initiative around the world, and it’s as relevant in Milwaukee as it was in Montevideo and Istanbul,” said Milwaukee Jewish Federation President and CEO Hannah Rosenthal, alluding to last year’s shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek. “Each hour that’s devoted to fighting bigotry helps. It brings us closer to a world that confronts hatred and stops violence.”
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The Hours Against Hate program has already generated significant support from elected officials and organizations in the Milwaukee community. Local partners include Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn, Milwaukee Aldermen Jim Bohl, Nik Kovac, Willie Wade and Tony Zielinski, Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi, Cream City Foundation, Disability Rights Wisconsin, Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Islamic Society of Milwaukee,
Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope, Serve 2 Unite, United Community Center and Wisconsin Council of Churches.
“I support Hours Against Hate because it urges individuals to take responsibility and also demonstrates how a single hour can make a difference,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “The program complements the work that elected officials and leaders throughout the community are doing to make our city a safer, more inclusive place to live.”

author: Milwaukee Jewish Federation


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Foundation honors three local leaders for service | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
June 20, 2013
Three of Milwaukee’s most outstanding civic leaders will be honored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation at its 98th annual meeting Wednesday, June 19, at Milwaukee’s Harley-Davidson Museum.
William C. Frye Award As president and CEO of the Helen Bader Foundation, Dan Bader is carrying out the vision of his late mother as well as leaving a legacy of his own. Over the past 21 years, the private foundation has given more than $216 million in grants to help strengthen the areas of youth development, workforce development and aging and Alzheimer’s in greater Milwaukee and beyond.
Frank Kirkpatrick Award Juli Kaufmann is passionate about sustainability and creating a positive long-term impact in her hometown. Through her company, Fix Development LLC, and her leadership efforts with other groups, such as the Mayor’s Green Team, she is helping create a city that is healthy, thriving and viable for all.
Doug Jansson Leadership Award sponsored by BMO Private Bank Victor Barnett, founder and executive director of Running Rebels Community Organization, is strengthening the future of Milwaukee’s youth through his agency, which provides job/skills training, mentoring, positive activities and scholarships.
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The annual meeting and awards presentation is sponsored by JP Morgan, BMO Harris and U.S. Bank, with in kind sponsorship from the Harley-Davidson Museum.

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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Volunteers sought to expand successful tax help program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
June 22, 2013
A free program that helped thousands of Milwaukee County residents with their state and federal taxes is looking for help. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program of the Milwaukee Asset Building Coalition and the Social Development Commission (SDC) is recruiting volunteers.
The VITA program filed in this spring’s tax season more than 15,400 tax returns that brought back more than $14.6-million in tax refunds and credits to local residents.  The program also helped filers set up more than 300 traditional bank accounts.
Three SDC sites for the Milwaukee County VITA program were rated as being in the top five sites in the State of Wisconsin for production:  the site at SDC Richards Street was rated by the local IRS office as the 2 highest producing facility in the state, SDC Chase Street was pegged at 3 and SDC Teutonia Avenue was 5.
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46 volunteers assisted in making the past VITA tax season a success and more are needed to help expand the effort in the coming tax season.  Tax preparers, greeters and others will help the program serve even more residents at more locations.  Training and certification will begin in December of this year with the actual tax preparation work starting in January of 2014.
Persons, businesses and organizations interested in providing volunteers for the VITA tax training should contact LaToya Jones at 414-906-2823 or by email at ljones@cr-sdc.org.  For more information on the VITA program, go to www.cr-sdc.org/index/Programs–Services/VITA.htm on the SDC website.


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Volunteer from Northwestern Mutual helps residents with their taxes during the most recent VITA tax season.-16th_St_Clinic_VITA_32813_004_fb | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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June 19, 2013


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Block club finds building community takes patience, hard work | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
June 24, 2013
(From left) Safe & Sound Community Organizer Talibah Mateen and Borchert Field/9th Street C.A.R.E.S. members Minnie Bonds, Zelodius Morton, Lisa Perkins (hidden), James Honeysucker and Willie Genous meet at the church to work toward solutions to neighborhood problems. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
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Tanyialisa McDowell is the first homeowner in Borchert Field to be granted a loan under the Targeted Investment Neighborhood (TIN) program. The city awarded TIN status to the neighborhood one year ago.
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Zelodius Morton has deep roots on the 2900 block of North 9th Street. Her grandmother lived in the blue house two doors down from St. Matthew CME Church. She grew up in a brick house across the street and when her mother died in 1993, Morton and her husband moved into the house, which the family has owned for 42 years.
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Morton, a psychotherapist, recently stepped up to head a new resident group, Borchert Field/9th Street C.A.R.E.S. It began meeting in early fall 2012, in the wake of a shooting near 9th and Chambers streets. Shot in broad daylight while walking to her car after Mother’s Day church services, the victim survived but churchgoers and residents were shaken.
“I went around talking to some of the neighbors and found out there was some fear and intimidation. Nobody really wanted to do anything,” said James Honeysucker, a church leader who wanted to counter the violence by encouraging neighbors to form a block club. Honeysucker lived in the neighborhood as a child but now lives on the Northwest Side.
He continued to walk around the neighborhood talking to people and eventually succeeded in bringing some homeowners together. A group has been meeting at the church, monthly, since September.
Now members have made plans for the first of several summer events, a neighborhood clean up on June 29, to promote a sense of community among residents. They hope that getting homeowners and renters out working and socializing together will lead to more participation in improving safety, neighbor relations and property maintenance.
Though Morton prefers not to call the group a block club, which she worries some people associate with “snitches,” the group represents residents living on the two blocks of 9th Street that are bounded by Burleigh Street on the north and Locust Street on the south.
For this group, as for all such organizations working for change, building community cohesion is hard work. The process is complex and slow. Solutions to many-faceted social problems, such as youth getting into trouble because they have few opportunities, are complicated.
Despite the challenges, the group is evolving. Six or seven homeowners consistently attend meetings and engage in frank discussions about neighborhood problems.
(Click on graphic to enlarge)
Early on, their meetings focused on safety and the disrespectful behavior of neighborhood youth.
“They wanted to fight us and they cursed us out and they told us, ‘This is our neighborhood. We run this,’” said Donna Tender, who lives at 9th and Chambers streets, at the October meeting. She was describing a run-in with a group of boys throwing firecrackers late one summer night.
In November, Robert Parker, a resident of Mother Simpson Way one block to the west, told the group he had been attacked. Walking home on Locust Street in the early evening, he was surrounded by a group of about 25 teens who taunted him, took his wallet and pounded him with their fists. A police officer parked nearby came to his rescue.
Homeowners talked about their concerns about new renters moving onto 9th Street. They brainstormed about ways to involve young people in constructive activities and bring neighbors together socially.
At first, some people would come to a meeting with an issue and if it was not resolved quickly they didn’t come back. In one case, residents asked the group to support a speed bump on their block. It was not approved — and they never returned.
Recently, group members identified two barriers to progress: lack of cooperation from the police and nonparticipating residents.
Honeysucker is disappointed with the speed and quality of police responses to residents’ calls and concerns. “We have a core group that is really concerned about having a better neighborhood, but I feel frustration in the efforts, like they’re in vain,” he said.
District 5 Community Liaison Officer Laurel (Lori) Osiewalski Lammers came to several meetings, he explained. Morton said she found Officer Lammers to be approachable and interested.
But no one from the police department attended the last two meetings “to hear and see the frustrations of [our group members] and take that back to the officers,” Honeysucker said.
Lammers went on maternity leave the day of the most recent Borchert Field/9th Street C.A.R.E.S. meeting, according to District 5 Officer Gregory Hunter, who went with her to one meeting of the group. He expects her to return in the fall.
James Honeysucker chairs one of the first meetings of the block club, Borchert Field/9th Street C.A.R.E.S. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Lammers is one of three community liaison officers in the district. Their main charge is to work closely with resident groups and disseminate information they gather to the rest of the district. Part of their assignment is to coordinate residents’ needs with police department and city services.
Hunter, a member of the Community Prosecution Unit, has worked closely with block clubs including Borchert Field/14 Street C.A.R.E.S. “We are taking measures to curb all the issues that are on those two blocks,” he said. “We do have targeted locations that we are monitoring there.“
Hunter emphasized that the department’s goal is to be community oriented. “Any issues residents have that they will disclose to us, we will go through them and we’ll get back to them and say ‘this is what we did,’ ” Hunter added.
Nevertheless, several residents told of being treated disrespectfully by the police when they reported incidents. Parker said he has visited the district police station on several occasions and has been told he is a nuisance by officers there.
Talibah Mateen, a community organizer for Safe & Sound, has been working with Honeysucker and Morton to re-establish a resident group on the block. Based on her experience helping similar groups, including Borchert Field/14 Street C.A.R.E.S., Mateen thinks it’s too soon for law enforcement involvement in the group.
“When block clubs are small like that and just getting started, it’s best to have the people in the block club meet first before they start bringing in other entities,” she said. They need to build trusting relationships among themselves, find common goals and develop a road map for what they want to do in their neighborhood, she added.
Mateen suggested that interested residents attend crime and safety meetings held at the District 5 police station on the first Thursday evening of each month.
Other group members said their biggest obstacle is the limited number of residents willing to come to meetings. Many fail “to get involved and take it as a form of snitching,” said Morton.
Before the group started meeting last fall, residents and church leaders brought pressure on the police that resulted in the closing of two nearby bars whose patrons often were disruptive, Honeysucker said.
Group members say that crime has declined recently. According to Milwaukee Police Department records, the number of Class A felonies dropped from an average of 4.25 incidents per quarter in 2011 to 3.75 per quarter in 2012. There were no incidents reported in the first quarter of 2013 and two so far in the second quarter. (See chart above.)
Class A felonies include assaults, arson, burglaries, criminal damage, robberies, sex offenses, thefts, vehicle thefts and homicide. No homicides or sex offenses were recorded in the two-block area between January 2011 and May 2013.
“Mostly, it’s nuisance problems at this point. We formed our block club to keep it at the level it is or decrease it even more so that we won’t run into problems in the future,” Morton said. She noted that the warmer weather will reveal more about the level of safety on 9 Street.
Borchert Field/9th Street C.A.R.E.S. members are optimistic about the events they are planning for the next two months: a community garden, a cookout, a back-to-school celebration and the upcoming neighborhood clean up.


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Adam Carr
June 23, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 23, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 23, 2013


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Metro Milwaukee ranks high for communities of color | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
June 24, 2013
The Metro Milwaukee region has one of the youngest communities of color as well as one of the oldest white communities and remains one of the most segregated, according to a new report commissioned by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
With 31.3 percent of its population part of a racial or ethnic minority, the metro Milwaukee region ranks sixth out of 15 comparable regions in terms of its diversity, according to “Vital Signs: Benchmarking Metro Milwaukee.” The median age for whites is 40.9 years, compared to 28.4 for African Americans, 24.5 for Hispanics and 29.0 for Asians, one of the largest gaps among the 16 regions studied. Despite such diversity, the metro area remains the most segregated region of its counterparts.
“This report affirms that communities of color are vital to the future of this region,” said Marcus White, the Foundation’s vice president of community partnerships. “But given our region’s segregation and income inequality, it also underlines the urgency for us as a community to find innovative solutions toward closing those gaps.”
That finding is just one of many in the report, a tool that measures and assesses the metro region’s health and competitiveness. It compares the four-county region to 15 other similar metro areas using 81 indicators in five categories: population vitality, economic strength, personal prosperity, community well-being and lifelong learning. Community Research Partners, a Columbus-based nonprofit organization, conducted the research for the report, which will be updated on an annual basis. In addition to the Foundation, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, The Faye McBeath Foundation and the Greater Milwaukee Committee are co sponsors.
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“In order to move forward, together, it’s imperative that we know where we started,” said Nicole Angresano, vice president of community impact for United Way of Greater Milwaukee. “This report illustrates current social, health and economic data, and gives us a clearer picture on what we are doing well, and what we need to work on.”
Other key findings in the report, available at www.greatermilwaukeefoundation.org, include:
“Vital Signs allows us to see where we can build on our region’s strengths as well as focus our attention, energies and resources in areas that we need to improve,” said Ellen M. Gilligan, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “Our hope is that this data can be used as a conversation starter among planners, policymakers, researchers and other leaders to continue to build on the momentum in the metro area in many areas as well as to move the region forward in those areas where we are falling behind.”


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Celebrating communities that care | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
ArtWorks for Milwaukee
June 25, 2013
Over the course of eight weeks apprentice artists will take on the role of artists, activists, and researchers as they collaborate, strategize, organize, and publicize an art piece that aims to celebrate communities that care.
Through a program called ArtWorks for Milwaukee, in collaboration with Safe & Sound, eight young artist will be working together to create an art piece that illustrates the vibrancy and potential of united citizens and stakeholders working together to build a brighter future for our city. ArtWorks is a program that exclusively targets teens in Milwaukee and helps them build a genuine work ethic and develop the identified skills necessary to succeed no matter what career they choose to pursue.
“Communities That Care” is a project that celebrates homeowners, renters, business owners, or community organizations that care about the quality and safety of their neighborhoods. ArtWorks is asking for community support and participation in our project. To participate, we are requesting pictures of homes, businesses, and community spaces as a symbol of their promise to support our pledge. Please send photographs as a jpeg to: community@artworksformilwaukee.org.
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author: ArtWorks for Milwaukee


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PostcardFront_flat | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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June 25, 2013


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Incarceration rate for African American men | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
June 25, 2013
In Milwaukee County, more than half of African American men in their 30’s are in or have been in state prison.  And that is creating a tremendous impact on the men, their families, their neighborhoods and the area nonprofit organizations attempting to assist them.
That was the finding of a study that was the center of discussion at a Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee workshop held at the Social Development Commission (SDC) Richards Street building.  Lois Quinn from the UW-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute presented the study that examined 20 years of prison records.
The study determined that the incarceration rate for African American men in Wisconsin is about one in eight while the rate for white males is one in 81 and for Hispanic males at about one in 60.  She also noted that in Milwaukee County approximately two-thirds of incarcerated African American males came from the six zip codes in the poorest neighborhoods of the City of Milwaukee.
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This trend became prevalent in the last 20 years according to Dr. Quinn as both the state and federal governments moved away from treatment solutions for drug offenses and towards incarceration responses.  That included prison and jail sentences for many nonviolent offenses which make up about one-third of convictions for African American men.
A panel discussion was held by representatives of both faith-based and nonprofit programs that work with the incarcerated.  It was stressed that efforts need to focus not only on helping prisoners’ re-entry into society but also on keeping young men out of prison in the first place. Torre Johnson from Holton Youth & Family Center said it is vital to prevent young people from becoming involved with the criminal justice system.
Reverend Willie Brisco representing MICAH said the Corrections system as it stands “does not correct anything” but only seems to try to throw away people.  Having so many African American young men in prison impacts all of the area and its economy, not just the neighborhoods that they come from, he added. In issuing a call to action, Rev. Brisco called on individuals, faith-based and nonprofit organizations to work together to attack the problem as one community.  Workshop Moderator Joyce Mallory echoed that by saying “It is time we get mad about this and do something about it.”
The workshop was presented by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee and hosted by SDC. To view the entire study, visit the UW-Milwaukee website at www.eti.uwm.edu.


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Dr. Lois Quinn of UWM shows how incarceration of African American men has grown over past twenty years.-DSC0032_fb | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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June 25, 2013


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Milwaukee youths ‘speak truth to power’ at commemorative civil rights march | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alex Perry
June 25, 2013
In a year that marks the 150 anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 50 anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” Milwaukee youth participated in a commemorative civil rights march and displayed their talents using spoken word, music, skits, dance, rap and other forms of artistic expression.
Several hundred youths and adults participated in the march and then gathered at the Youth Voice Stage in Clinton Rose Park, at King Drive and Burleigh Street. The event coincided with Milwaukee’s Juneteenth Day celebration. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, commemorates the announcement of slavery’s end in the United States.
More than 35 youths, some on the spur of the moment, got up on the stage to perform, according to Norma Balentine, director of youth programs at Safe & Sound, which sponsored the event along with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Violence Prevention Initiative.
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One by one, the youths took the stage and stated their personal hopes and dreams for the community.
“Youth enjoyed the celebration and showed that they could be peaceful and positive,” said Balentine. She estimated that more than 100 youths participated in the march, which started at 19 Street and W. Atkinson Avenue.
Balentine noted that youth played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement. Adults who participated as children remember with pride the important role young people played in the movement, she added.
Safe & Sound supports 19 afterschool programs, along with other organizations and agencies. The Violence Prevention Initiative works to reduce youth violence in Milwaukee neighborhoods. Its partners include Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, MPS’s Safe Streets and Healthy Students Initiative and UNCOM.
Master of ceremonies Timothy Wood of Running Rebels said he was inspired by the young performers. Running Rebels is a Lindsay Heights-based community organization that offers educational and recreational youth programs as alternatives to gangs and substance abuse. Wood said he devoted himself to working with young people after a prison stay.
The march and program demonstrate that “all the youth aren’t necessarily running around shooting up the neighborhoods and wilding out,” Wood said.


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Juneteenth Still | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
June 24, 2013


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Hairstylist gives free haircuts to the poor at St. Ben’s | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
June 26, 2013
Hairstylist Judy Kinney gives a haircut to Josh Tucker, 67, at St. Benedict the Moor. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Wielding electric clippers, Judy Kinney spins around and cordially greets the next shaggy head of hair.
“Give me a Kojak,” said Josh Tucker, the owner of the mop in question, as he slides into the barber’s chair in the cluttered back room, not much bigger than a walk-in closet.
The dark blue apron goes airborne, gently landing on his chest and belly, the chair spins around, and Kinney and Tucker make eye contact in the mirror.
“You got it,” she obliged.
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Moments later, Tucker stands, rubbing his hand over a cleanly shaven dome.
“Don’t have to be bothered by it. No trouble,” Tucker said with a wide smile, adding that getting a haircut gives him a sense of dignity.
For the last two months, every other Wednesday, Kinney has been giving free haircuts at St. Benedict the Moor, 1015 N. 9th St., to whoever sits in the barber’s chair, no questions asked.
Guests enjoy dinner at St. Ben’s during the church’s community meal held six days a week. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
“It’s something I can do for somebody who needs it,” she said above the buzz of her electric clippers. “There’s satisfaction that I help (these) men look nice.”
Tucker, who lives on a fixed income with a bad heart and severe arthritis, relies occasionally on the free community meal St. Ben’s serves six evenings a week.
If not for the meal, “at times, I would go hungry,” the 67-year-old said as he headed to the cafeteria at St. Ben’s.
From a scribbled list on a small pad, Kinney called the next name as a gaggle of men mingled in the hallway.
“Where’s Keith?” Kinney shouted, summoning her next client as Tucker leaves the room.
“I needed to stay in shape for jobs interviews,” said Keith Fox, 51, after receiving a quick trim. “It’s about keeping myself looking presentable.”
Kinney, who has been a hairdresser for four decades, raised four sons. Most of her clients have been men and an occasional child.
For the few hours that Kinney cuts hair, the waiting list remains full, a sign of the great need in the community for this type of service, she said.
“I only have two hands,” Kinney said.
She never realized that poverty is “as bad as it really is. I never really gave it any thought until someone asked me if I wanted to do it,” Kinney said over the constant buzz of the electric clippers. “I didn’t want to do it, but I said I would.”
Kinney said most of her clients are quiet, keeping their thoughts to themselves.
“Sometimes I can get them to talk, but it’s not social,” she said. “They don’t want to talk. They want to eat, get their haircut and get wherever they’re going for the night.”
St. Ben’s is in the business of helping the poor, who can partake in a community meal and receive medical care at the primary care clinic run by St. Mary’s Hospital in one of the parish’s buildings.
Although the clinic and meals are major facets of the work done at St. Ben’s, it is the small services such as the haircuts, free showers, an eye glass service and free hygiene packs that make a difference in the self-esteem of the poor and are key for them to lift themselves out of poverty, said Brother Rob Roemer, the church’s volunteer coordinator and co-director.
“They need these basic resources that we might just take for granted,” he said.
The church also provides clothes, Wisconsin identification cards, prescription co-pays and bus tickets to the poor. Roemer said the people who are served at the church are not looking for a free handout. Rather, they feel blessed for what they receive, he said.
“Some of them, their lives are so simple and ordinary and wow, I’ve complicated my life with all of this stuff that I am worried about or caught up with,” Roemer said.


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Adam Carr
June 25, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 25, 2013


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Two-thirds of recreational facilities at county public schools sub-par, study finds | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
June 27, 2013
Rev. Carl Griffin speaks during event to unveil report on athletic and recreational facilities at Milwaukee County public schools. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
A Milwaukee-area community organization has found that two-thirds of the outdoor athletic and recreational facilities at public schools throughout the county are in terrible, poor or fair condition, a recently released report shows.
The report published by Common Ground, an organization of citizens, small businesses and churches, details inspections of the outdoor play facilities at Milwaukee County public schools. The findings give teeth to the organization’s “Fair Play” campaign, which calls for public funds to be used for outdoor athletic and recreational facilities in light of recent talk of a new sports arena.
“Fair play means that our children are practicing and playing at facilities that are safe and superb. Not just adequate, but superb,” said Rev. Carl Griffin, a Common Ground leader and pastor of New Life Baptist Church, during an event to unveil the report. The gathering was held across the street from the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Officials and volunteers at Common Ground began making the pitch in April that if public funds are used to pay for a new Bradley Center arena, then at least $150 million and perhaps as much as $250 million should go to improve athletic facilities and recreational spaces at Milwaukee County public schools.
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The report is composed of inspection data gathered by dozens of volunteers who surveyed all 268 public schools in the county’s 38 school districts. The Milwaukee Public Schools was one of the 11 districts with facilities that were rated in the poorest conditions, according to the report.
Community members gather to hear Common Ground report. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Using a rating scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being terrible and 5 being excellent, volunteers rated surfaces, hardware, fencing, bleachers and lighting during their inspections. They looked at baseball diamonds, football and soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts and tracks. They also inspected greens spaces and playgrounds.
Volunteers rated 13 percent of the sites terrible, 22 percent poor, 30 percent fair and 22 percent good. The remaining 12 percent of the sites were rated excellent. Sixteen public schools do not have any athletic facilities, the survey found.
“It goes with valuing the students. If we don’t nurture their needs to get outside and have a safe environment, it’s not showing that we value them,” said Nicole Smith, 34, a teacher at Milwaukee Public Schools, who attended the event with her two young daughters. “They need to know that they are valued in school.”
Smith and her children were among dozens of community members who attended the event. Some held signs that said “No More Band-Aids,” “Don’t Drop the Ball” and “Jumping Over Cracks Doesn’t Count As Hurdling.”
Common Ground leaders have begun meeting with officials at the 38 school districts in Milwaukee County.
“School officials who have seen our numbers think they are conservative,” said Jennifer O’Hear, a Milwaukee Public School parent and Common Ground leader.
Fair Play organizers hope to alleviate the safety hazards associated with the blighted outdoor athletic and recreational facilities. Ultimately they hope to create “a vibrant gathering space for activities and events, a place that will foster the opportunity for community engagement, healthier living and a deeper overall sense of neighborhood pride,” according to literature distributed at the gathering.
Last year, Milwaukee Bucks owner and former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl argued for a new multipurpose arena in Milwaukee to replace the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and offered to make a personal financial commitment toward the new facility. He has not said how much he would commit.
The team reportedly told NBA Commissioner David Stern that the franchise will have a plan that includes a new arena when the team’s lease expires in 2017.
According to Common Ground, Timothy Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, has suggested a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for a new arena. No formal financing plan has been announced, but Common Ground members said they should be a part of the discussion.
Common Ground will hold a training meeting at Mount Mary College, 2900 N. Menomonee River Parkway on Saturday, July 13 for those interested in volunteering in the Fair Play campaign. The 9 to 11 a.m. meeting will in held in room 248 of the Notre Dame Hall building.


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Adam Carr
June 26, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 26, 2013


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Milwaukee Succeeds’ report reflects contributions of many community members | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 1, 2013
Third-graders from five schools located in Lindsay Heights competed in the first-ever Academic Olympics at Hopkins Street School on Saturday, June 4, 2011. (Photo by Kenya Evans)
Educators and nonprofit service providers who work directly with parents and children played an important role in developing the first report by Milwaukee Succeeds, an initiative to raise academic achievement in the city.
Drawn from more than 300 groups, these individuals, together with representatives from businesses and philanthropic and civic organizations, make up the initiative’s eight networks and leadership teams.
Executive Director Mike Soika said the process is intended to involve people who are as close to the ground as possible “in order to effect real change.”
Milwaukee Succeeds hears the voices of the city’s parents through the organizations that make up the networks, he added. And “the networks are the place where the rubber hits the road for us as it relates to moving the needle on these [goal] numbers,” Soika said. For examples, Soika pointed to the group’s efforts on early childhood development.
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“A lot of the groups at the [Milwaukee Succeeds] table, such as COA, Boys & Girls Club and the UNCOM agencies, are early childhood providers and they are in touch with parents on a day-to-day basis,” Soika said.
Andre Goode, community-based programs director for COA Youth & Family Centers, represents one such service provider. He was invited to join the “Third Grade Reading – At Home Network” because of COA’s success with its “Big on Books” program, he said. (There is also a “Third Grade Reading – In School Network.”)
Big on Books brings parents of young children together for monthly meetings at 14 Milwaukee public schools to “home in on the point that literacy is the key to a young person’s academic success,” Goode said. “There was a real buzz in all of the schools,” where parents discussed a new book every month and took activity ideas and materials home to their children, he added.
India McCanse, another member of the Third Grade Reading – At Home Network and Milwaukee Succeeds’ operations team, contributes her expertise as an adult literacy specialist.
McCanse, executive director of Literacy Services of Wisconsin, said she has been able to help the network grapple with the reality that 50,000 or more Milwaukee adults cannot read above a second-grade level.
The group’s idea that parents are the first and best teachers of their children may be true in some ways, but “you are not going to have a lot of luck educating younger children if the parents are illiterate,” McCanse said. For those parents, the emphasis must be on helping them acquire reading skills. Addressing them on this topic must be handled sensitively, she added.
The two-year-old Milwaukee Succeeds initiative, which is based on Cincinnati’s Strive Partnership model and housed in the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, is committed to grounding its work in research, data and best practices. Another fundamental principle of the effort is to seek the participation of the entire community.
The first Milestone Report lays out a baseline assessment of the city’s education crisis. In addition to providing the starting point for measuring progress, the report spells out four goals for education reform. It also shows how Milwaukee children are performing compared to residents of Wisconsin overall. Milwaukee Succeeds aims to meet the goals by 2020 and will track and report on progress annually until then.
One goal is for all children to succeed academically and graduate prepared for meaningful work and/or college. The Third Grade Reading – At Home Network is addressing one component of the goal, which is to raise the percentage of Milwaukee third graders who read at a proficient or advanced level, as measured by the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE). The 2020 goal is 38 percent, compared to the 15 percent who currently achieve at that level in Milwaukee, and 33.1 percent in the state as a whole.
“The great thing about the Milestone Report,” according to McCanse, “is that it says, ‘Here are the facts,’ ‘Here’s what we’re doing about it,’ and lastly, which is probably most important, it says ‘Join us.’ If you’re from the business community, a volunteer, an educator, whatever, there’s a place for you.”


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Adam Carr
June 30, 2013


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Adam Carr
June 30, 2013