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Mosaics piece together Native American culture at Brown Street Academy | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 5, 2011
Smiling little faces light up the spacious art room in Lindsay Heights’ Brown Street Academy on a recent cloudy day. Excited chatter, barely suppressed giggling and some hopping, skipping and jumping energize the space. Mosaic artist Leann Wooten mixes a pail of cement-like goo — properly called grout — that the children soon squish through their fingers.
Teacher Audrey Baur-Thompson’s first-graders lean in for a closer look and run their hands over the image of a bear formed from brightly colored bits of glass and tiles glued to a 3-foot-square board. Five mosaics resting on nearby tables depict a fish, deer, loon, eagle and crane, each representing a core value of America’s native people – truth, wisdom, love, honesty, respect and humility.
Video photos by Sue Vliet
The mosaics, representing four weeks of work by six classes of Brown Street elementary students will be mounted on permanent display around the building. They are part of a larger, multi-disciplinary Native American-themed project coordinated by Arts@Large, a local non-profit organization dedicated to bringing arts education to K-12 students, mostly in the city of Milwaukee.
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Like almost every public school in Milwaukee, Brown Street no longer has an art teacher or any other “specials” teachers. It lost its part-time art teacher in 2009, according to Principal Ava Morris.
Morris’s response has been to search for resources outside the school system. “My mantra is that I want to see my students have experiences that they don’t otherwise have access to, being in the inner city. It has been my job and my duty to tap into other resources in the community — like Arts@Large and the Urban Ecology Center — that will provide my students with a variety of experiences,” Morris said.
With a college minor in drama, Morris said she is well aware of the importance of the arts in learning. And Brown Street consciously incorporates into its curriculum the notion that children have differing cognitive abilities and that each student learns in a unique way. When Morris heard about Arts@Large from colleagues at a nearby school, she aggressively pursued the collaboration, writing the grant request herself, she said.
The mission of Arts@Large, founded in 2001, is to foster equality of opportunity for all Wisconsin children by bringing arts education to schools that have none. It chooses schools where the administration, faculty and staff are willing to work to integrate the arts into their regular academic program and promote an arts-rich environment. The organization pairs diverse visual, literary, performing and multimedia artist educators with students for a three-year period, the optimum length of time needed to bring about  lasting change, according to program coordinator Ryan Hurley.
In 2009/10, the last year for which figures are available, Arts@Large served more than 10,866 students at 24 MPS and two Eau Claire schools.
Though enhancing academic achievement is a key aspect of the group’s mission, it doesn’t yet have quantitative data to demonstrate the impact of arts education on student performance. “I know it, the teacher knows it and the students know it, but we don’t yet have data,” Hurley said.
Hurley noted, however,  that a recent research survey that asked students about their feelings toward school, their peers and themselves found that the Arts@Large program improved all three. He added that there also is a lot of anecdotal evidence that arts education improves school climate, student behavior and students’ feelings about being in school.
Hurley cited the example of  a student at Milwaukee’s Nova School, where Arts@Large artists initiated spoken-word poetry and photography clubs. Students in the two clubs decided to try to improve the way their city and neighborhood often are portrayed by collaborating on a project that represented them in a more positive light. After the student joined the poetry club this year, his school attendance improved dramatically and his GPA rose from .7 to 2.4.  “His experience in the club helped him become highly engaged and feel like a valuable member with something to contribute,” Hurley said.
So that the Brown Street students can each “own” a piece of the mosaic, Wooten had them work independently at their desks in the initial stages. They created their own flowers on wire mesh and then glued them on to the board supporting the larger mosaic. Offering the highest compliment a 7-year-old can give, Daron Howard said making the mosaic has been “awesome.”


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DSC_3479 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 5, 2011

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Andrea Waxman


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DSC_3502 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 5, 2011


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DSC_3547 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 5, 2011


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Silver City Townhomes and sports court celebrate opening | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
July 5, 2011
A new sports court at Silver City Townhomes is now available for the community to use. The townhomes and sports court recently celebrated their grand opening. Construction of 20 rent-to-own townhomes, located at 3507 W. Pierce St., took slightly less than a year. The three- and four-bedroom homes are energy efficient, and topped off by a “green roof,” which will absorb about 200,000 gallons of water each year. The sports court features six basketball hoops and one full-size tennis court.

author: Edgar Mendez


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Layton Park is still a step on the path for immigrants | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
July 7, 2011
JSOnline.com

author: admin


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Free family concert series | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
July 11, 2011
Free family concerts are planned for Tuesday evenings beginning this week in Kadish Park, between the Reservoir and Commerce St.
The Skyline Music Series is sponsored by COA Youth & Family Center. The series will run at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays from July 12 through Aug. 23.
For more information, call COA at (414) 263-8383.
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author: Jim McGowan


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Wisconsin’s smoking ban marks first anniversary | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
July 11, 2011
Rosie Falck and her daughter Ariana Falck, chalk spray anti-smoking slogans on the sidewalk in front of Tres Hermanos, 1332 W. Lincoln Ave.
Members of the Wisconsin Latino/Hispanic Tobacco Prevention Network gathered June 5 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the state’s ban on smoking. Wisconsin is one of 27 states that have banned smoking in enclosed public spaces.
“It feels great to be able to be able to go into a restaurant and actually taste your food,” said former smoker Nedda Avila, of Community Advocates.
Avila, who’d smoked for decades, quit after her doctor found two blood clots on her lungs.
According to smokefree.gov, 18.7 percent of Wisconsin’s adult population smokes, though the danger of tobacco use isn’t limited to adults.
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Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco (FACT) a Milwaukee-based anti-smoking group, claims that 17.7 percent of Wisconsin high school students are smokers.
Cristina Cervantes and Ariana Roque, members of the Tobacco Teen Advisory Committee of UMOS, stand in front of a display that shows examples of tobacco products packaged like candy.
Tobacco Teen Advisory Committee of UMOS, whose members were also on hand for the celebration, attribute the high number of young smokers to the targeting of tobacco products, including fruit-flavored cigars and cigarettes, to teens.
The teens protested the practice by spraying the FACT slogan, “Manipulicious,” on the sidewalk surrounding Tres Hermanos restaurant, 1332 W. Lincoln Ave., where the event was held.
The committee’s goal is to educate other teens about the dangers of smoking.
Martha Castro, a member of the teen committee, said that in addition to her parents, she sees a lot of kids smoking.
“To me it’s not cool; It gets you sick, gives you yellow teeth and looks bad,” Castro said.
According to Tina Rivera, tobacco program coordinator at UMOS, Castro is not alone. Rivera believes that nowadays many teens look at smoking differently than in the past, and that the ban has had a positive impact on area youth.
“Because of the ban and also outreach from other teens, they’re taking notice and becoming more aware of the harms of tobacco and staying away from it,” Rivera said.


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tobacco-fact_01 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012

author: Dave


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Story time for bilingual families | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
July 12, 2011
Families are invited to a program of stories, songs, finger plays and crafts in English and Spanish from 6-6:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 at Forest Home Library, 1432 W. Forest Home Ave.
English-only speakers, Spanish-only speakers and bilingual speakers are all welcome. The event is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library. For details, call Forest Home Library, (414) 286-3083.


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South side street cleanup comes to 5th Street | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
July 13, 2011
The south side street cleanup will continue from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, July 27 on S. 5th Street between Beecher and Chase avenues.
Cleanups are scheduled every other week until Oct. 19 on the south side. Sponsors include Hope House, True Skool, Safe & Sound, & 12th District Supervisor Peggy West.
For more information, contact Peggy West at (414) 278-4269; Jamal Gibson at (414) 915-3731; Maria Sandoval at (414) 788-1912; or Sarah Patterson at (414) 975-4130.
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Milwaukee ranks low for growth in clean economy | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
July 14, 2011
The Business Journal


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Agape moves toward healthier food for community meal program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 19, 2011
Patrons of community meals at Agape Community Center can look forward to healthier meals beginning in the fall.
Leaders at the center, 6100 N. 42nd St. in Milwaukee’s Thurston Woods neighborhood, are asking the 19 faith-based organizations that buy, prepare and serve community meals to provide healthier food. With the help of registered dietician and Mount Mary College professor Lisa Stark, Agape food service supervisor Katina Davis is suggesting menu changes and ingredient substitutions to the center’s meal providers. She is asking them to make the changes beginning Sept. 1.
Agape Executive Director Ann Bachrach said the center has been making incremental progress toward healthier food offerings, such as removing vending machines and offering healthy snacks in its after-school program, for several years. Agape is actively involved in the Milwaukee Childhood Obesity Prevention Project (MCOPP), a program of the United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee.
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Agape serves community meals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 52 weeks per year. The center serves about 21,000 meals per year, according to Al Luzi, director of development.


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5950851370_2ca1ef778c_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 19, 2011

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Cooking from the Farmer’s Market | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Fast Food at Home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Grilling the Harvest with Chef Shalanna! | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Guess I’ll Go Eat Worms | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Veggies | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Mastering the Grocery Store | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: One-pot Wonders | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Planting an Autumn Garden | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: Rx Nutrition | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
July 20, 2011


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Bike racks come to the Thurston Woods garden | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
July 21, 2011
urbanismnews.com


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Live at the Lakefront | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
July 21, 2011


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Local Charter School Sees Success, Expansion | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
July 21, 2011
WUWM Lake Effect


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Brown Street Academy visits Kenosha Civil War Museum | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Venice R. Williams
July 25, 2011
As part of the Alice’s Garden program, Fieldhands and Foodways, Brown Street Academy 4th & 5th grade students come to the garden each Thursday morning. This past Thursday, they visited the Kenosha Civil War Museum.
Fieldhands and Foodways is an agricultural, historical and cultural-based learning opportunity for young people and community families to celebrate the farming, food preparation, and folkways of African Americans and Africans throughout the Diaspora. FIELDHANDS AND FOODWAYS honors the historical setting of Alice’s Garden and the surrounding area, as the birthplace of the Underground Railroad in the state of Wisconsin.  In 1842, when farmer Deacon Samuel Brown became the first person to provide safe passage for 16 year old freedom seeker, Caroline Quarlls, an escaped slave from St. Louis, Missouri, that act of courage and compassion initiated the Underground Railroad in Wisconsin.  Brown, a Milwaukee founder and member of the Old Settler’s Club, was a known abolitionist.  Brown Street Academy is named in his honor. Quarlls was removed from a “sugar barrel” in the center of town by Brown and hidden on his farm overnight until the two rode out of the city next day to be helped by other local abolitionists in the surrounding area.  Caroline’s story is told at the museum and the letters she wrote to those who helped her reach safety in Canada are displayed there.
We thank the Greater Milwaukee Foundation for their generous support of this program!
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author: Venice R. Williams


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‘National Night Out’ promotes community, crime prevention | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
July 26, 2011
National Night Out, a national day designed to heighten crime  prevention awareness and strengthen neighborhood spirit and  police-community partnerships, will be observed locally from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, July 28 at Clarke Square Park, 2330 W. Vieau Pl.
The free event, sponsored by Weed and Seed, will have community and  crime-prevention information, children’s play area, refreshments, music  and entertainment. For more information, call Minerva Santiago, (414) 647-0548.
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Home tour set for Layton Boulevard West | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
July 28, 2011
Housing Resources, Inc. is sponsoring a guided bus tour highlighting homes for sale in the Layton  Boulevard West neighborhoods of Silver City, Burnham Park and Layton  Park. The tour will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 30 and will start from the Sacred Heart Center, Room 203, 1545 S. Layton Blvd.
Children are welcome and refreshments will be provided.
The tour  is free, but interested attendees must RSVP. To register call (414) 461-6330 or register  online by clicking here.
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Group fights childhood obesity, promotes health | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
July 30, 2011
The Milwaukee Childhood Obesity Prevention Project (MCOPP) will hold its next monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2 at the Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, 2819 W. Richardson Pl.
MCOPP is funded by Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, a national  program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The project works to provide  access to good nutrition and regular physical activity for all who  attend, work and/or live near United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee member centers, by helping the  centers  develop or expand upon nutrition and physical activity policies.
For information, contact Sarah O’Connor, (414) 978-2023.
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Yoga classes promote health, valley renewal | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 2, 2011
Menomonee Valley Partners sponsors outdoor yoga classes every Wednesday this month. Each class is $5 per participant, with proceeds going toward the ongoing  restoration of Menomonee Valley. Click here for details.
There are two sessions each Wednesday (Aug. 3, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24 and Aug. 31): from 6:45-7:30 a.m. in Menomonee Valley Park (west of 35th St. and the Canal St. viaduct, across from Charter Wire); and from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. behind the Sigma building at 1300 W. Canal St. (park in the lot east of the building).
Interested participants should register in advance. To register online, click here or call (414) 274‐4661.
For more information, email Tim Brown or call (414) 274‐4661.
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created: August 2, 2011


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Child Health Week kicks off in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 11, 2011
(Photos by Sue Vliet)
The city of Milwaukee is sponsoring the 11th annual Milwaukee Child Health Week from August 12-19.  The back-to-school family health fairs consist of “Big Health Fairs,” in which Milwaukee children receive free screenings, immunizations and/or lead testing. Children who show up-to-date shot records will receive a backpack and school supplies. Meanwhile, parents can get WIC, BadgerCare Plus and FoodShare information along with advice on health topics such as asthma and diabetes. “Mini Health Fairs” offer free immunizations and lead tests. Parents will be able to look up their children’s records for immunizations and lead tests on site.
Click here for more details.
Big Health Fairs
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Friday, Aug. 12
10-3 p.m.
South Division High School
1515 W. Lapham Blvd.
Friday, Aug. 19
10– 3 p.m.
North Division High School (Lindsay Heights)
North Division Campus
1011 W. Center St.
Mini Health Fairs
Tuesday, Aug. 16
10-2 p.m.
YMCA at 1350 W. North Ave.
Wednesday, Aug. 17
10-2 p.m.
YMCA at 9050 N. 91 St.
Thursday, Aug. 18
10-2 p.m.
Pick’n Save parking lot (Clarke Square)
1818 W. National Ave.
A Milwaukee Health Department nurse immunizes Edrias at the South Division High School health fair, sponsored by the city.
Kimberly Paulina (Edrias’ sister) waits for her shot at the health fair.
Children view a dental hygiene exhibit, one of many educational activities at the health fair.
United Health Care provided materials, services and entertainment at the fair.
Families sign up for services during Milwaukee Child Health Week.


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chw-450×294 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 13, 2012

author: Adam Carr


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sd-healthfair-11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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A time to plant and a time to reap | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sue Vliet
August 15, 2011
As summer winds down, volunteers at Alice’s Garden are beginning to reap what they sowed in the spring.
Greg Hunter and Gloria J. Reese stand in front of a newly planted plot at Alice’s Garden in the spring.
The same garden plot as harvest season approaches.

author: Sue Vliet


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ag-03_f-150×129 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Creating a vision for Burnham Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 15, 2011
Residents of the Burnham Park neighborhood will gather from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16 to discuss the future of Burnham Park itself—how the park is used, what works, what is missing, and what neighborhood residents want to see happen there.
The meeting, sponsored by Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, will be held at the Burnham Park Pavilion, 3300 W. Burnham St. For more information, email Dan Adams or call (414) 383-9038 ext. 2305.
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NNS to offer free portraits in Layton Boulevard West | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
August 15, 2011
Professional photographers from Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service will be taking free portraits of community members attending Asian Fest on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m.– 1:15 p.m. at Arlington Heights Park, 3429 W. Pierce St. The portraits will be available to download at www.milwaukeenns.org at no cost. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Silver City’s fifth annual Asian Fest, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., features authentic Asian food, music and dance. Highlights include cooking demonstrations, a dance contest, basketball tournament and Milwaukee’s Best Egg Roll competition.
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author: Sharon McGowan


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Runners, walkers support Hank Aaron State Trail in 5K race | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
August 15, 2011
(Photos by Jennifer Janviere)
Runners take off at the start of the race.
Hundreds of walkers and runners set out from Miller Park on a recent Saturday morning to support the Hank Aaron State Trail. The 5K Run/Walk took participants through the Menomonee Valley along Canal Street, along the river and back to Miller Park. Individual prizes were awarded to the top male and female runners, and the first three finishers in each age division. In honor of Hank Aaron’s uniform number, 44, every 44th finisher also won a prize. Team prizes were awarded to the fastest three teams, the team with the most participants and the one with the most team spirit. The event was sponsored by Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail.
Runners start down the Hank Aaron State Trail.
Participant Paul Gionfriddo earned the distinction of running marathons in all 50 states.
(left to right) Gaeriel Jemenez, Liberato Jemenez, Jose Valdivia, Stuart Kuhlmann, Pascual Martinez and Luis Martinez
Heather Polan (center) and Aaron Berken (right) celebrate their upcoming wedding with their team, “Race to the Altar.”
Runner Zach Meineke was the first to cross the finish line.


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Adam Carr
April 13, 2012


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hast-rw-01 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Silver City offers sounds of summer | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 16, 2011
The Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Silver City’s free outdoor music  event, continues with the final installment from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17. The  concert will feature the band, I’m Not a Pilot, accompanied by Latin rock band, Purple Tongue.
The concert is free and will take place at Arlington Heights Park, between National and Pierce under the 35th St. viaduct. It is sponsored by Silver City Main Street, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, P&H Mining Equipment, Harnischfeger’s Employees Association and WMSE 91.7.
For more information, email silvercitymainstreet@gmail.com or call Beth Haskovec, (414) 380-4680.
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Community Welcome Rally for North Division High School Students | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 17, 2011


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Gearing up for the new school year | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 17, 2011
Hope House will host its annual back-to school street fair from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 at Hope House, 209 W. Orchard St.
The event will include games, food, bicycle repairs and a car show. School supplies will be given out to students as they are available. To donate school supplies or volunteer,  click here.
For more information, call (414) 645-2122.
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September 11th Guided Labyrinth Walk and Conversation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 17, 2011


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Silver City festival celebrates Asian culture | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 20, 2011
Silver City’s 5th annual Asian Fest, planned for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, celebrates the diversity of  Milwaukee’s Asian community.
The event will take place at Arlington Heights Park, 3429 W. Pierce St., and is sponsored by Silver City Main Street. It will feature authentic Asian food,  music and dance. Highlights include cooking demonstrations, a dance  contest, basketball tournament and Milwaukee’s Best Egg Roll  competition. Follow the Asian Fest blog to learn more, or call Beth Haskovec, (414) 380-4680.


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Clarke Square still unmarked as permit problems persist | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 22, 2011
An artist’s rendering of the gateway marker to be placed at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, 1337 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive.
City of Milwaukee officials and representatives of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative are working to secure locations for Clarke Square gateway markers after the city denied permits at three of the five original sites. Of the original locations, only one is still being proposed on city property.
The markers, created to “demonstrate pride in the neighborhood’s diverse cultures and attractions,” according to the community’s Quality of Life Plan, originally were to be placed at the four corners and center of Clarke Square.
The dark brown decorative markers made of corten steel were completed in July, and remain in a warehouse. “We’re going back and forth with the city,” said Jeffrey Hojnacki, co-owner of Ascend Design of Milwaukee. Ascend Design, along with C R Industries of Cudahy, fabricated the markers.
According to Dawn Schmidt, civil engineer for the city of Milwaukee, the permits to place the markers were denied because they didn’t meet certain standards and requirements.
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“You have three things that have to work together; you can’t block the view of oncoming traffic, there must be 5 feet of clearance on the sidewalk and you can’t interfere with underground utilities,” Schmidt said.
In the case of all the disputed locations, one or more of the criteria could not be met, according to Schmidt.
“It would be easier if they could tell us where a suitable location existed, but we’re told they (the city) cannot do that; we had to scout out locations, draw up renderings and submit them to the city and then find out if they meet the criteria or not,” said Manni Marquez, neighborhood director for the Clarke Square Initiative.
The Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative has turned to some local business owners for help. Two have agreed to place markers on their private property, where they would not be subject to the same city of Milwaukee requirements, according to Marquez.
One marker will be placed at Longfellow School, which is the property of Milwaukee Public Schools and another, pending approval, would be located on county property at Mitchell Park.
No date has been set to install the markers.


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Dave
April 7, 2012


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Investment in Harambee brings results | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
August 22, 2011
Photo: All rights reserved by Local Initiatives Support Corp.
When Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was looking to make a significant investment in a local community in 2005, Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood was well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity.
Because of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s expertise in neighborhood planning and comprehensive community development, Thrivent came to LISC Milwaukee for advice. “LISC Milwaukee had worked in Harambee and the neighborhood was a natural choice given the rich history of resident engagement combined with great need,” said Leo Ries, executive director.
Thrivent agreed, and made a total investment of $2.5 million in the predominately African American north side neighborhood hard hit by the economic downturn. Despite its economic challenges, Harambee is a highly organized neighborhood with a rich history of activism and resident engagement.
Thrivent’s $2.5 million investment included $900,000 to Habitat for Humanity for the construction of new homes, $1.08 million to the Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative (HGNI). An additional $500,000 went to Hope Schools for the construction of a new high school on Port Washington Road.
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Thrivent’s investment was, in part, the result of groundwork laid by a collaboration of private foundations, corporations and government agencies called the Milwaukee Neighborhood Development Collaborative formed in 2005. The partners included the Daniel M. Soref Charitable Trust, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Helen Bader Foundation, Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), Northern Trust Bank and United Way of Greater Milwaukee. The MNDC selected the northern section of the Harambee neighborhood for its investment of a collective $1 million for 2006-2008.
“Thrivent started with an investment through our national partnership with Habitat, and it grew from there. Harambee leaders have taken this investment and leveraged over $30 million in public and private funds to support their plans,” said Rudi Pakendorf, director, Member Engagement and Growth.
LISC worked with residents to develop the Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative Neighborhood Action Plan. Impressed with the plan and broad participation of residents and partners, Thrivent made a final $1 million dollar investment in 2007 toward the achievement of the comprehensive neighborhood plan.
“The Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative has been so successful because it goes beyond building new houses and planting gardens in vacant lots—it’s about bringing people together and accessing the passion and talents of our residents. Thrivent’s investment has helped us do all of this,” said J. Allen Stokes, chairman of the HGNI Steering Committee, and executive director of the Inner City Redevelopment Corporation.
In three years (2008-2011), the Harambee has built new quality homes; created a one-stop shop for financial and employment services; reduced crime along King Drive; and created healthy food and recreational options, among other accomplishments.


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Investment in Harambee bring results | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 22, 2011


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Public Art at Mitchell Park showcases “Art and Archaelology of Me” | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
August 22, 2011
(Photos by Sue Vliet)
The Milwaukee Observatory, a public art installation created by students at Bay View High School, came to Mitchell Park this summer for the first time. Housed at the Bay View Historical Society, the Milwaukee Observatory features four 12-foot- high banners representing the people of Milwaukee. Students were on hand in Clarke Square to record stories, scan photographs and historical documents and take photographs of residents. The project grew out of a partnership between the high school and Discovery World, where the students took part in the “Art and Archaeology of Me” program.
Tate’yanna Bennett and Daniel Avila of Bay View High School created their banner after participating in a program at Discovery World.
Tate’yanna Bennett and Michael Madlock interview Mike and Linda Scholz at Mitchell Park.
Student Vanessa Flores poses with her artwork, which features rare Milwaukee artifacts.


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mobser_f | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Community invited to support high schoolers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
August 28, 2011
Community residents will celebrate the reopening of North Division High School at 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 1 at the school, 1011 W. Center St.
Organizers plan to start students’ new year with cheering, signs of encouragement and celebration. All residents of the area are invited to attend.
For more information, call Nicole Lightwine of the Walnut Way Conservation Corp. at (414) 264-2326.
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Childhood Nutrition in a Summer Day Camp | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
August 29, 2011
Schools throughout the nation employ successful programs to promote healthy eating in children, and summer camps are now increasingly considered as holding promise for similar initiatives. However, there is a gap in our understanding of the current status of healthy nutrition in summer camps and potential summer camp nutrition interventions that might help curb childhood obesity rates.
In order to address this gap, we conducted a study in collaboration with an UNCOM member agency’s Summer Day Camp in Milwaukee to understand fruit, vegetable, and milk consumed in a summer camp setting. Camp participants included youth aged 4-12 years, and lunch was served daily. Lunch plate waste of fruits, vegetables, and milk was recorded at five time points over the seven-week camp period. Nutrition data consisted of weighed amounts of food served and weighed amounts of food wasted (left on the plate). By understanding the amounts and types of foods consumed, policies and strategies can be developed to support improved nutrition not only in summer camps, but also in other youth-serving settings.
The study results suggest that fruit, vegetable, and milk consumption rates in the camp are very low, and waste is very high. Fruit and vegetable plate waste in the camp generally exceeded national averages, and each camper consumed only about one-fourth of an eight-ounce milk carton per meal. Whole apples and coleslaw had the highest waste, whereas applesauce and mashed potatoes had the lowest waste.
Strategies to reduce plate waste in the summer camp such as nutrition education, rescheduling lunch to a slightly later time in the day, and smaller serving sizes should be explored. Particularly interesting is the observation by camp staff that more children accepted milk when it was served in individual cartons as opposed to being poured from pitchers into cups. Similarly, camp staff indicated that fruit was most likely to be eaten if it was cut into pieces rather than served whole. These staff observations coupled with the study results suggest that ventures within summer day camps to promote healthy childhood nutrition should be considered as potential counterparts to school-based programs.
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Childhood Nutrition in a Summer Day Camp | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Delara Bastani
August 29, 2011
Schools throughout the nation employ successful programs to promote healthy eating in children, and summer camps are now increasingly considered as holding promise for similar initiatives. However, there is a gap in our understanding of the current status of healthy nutrition in summer camps and potential summer camp nutrition interventions that might help curb childhood obesity rates.
In order to address this gap, we conducted a study in collaboration with an UNCOM member agency’s Summer Day Camp in Milwaukee to understand fruit, vegetable, and milk consumed in a summer camp setting. Camp participants included youth aged 4-12 years, and lunch was served daily. Lunch plate waste of fruits, vegetables, and milk was recorded at five time points over the seven-week camp period. Nutrition data consisted of weighed amounts of food served and weighed amounts of food wasted (left on the plate). By understanding the amounts and types of foods consumed, policies and strategies can be developed to support improved nutrition not only in summer camps, but also in other youth-serving settings.
The study results suggest that fruit, vegetable, and milk consumption rates in the camp are very low, and waste is very high. Fruit and vegetable plate waste in the camp generally exceeded national averages, and each camper consumed only about one-fourth of an eight-ounce milk carton per meal. Whole apples and coleslaw had the highest waste, whereas applesauce and mashed potatoes had the lowest waste.
Strategies to reduce plate waste in the summer camp such as nutrition education, rescheduling lunch to a slightly later time in the day, and smaller serving sizes should be explored. Particularly interesting is the observation by camp staff that more children accepted milk when it was served in individual cartons as opposed to being poured from pitchers into cups. Similarly, camp staff indicated that fruit was most likely to be eaten if it was cut into pieces rather than served whole. These staff observations coupled with the study results suggest that ventures within summer day camps to promote healthy childhood nutrition should be considered as potential counterparts to school-based programs.
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author: Delara Bastani


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Long-awaited groundbreaking at Longfellow set for Sept. 16 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 29, 2011
Groundbreaking for the Journey House Center for Family Learning and Youth Athletics will take place on Sept. 16, at Longfellow Elementary School, 1021 S. 21 St., in Clarke Square. The new addition, a collaboration of Longfellow School and Journey House, will serve the two institutions by providing a new cafeteria, kitchen, gym, computer labs and classrooms.
Although the groundbreaking was originally scheduled for early spring, financing issues delayed it until the fall.
The occasion will be marked by a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m., and followed by the official groundbreaking at 10:30. Once it is complete, Journey House will sell the buildings housing its Youth Center, 2212 W. Greenfield Ave., and Adult Learning Center, 1900 W. Washington St., and run those programs from the new structure. The addition will culminate a 12-year journey toward a new center for both Longfellow and Journey House.
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longfellow_artwork | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Roosevelt spic and span after Community Service Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 29, 2011
Photos by John Sterr.
Volunteers descended on Roosevelt Creative Arts Middle School, 800 W. Walnut, recently to clean, paint and weed in advance of the first day of school. MPS staff, parents and local officials joined employees of GE Healthcare for the company’s 17th annual Community Service Day. Roosevelt was one of 15 Milwaukee public schools benefiting from the program.


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gepic | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Special Report: Streetscape alters look, feel of historic business district | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 29, 2011
(Photos by John Sterr)
A stroll down the redesigned Cesar E. Chavez Drive is a bit like walking through the neighborhood you grew up in as a child. Though it seems familiar, much has changed. Gone are the cracked sidewalks, potholes and narrow streets. They’ve been replaced by stylish, brick-edged walkways and a wide, seamless road.
The new, glossy steel black benches contrast with most of Chavez Drive’s century-old buildings. Despite the soot lining each crack of the brick facades, the street looks like it’s finally been jostled out of neutral.
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“I think it looks great and was something that needed to be done,” said Mary Estrada, a manager at Envisions clothing store, 1328 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive, recalling the days when pockmarked, dirty streets were the norm.
Estrada’s remarks reflect the views of two-thirds of the businesses that responded to a survey distributed by the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service to all 40 businesses on Chavez Drive. Ten of the 15 businesses agreed that the streetscape improvements have had a positive effect on the business district.
However, only three of the 15 reported an increase in sales since the redesign. Respondents were asked to compare sales in June 2011 — about a year after the streetscape improvements were completed — with June 2009.
Three businesses reported lower sales during the same period; the other nine indicated that sales remain about the same.
“Our sales have actually gone down, but it’s due to the economic crisis,” said Jaime Guerrero, owner of La Reyna Records, 1225 S. Chavez Drive.
Despite limited financial returns from the redesign, business owners overwhelmingly agreed that the rehab of Chavez Drive was long overdue. Business leaders and storeowners precipitated the improvements by creating a Chavez Drive Business Improvement District (BID) in 2009.
“The main reason to start a BID (Business Improvement District) was to improve the appearance of the street so that the business district has a certain feel to it,” according to Ivan Gamboa, chairman of the BID.
The feel planners were going for was a unique shopper-friendly environment that fit within the tight budget, according to Jose Dominguez, concept designer of the streetscape.
“A main goal we had was to pick landscaping items that were low-maintenance while still being decorative. There is high pedestrian traffic on Chavez Drive so another major goal was to increase the width of the sidewalks to promote this,” Dominguez added. The improvements also included a wider street, brighter streetlights, landscaped bushes and decorative sidewalks and benches.
Most of the nearly $2 million project was funded by federal stimulus funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, along with $400,000 from the city of Milwaukee in the form of loans and matching grants provided by the Business Improvement District Fund and the Neighborhood Commercial District Fund. In addition, the BID assessed each business owner on Chavez Drive a $500 fee for the project, according to Gamboa.
Business owners said that the redesign has drastically changed the look of Chavez Drive. But has it changed the perceptions of shoppers?
Leslie Vazquez, owner of E & J Records, says it has. Vazquez, a member of the BID, said that in the months since the redesign was completed, she’s seen her business at 1242 S. Chavez Drive grow.
“I’ve been having new customers from other Wisconsin towns coming into my store,” Vazquez said. She attributes this to the improved image of Chavez Drive.
Patricia Torres Najera, assistant director at the Center for Urban Initiatives at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a consultant on the project, stated that improved curb appeal makes a difference for businesses.
“It helps business in the sense that people in the community feel comfortable walking around the area,” Najera said.
She added that though Chavez Drive had long been a vibrant shopping area, it was also a neglected one. “It just needed a facelift.”
Most businesses that responded to the survey were happy with the changes. Only two owners said the money used on the streetscape could have been better spent.
The goal of attracting more customers to the street has not yet been achieved, according to the respondents.
Peter Sang, owner of Fashion City at 1037 S. Chavez Drive, said his business was better when the street was smaller.
“If you have a small street, then people walk around. Now cars just drive by,” said Sang, standing inside his empty store on a recent afternoon.
Sang, who sells urban fashions ranging from jeans and tees to skirts and jackets, admits that the tough economy is hurting his business. Since the store relies heavily on walk-in sales, it didn’t help that the original Super Mercado El Rey moved to new and fancier digs across the street, he said. Still, he questions the link between improvements such as the streetscape and more shoppers in the stores.
But aside from a few shuttered businesses such as Cash N’ Gold Jewelry Store, 1214 S.  Chavez Drive, and Taqueria El Local, 1202 S. Chavez Drive, stores remain open for business.
Owners Ernesto Villareal of El Rey, a grocery store at 916 S. Chavez Drive, and Bouazza Ouahbi of El Charro Liquors, 1207 S. Chavez Drive, stated that sales have gone up since the redesign. Ouahbi said that his business has increased upwards of 15 percent.
Alderman James Witkowiak said his ward, the 12, which includes Cesar Chavez Drive, has been making a great deal of progress in recent years, even in a poor economy.
“It’s due in large part to the density and the entrepreneurship of our immigrants,” Witkowiak said.
To get a glimpse of what might have been on Chavez Drive had the BID not been created, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service visited the nearby business district of West National Avenue from South Fifth Street to 12 Street.
There it’s easy to find a store standing alone on a block, flanked by abandoned buildings and shuttered businesses such as Lopez Bakery, 624 W. National Ave., Acapulco Lounge and Restaurant, 606 W. National Ave., and the former Milwaukee icon, Coney Island, 530 W. National Ave.  Revenue did not increase from June 2009 to June 2011 at any of the businesses still operating.
A few owners on West National Avenue said that a streetscape redesign such as the one completed on Chavez Drive would improve their business.
Maria Melendez, owner of Gina’s Beauty Salon, 705 W. National Ave., said change is good. “People take notice when they see new attractions and changes to the neighborhood,” said Melendez.
Yves Pacheco, of Warming Heart Foundation, a second-hand clothing store at 1002 W. National Ave., agreed, saying she loves the improvements she sees happening at other business districts in the city.  She notes that her street seems bland in comparison to Chavez Drive and the South 27 Street and Bolivar area.
“I’d like to see the beautification of the street, whether it be the landscaping or the buildings. It could bring more shoppers and a secure sense to the neighborhood,” she said.
Melendez and Pacheco are in the minority among business owners interviewed about the need for a streetscape redesign. Most owners on West National said they are more worried about increased police patrols to help customers feel a sense of security when they shop than they are about sprucing up the street. Nevertheless, the reality is that any help would be welcome, they said.
All the business people interviewed agreed that the street has an image problem.
“I think that if the city would clean up some of these abandoned properties it could help rehab the area for business,” said Galen Shelp, owner of VCA Auto Body, 938 W. National Ave.
When the Chavez Drive BID was formed a few years ago, the street looked like it was stuck in a time warp. There hadn’t been a major renovation in decades, and other than regularly scheduled repaving, no improvements had been made.
The street, formerly called simply South 16 Street from West Greenfield Avenue to West National Avenue, has long been known for its authentic Mexican restaurants, produce and a variety of other goods.
It was also known as one of the first destinations for Spanish-speaking immigrants new to Milwaukee. The brightly colored buildings, Spanish signage and street vendors selling everything from paletas to elotes provided some of the sights and comforts of home, easing the transition to a new life in America.
“I think so many people shop there because it’s somewhere they can find the same products they’re used to in Mexico, Columbia and other Latin American countries.  The workers also speak Spanish, which is especially important for older immigrants who haven’t mastered the English language,” Najera said.
The Hispanic business district, anchored by the original Super Mercado El Rey in 1978, is now lined with store after store. The streetscape redesign has succeeded in opening up Chavez Drive, improving parking and rehabilitating the district’s image.
“I remember six years ago when the street was dirty and ugly,” said Pedro Jimenez as he walked into the parking lot of Nuevo Mercado El Rey. “But now it feels different; it looks good.”
That “different feel” pervades Chavez Drive. Only time will tell whether the businesses lining the busy streetscape feel the same positive difference in their bottom line.


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ccdstreetscape_f | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Community health fair | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Delara Bastani
August 30, 2011


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Community Garden and Urban Agriculture Tour | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 31, 2011


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Artists display their work in Walker’s Point | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
September 1, 2011
Members of the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts will hold their annual show, offering an array of media, styles and compositions, beginning from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 at the center, 839 S. 5th St.
This salon-style exhibition features local and regional artists. It is free and open to the public, and will run through Saturday, Oct. 8.
For more information, call Mary Overman at (414) 672-2787, ext. 13.
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created: September 1, 2011


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Admission Possible Milwaukee moving to Schlitz Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
September 6, 2011
The Business Journal

created: September 6, 2011


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Longfellow opens doors to students, keeps them open for parents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 6, 2011
Mary Lou Navarro discusses plans for a back-to-school breakfast with parents Maria Salcedo and Maria Mora.
Sierra, Yasmin and Marcos Medina walk with their father Joab across the playground, wet from an afternoon storm, and into the century-old Longfellow Elementary School. The oldest, Sierra, 12, hides much of her face behind curly black locks, but can’t conceal her smile. They arrive at the door together. But, rather than just seeing his kids in and heading back home, Joab walks right in.
Joab Medina is one of a legion of active, involved parents at Longfellow, 1021 S. 21 St., in Clarke Square. It’s a role he cherishes so much that rather than enroll his kids in the West Allis school directly across the street from his home, he’s been driving them to Longfellow for three years. This year, he’s moving back to Milwaukee, just to secure enrollment slots at Longfellow for his children this school year and beyond.
Although about 20,000 students go to private schools through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and other MPS schools have low enrollment, Longfellow has a waiting list. But why? The explanation is simple. For the Medinas, like many other families at Longfellow, the school is not just a place where children are  educated, but their parents as well.
“I felt welcome there because I was never overlooked; I was there to learn and to find out where my children needed help,” Medina said.
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A hands-on-approach for parents, children and educators is not unusual at Longfellow. Parent volunteers such as Medina, can be found there regularly, walking the narrow, hardwood halls. While most schools encourage parental involvement, Longfellow lives and dies by it. School administrators say it’s the key to their success.
“If we don’t have that bridge built between home and school, then we stand alone,” said Mary Lou Navarro, parent coordinator for the last 15 years at Longfellow.
Navarro’s job is to build unity and increase communication between parents and teachers so parents are able to reinforce lessons their children learned in the classroom. What makes the approach at Longfellow different from other MPS schools is that as children are absorbing lessons in classrooms, school staff members are busy helping parents learn about themselves. Navarro said that many parents are reluctant to come to school because they lack a formal education, but they’re not giving themselves credit for the life skills they have. She pushes them to enter the doors; to never be ashamed to come to school and learn.
“We give them credit for what they do know, and guide them to use what they have,” Navarro said.
After parents drop their kids off at Longfellow, Navarro leads a group session she calls “coffee klatch.” It’s a time to share not just coffee and snacks, but companionship and ideas.
“Each day we present the parents with a question such as basics like should you spank, or what are the best ways to potty train and even harder topics such as whether or not you should provide your teenager with birth control,” Navarro said.
The exchange of ideas helps parents open up to other viewpoints about topics that can be tough to talk about at home. In addition to the informal time Navarro spends with parents, the school offers English as a Second Language classes and nutrition training, among other lessons. The parents’ self-empowerment gives them the confidence to take charge of their child’s education, according to Navarro. It’s a strategy that has served the school well over the years.
“The parents and the children are the focus of everything we do here,” said Wendell Smith, principal of Longfellow.
The school’s openness makes Medina feel welcome. It is in stark contrast to his own experiences as a youngster at MPS, where he felt disregarded. “As a youngster I was hyperactive and instead of finding a way to keep me in school they were finding ways to keep me out,” Medina said.
One of the biggest obstacles to parental involvement at school is when a parent has had harmful schooling experiences during his or her own childhood, according to Navarro.
“It’s very hard to get parents to look past their own negative experiences at school,” Navarro said.
But Medina knew he had to get involved. One of his daughters, who has attention deficit disorder (ADD), has had behavior problems and difficulty staying focused in class. In response, Longfellow brought in a special education teacher to work specifically with her. On days when the special attention wasn’t working, the school would notify Medina and he’d come in unannounced and sit in class. The open door policy extends to all parents, according to Smith.
Medina said that friends have questioned his decision to move back to Milwaukee to keep his kids in MPS, and his West Allis neighborhood has fewer challenges than the Clarke Square neighborhood he moved from. But, he knows he’s welcome there, and he likes that the neighborhood and the school are ethnically and linguistically diverse.
Noted Smith, “We want our bilingual children to leave here and be able to function in both languages; we try to celebrate the distinctions between them and other groups.”
Unlike many schools that teach diversity by celebrating cultural heroes and holidays, Longfellow focuses on commonalities between differing cultures. By teaching children that all cultures have things in common, the school attempts to narrow the door to racism. Each year, classrooms adopt a culture, and each student writes a report and creates an item pertinent to that culture.
Last year, Sierra adopted Peru, while Yasmin adopted Colombia. All the school’s students come together and celebrate the adopted cultures on “Mercado Day,” during the third week of school. On that day, a visitor will see the children, a collage of colors and ethnicities, dancing together to the sounds of Latin Salsa, Medina said.
“They look like one big family.”
Marcos, Sierra and Yasmin Medina read books in room 101.


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longfellow-msnavarro_f | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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UNCOM Walk for Wellness promotes healthy eating, active living | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 12, 2011
Walkers stretch before the UNCOM walk. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
“Eat healthy. Be active.” That was the message sent by about 650 people who attended the fourth annual UNCOM Walk for Wellness held at Kosciuszko Park on Milwaukee’s South Side.
Participants from United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee’s member agencies completed a one-mile route and enjoyed a healthy picnic dinner of turkey sandwiches on wheat bread, fruit, vegetables, baked potato chips and water.
UNCOM’s Sarah O’Connor welcomes hundreds of participants to the walk. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
“This is the fourth year we’ve done it and I have yet to hear any negative complaints about the food. No one has asked for regular chips or soda or junk food. People are willing to try things. That’s really fun to see,” said Sarah O’Connor, coordinator for UNCOM’s Milwaukee Childhood Obesity Prevention Project.
Staff members, their families and patrons of UNCOM member agencies were invited to attend the event, which was funded by the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative with support from the Milwaukee County Parks Department. Zilber Neighborhood Initiative partner agencies in Clarke Square, Lindsay Heights and Layton Boulevard West also were invited.
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“The more people are aware that many people think it’s important to be healthy, the more they start to think about being healthy themselves — about making small changes in their eating and physical activity,” O’Connor noted.
UNCOM member agencies are Agape Community Center, COA Youth and Family Centers, Journey House, Milwaukee Christian Center, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Next Door Foundation, Northcott Neighborhood House and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center.
Antoinette Johnson, Kaylin Jones and Sally Nickerson from the Silver Spring Neighborhood House dress up as healthy food. (Photo by Sue Vliet)

created: September 12, 2011


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uncom-walk_f | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Family and youth center breaks ground | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
September 15, 2011
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Journey House Center for Family Learning and Youth Athletics will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16 at Longfellow Elementary School, 1021 S. 21 St.
The new addition, a collaboration of Longfellow School and Journey House, will serve the two institutions by providing a new cafeteria, kitchen, gym, computer labs and classrooms.
For more information, email Cherise Myers or call (414) 647-0548.
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created: September 15, 2011


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Final community session set for Layton Blvd. West | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
September 16, 2011
Residents in the Layton Boulevard West neighborhoods of Burnham Park, Layton Park and Silver City will have their final opportunity to comment on the area’s proposed Quality of Life plan at a meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the Sacred Heart Center, Room 203, 1545 S. Layton Blvd.
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN) began work on the plan in January. Community residents and stakeholders have been invited to discuss their neighborhood’s future during meetings over the past several months.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Beth Haskovec, Silver City Main Street Manager, will present the winners of her business plan competition.
For more information, email Dan Adams.
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created: September 16, 2011


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Cyclists wheel into Mitchell Park and spur bike lanes for Clarke Square | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 19, 2011
(Photo by Sue Vliet)
The scene at Mitchell Park will transform from tranquil to turbulent as the second annual “Cross the Domes” cyclocross races skid their way into Clarke Square on Oct. 1.
The grueling, spectator-friendly races will involve more than 300 riders and stretch across the park, up its hills and even through the sand pits, according to Paul Warloski, committee member of the Wisconsin Cycling Association (WCA), and member of the My Wife Inc. (MWI) cycling team. The WCA is organizing this race and 12 others across Wisconsin this year.
“I like to think of it as a two-wheeled steeplechase, where you go as hard as you can for 45 minutes,” Warloski said.
(Photo by Sue Vliet)
Along with the race, festivities will include the “Clarke Square Moving” fundraising event, organized by the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative. That event will feature outdoor games and contests, movement classes, health screenings and a bike parade.
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The day will kick off with the community event at 10 a.m., followed by a youth bike race at 12:15 p.m. Then come the pros. Race sponsors include Braeger Chevrolet and Tri-City Mitsubishi. Donations can still be made, with proceeds from the community event—as well as $1 from each of the cyclists’ entry fees—going toward installation of speed bumps and bicycle lanes in Clarke Square.
Placing speed bumps in the neighborhood is critical, according to Jessica Herzog, assistant director for community relations at Journey House.
“Because 27th St has a speed limit of 25 miles per hour, local residents have noticed cars avoiding Layton Boulevard and speeding down side streets,” Herzog said. “Installing speed bumps at strategic locations, especially near Longfellow School, will help avoid a dangerous situation.”
The race and community event align with Clarke Square’s Quality of Life Plan, one of the goals of which is to promote a bike-friendly community for youth and families in the neighborhood.
“Becoming active is one of the cornerstones to being healthy, and biking is a great way to help your mind and body,” said Herzog.
Herzog and Warloski also said that aside from bicycling being economical and good for you, it is an underused form of transportation. They both said that by making it easier to bike, people will look at it as an alternative and safe way to get around.
Warloski added, “I think it’s important to create an atmosphere where people feel safe and there’s a mutual respect for bicycles and vehicles in our neighborhoods.”

created: September 19, 2011


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cycle_01 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Long-awaited Longfellow addition breaks ground as community celebrates | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 19, 2011
Dignitaries symbolically break ground for the new Journey House Center for Youth and Family Athletics. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
The forecast called for overcast skies and a chilly morning, but the clouds seemed to part at just the right moment. As a group of toddlers sang, sun now shining on their tiny faces, families, MPS students, business and community leaders gathered in the parking lot of Longfellow School. Together they celebrated a day that’s been 12 years in the making.
On Friday, Sept. 16, ground was broken for the Journey House Center for Youth and Family Athletics. The new addition, a collaboration of Longfellow School and Journey House, will serve the two institutions by providing a new cafeteria, kitchen, gym, computer labs and classrooms.
“This center embraces the entire family, and to move families out of chronic poverty and joblessness it takes education,” said Michele Bria, Journey House CEO.
The project is a major element of the Clarke Square quality of life plan, created as part of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative, which began in 2008.
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Dignitaries at the event included Mayor Tom Barrett, MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton and Susan Lloyd, CEO of the Zilber Family Foundation.
Mayor Tom Barrett addresses the gathering at Longfellow School, 1021 S. 21st St. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
The idea for the center originated in the late 1990s, during a meeting by then Mayor John Norquist and representatives from Journey House, including Bria. Norquist suggested that the organization and school join forces and build a facility on Longfellow’s blacktop playground, as both struggled with severe overcrowding and outdated facilities.
Philanthropy, perseverance and cooperation among numerous entities eventually led to the plan — altered and shelved on several occasions — finally being put in motion.
“People have heard our promises for far too many years,” Wendell Smith, principal of Longfellow, told the group.
Veronica Vazquez was one of about 200 people who attended the groundbreaking with her daughter, Kendra. Vazquez has taken GED and ESL classes at Journey House’s Adult Learning Center, 1900 W. Washington St., for three months and her husband for a year.
“The best way to better our family is to study and to learn English,” she said. But classes are crowded, and space minimal, she noted. Fernando Mendoza, who takes GED, ESL and computer classes, concurred. Mendoza has been studying at the Adult Learning Center for three years.
“There are a lot of students packed into a small classroom; but I hear that the new building will be much bigger, have more computers and give us more liberty,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza, who lives in Clarke Square two blocks from where the new center will be located, also plans to use the gym, which will be shared by the school and Journey House.
So far, the concrete base of the center has been poured. Most of the structure should be done by February, before the extreme cold and snow, and site work will begin in the spring, according to Kevin Kopplin, superintendent of the project for KBS Construction of Milwaukee.
Kopplin said the company is shooting for a June completion of the 130- by 170-foot center.
“The center will be a catalyst for our neighborhood to flourish and prosper; it’s an exciting time to be in the Clarke Square neighborhood,” Bria said.


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Dave
April 7, 2012


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Renewable energy and opportunities for savings on utility costs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 19, 2011


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Learn how to save on energy costs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
September 20, 2011
Walnut Way Conservation Corp. and Milwaukee Shines will host a  celebration event at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at 2350 N. 16th Street. The ceremony will provide information about renewable energy and  opportunities for savings on utility costs.
For more information, email Jeremy Davis or call 414-264-2326 x15.

created: September 20, 2011


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Weatherization workshop | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 22, 2011

created: September 22, 2011


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Ecology center to break ground in Silver City | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
September 24, 2011
Groundbreaking is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 for a new environmental center, 24-acre park and outdoor classroom at 3700 W. Pierce St. in Silver City.
The event celebrating creation of the Urban Ecology Center Menomonee Valley Branch will kick off construction and give participants information on plans for the project. It is sponsored by the Urban Ecology Center and Menomonee Valley Partners as part of their joint From the Ground Up project.
For information, contact Ken Leinbach.
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created: September 24, 2011


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Strategies for LBWN Quality of Life Plan revealed | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 26, 2011
(Photo by Sue Vliet)
After months of one-on-one interviews, focus groups, neighborhood meetings and data collection, a Quality of Life Plan for the Layton Boulevard West Neighborhoods of Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park is ready to be finalized.
According to Daniel Adams, neighborhood plan coordinator for Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN), the plan will focus on seven overlapping strategies: 1) neighborhood appearance; 2) community safety; 3) social engagement; 4) youth, education and leadership; 5) community identity; 6) healthy living; and 7) economic development. Also included will be 11 catalytic projects involving physical changes to the neighborhood; specific details on those projects have yet to be announced.
The final chance for community input came on Sept. 20, during a meeting at the Sacred Heart Center, 1545 S. Layton Blvd. Now all that remains is for organizers from LBWN, writer Lucia Luzano, graphic designers and representatives from the Zilber Family Foundation to finalize the goals and put them on paper.
Some parts of the plan, to be officially unveiled Nov. 3, are already being implemented, though most of the strategies will be initiated over the course of several years.
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“We’ll be developing an implementation strategy over the next few months which will involve setting up a governance structure. The long-term strategy is for everything in the plan to be possible to implement within the next four or five years,” Adams said.
(Photo by Sue Vliet)
Planning for the Quality of Life Plan began in October 2010, when the Zilber Family Foundation selected Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park as the next Milwaukee neighborhoods to be revitalized as part of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative (ZNI).  The first two ZNI neighborhoods were Lindsay Heights and Clarke Square.
LBWN, a community organization serving the area, received a grant of $875,000 over four years from Zilber to create and implement a comprehensive community development plan with neighbors and other local partners.
Developing the plan involved more than 70 interviews with residents, nine focus groups, 18 workshops and eight months of meetings of the 14-member Plan Advisory Committee, half of whom are neighborhood residents, according to Adams.
“Layton Boulevard West residents were involved in the creation of this plan every step of the way,” Adams said.

created: September 26, 2011


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lbw_qofl_f-450×297 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 13, 2012


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lbw_qofl_f | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Thai restaurant wins Silver City business plan competition | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 26, 2011
(Photo by Sue Vliet)
Thai Lotus Restaurant, 3800 W. National Ave., is the winner of a business plan competition for Silver City restaurants.
The competition, sponsored by the Helen Bader Foundation, was open to all restaurants and delis in Silver City, according to Beth Haskovec, Silver City Main Street manager. Contest entrants took part in a free business consultation process over the summer.
Thai Lotus restaurant was awarded a $2,000 grant. Asian International, 3401 W. National Ave., came in second, and received a $1,000 grant. Mr. Sebass, a new Peruvian restaurant at 3427 W. National Ave., was awarded $500.
Following the advice of the business consultants, Raphael Sivongsa, owner of Thai Lotus restaurant, plans to use the money to increase his food wholesale business.
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“We sell egg rolls, noodles, pot pies, simple things that don’t take long to make,” said Sivongsa.
The contest “was part of a plan to strengthen the Silver City commercial corridor’s niche as a dining destination,” Haskovec said.
She said that during 2010, more than $1 million was invested in Silver City, with four new businesses opening so far this year.


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sc_thailotus_award-450×297 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 13, 2012


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Walnut Way’s Harvest Day set for Saturday | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
September 27, 2011
The 2011 Harvest Day sponsored by the Walnut Way Conservation Corp. will take place from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 on 17th Street between North Ave. and Lloyd St.
The free, public event celebrates the Lindsay Heights community and Walnut Way’s work in community building and education.
For more information, contact Mario Hall or call 414-264-2326.
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created: September 27, 2011


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Patrons, providers welcome healthier meals at Agape Community Center | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
September 28, 2011
Community meal providers and diners are happy about the healthier dinners that the Agape Community Center recently started to offer.
The center has taken the lead in upgrading the nutritional value of community meals by asking its 19 volunteer providers to substitute lower fat meats, such as turkey for beef, and adding more whole grains and fresh vegetables and fruits. Agape also asked providers to eliminate fat- and sugar-laden desserts.
Churches, synagogues and businesses are among the groups who buy, cook and serve dinners at the center on a rotating schedule.
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These changes are the most recent in a series of adjustments the center has made over the last several years to promote healthy eating and combat the national obesity epidemic. Agape’s surveys of meal recipients have shown a desire for healthier food, according to the center’s executive director, Ann Bachrach.

created: September 28, 2011


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Agape-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Firefighters stumped by severed tree branch | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 3, 2011
A recent storm split a tree on the 1800 block of W. Washington St. in Clarke Square, and caused extensive damage in the city as high winds blew through the area. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Firefighters examine a tree, damaged during a midweek storm, which remained wedged against a house after they departed. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)

created: October 3, 2011


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ClkSq | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 13, 2012


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Menomonee Valley Branch of Urban Ecology Center breaks ground | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 3, 2011
(Photos by Sue Vliet)
A new satellite facility of the Urban Ecology Center, to be built on the site of an old tavern on the 3700 block of W. Pierce Street, will offer neighborhood schoolchildren and residents a place to learn about the environment. On a recent weekday, dignitaries, children and local residents gathered for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Urban Ecology Center’s (UEC) Menomonee Valley Branch.
The center is the latest project reconnecting the valley to Silver City, its neighbor to the south. Though side-by-side, Silver City and the Menomonee Valley had long been cut off from each other. The valley, originally a wetland and home to several Native American tribes, became the industrial hub of a bustling Milwaukee in the mid- to late 1800s. Eventually, however, it became a vast, polluted brownfield, accessible to no one. Not anymore.
The center is part of a $26 million strategic plan to revitalize the Menomonee Valley. Already completed is the Hank Aaron State Bridge, one of three bridges that eventually will connect surrounding neighborhoods, including Clarke Square, to the valley.
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The $2 million center, which was funded mainly by the Burke Foundation of Milwaukee, will be the UEC’s third facility in Milwaukee, joining the Washington Park and Riverside Park centers. The UEC is a neighborhood-based environmental education center specializing in teaching children, hands on, about the natural world that surrounds them.
Though the center will be in Silver City, most programs will take place outdoors, in a 24-acre park made of redeveloped brownspace in the valley.
“We will have neighborhood children here every day on field trips, learning about ecological science,” said Ken Leinbach, executive director.
Leinbach added that the branch would host free activities for adults and families on the weekends.
According to Mick Hatch, president of Menomonee Valley Partners Inc., the revitalization has already led to 33 businesses moving back to the area, creating 4,200 jobs.
Neighborhood residents are looking forward to having somewhere to take the kids.
“I have two grandsons, 10 and 13, that I plan to take there all the time,” said Debra Galarza, a 30-year Silver City resident.
The valley will be accessible through a small winding trail, which sits beside the site of the new center, a project that many hope will have a major impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
“Strategic investments in anchor foundations can become catalysts for changes in neighborhoods,” said Journey House CEO Michele Bria.
One of those changes could be more active neighborhood children.
Melissa Cook, trail manager of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, said that some kids can’t walk a quarter mile without stopping to catch their breath. Others are so out of tune with nature, they’re petrified of butterflies.
“We need to help kids feel more comfortable outdoors; it is a place of great refuge and happiness,” Cook said.
Beth Heller, senior director of education at the UEC, agrees and said that the park will be an ideal place to reconnect neighborhood youths to the environment.
“They can stay healthy by moving around while being engaged in science-based learning,” Heller said.
Heller added that the center also plans to start a Young Scientists Club there.
Leticia Cerda, a resident of Silver City, said that her daughter had talked about volunteering at another neighborhood organization, but then heard the UEC was moving into the neighborhood.
“She can come here now, to the park, instead of being in the streets.”


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UEC_1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Weatherization help offered for renters and homeowners | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
October 4, 2011
The Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative is sponsoring a free seminar and  workshops on weatherization for renters and homeowners from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at Clarke Square Park, 2330 W. Vieau Place.
Topics include  window insulation and other energy-saving tips. Those who complete the  workshops will receive weatherization kits and have the opportunity to  apply for energy assistance. The organization also will announce the three winners in the Clarke Square Curb  Appeal contest.
For more information, email Paul Grippe or call (414) 645-4795.
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created: October 4, 2011


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Introducing Urban Milwaukee Book Club | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
October 6, 2011

created: October 6, 2011


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Get a financial check-up | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
October 8, 2011
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors will host a free workshop on personal financial health from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 at the Sacred Heart Center, 1545 S. Layton Blvd. (enter from 28th & Lapham). Participants will be able to hear from financial experts and obtain a free copy of their credit reports.
Sponsors of the event include Milwaukee Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative, Take Root Milwaukee, Select  Milwaukee, Green Path Debt Solutions, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation  and the City of Milwaukee.
The session will be in English and Spanish. Registration before Tuesday, Oct. 11 is required; to register, send an email or call (414) 385-5300.
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created: October 8, 2011


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Hear your voice in Clarke Square | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 10, 2011

created: October 10, 2011


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Fair offers visitors tips on saving energy and money this winter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 12, 2011
Adrian Villegas, energy auditor for the Social Development Commission (SDC), shows the crowd how to properly set their water heaters. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Despite temperatures hovering near the 80-degree mark, neighborhood residents had wintry conditions in mind recently as “Weatherization Fair 2011” took place at Clarke Square Park.
The fair, hosted by the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative in collaboration with the Social Development Commission (SDC) of Milwaukee, offered visitors the opportunity to learn weatherization tips that organizers say are good for the environment and their checkbooks.
Maria Matos peers into the bag containing her weatherization kit. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Residents moved through five stations, each featuring an energy conservation demonstration. Steve Briggs, energy auditor for SDC, manned the station offering tips on proper settings for a water heater.
“Most people keep their water heaters turned all the way up at 140-150 degrees, which keeps them running constantly, but they only need to be set to 120,” Briggs said.
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After visiting all five stations, residents received a free weatherization kit from the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative and SDC. The kit, valued at more than $50, contained foam tape, two light bulbs, and energy-saving and weatherization products.
Erica Caldwell, who received a kit, said that this is the first year she plans to weatherize her home. When asked why, Caldwell simply said, “I need to lower my We Energy bill.”
SDC also provides free weatherization services to homeowners and tenants who qualify.
For more information or to see if you quality for SDC’s Weatherization Program, call (414) 344-9010.

created: October 12, 2011


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weathfair02 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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Lofts and indoor farmers market to replace longtime outdoor market | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 13, 2011
Sherri Terrell-Webb (left) prepares to break ground on the loft envisioned years ago. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
With the completion date set for June 2012, ground was broken for the Mitchell Street Market Lofts on Oct. 6. The complex, to be built on the corner of W. Mitchell St. and S. Muskego Ave., will feature two-bedroom apartments available to people earning up to 60 percent of the area’s median income, according to the press release.
Another key component of the 24-unit apartment building will be a year-round farmers market to be housed on the ground level of the building. The market, which will be run by Growing Power, will replace the Mitchell Street Farmer’s Market, which had been located at the current site for numerous years. Growing Power is a non-profit organization whose goal is to develop community food systems in Milwaukee.
The project began as a classroom assignment for developers Sherry Terrell-Webb and Tina Anderson in 2009, while both were students at Marquette University and participating in the Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) Program.
Marquette’s ACRE Program, formed in 2004, trains minorities for professional careers in commercial real estate
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They presented their idea to the class, and now it’s on the way to becoming a reality.
“In two years, I went from real estate novice to the developer of a $6 million project,” Anderson said.
The woman collaborated with their ACRE instructor Robert “Bob” Lemke of Wisconsin Redevelopment and Todd Hutchinson from Impact Seven, to secure funding for the multi-million dollar project.
The building, designed by Barrientos Architects of Milwaukee, also will include a green living roof.
“The project will feature cutting-edge green technology and will shelter a fresh food oasis in the central city,” Anderson said.
Sherri Terrell-Webb, Tina Anderson and Robert “Bob” Lemke chat on the site where the new building will rise. (Photo by Sue Vliet)

created: October 13, 2011


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msml-01 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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MANDI nominations due Oct. 17 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
October 13, 2011
LISC Milwaukee will accept nominations until 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17 for the 13th Annual  Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI).
The  MANDIs recognize efforts to ensure Milwaukee’s central city is a great  place to live, learn, work and grow. Individuals, non-profits,  corporations and projects can self-nominate or be nominated by a third  party; go to the MANDI web site to enter nominations. Awards will be presented March 28, 2012 at the Pfister Hotel (428  East Wisconsin Avenue).
For more information, call (414) 273-1815.
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Special offer for NNS readers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
October 16, 2011
The Diederich College of Communication at Marquette is offering classes to Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service readers at a substantial discount. The introductory classes include Social Media, Microsoft Office, Final Cut Pro X, and Adobe programs such as InDesign and Illustrator. The discounted fee is $25 for weekday classes and $50 for weekend classes.
To sign up, download, fill out and mail back the form.
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created: October 16, 2011


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JOHNSTON | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


text:
A Celebration of Autumn at Johnsons Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
October 17, 2011

created: October 17, 2011


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Community health fair set for Oct. 29 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
October 17, 2011
Families in central city Milwaukee communities will be offered  free health services, items, health education, information and  resources at a community health fair scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, 2819 W. Richardson Pl.
The health fair is an effort of first- and second-year medical students   from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s APAMSA chapter and Community Health   Improvement in Milwaukee’s Children (CHIMC), and is sponsored by those two organizations.
For more information, send an email to Benedict Hui.
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New UW med school program inspires grads to pursue urban medicine | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 17, 2011
Kjersti Knox worked at the Bread of Healing Clinic at Cross Lutheran Church in Lindsay Heights as part of the TRIUMPH program during her last 1-1/2 years of medical school. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
After Kjersti Knox graduated from Earlham College with a degree in biochemistry, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study health care policy in Sweden. There, she learned about that country’s universal health care system and how Sweden integrates alternative medicine into the system. That experience piqued her interest in studying medicine.
Similarly, Knox’s experience as one of the first eight graduates to complete the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s new Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health (TRIUMPH) program inspired her to stay in Milwaukee’s central city for her 3-year post-graduate family medicine residency.
“I learned about the TRIUMPH program after I arrived at UW. It seemed like the perfect match for me and my interests, because I came to medicine with a social justice focus and was very interested in the integration of public health and medicine,” Knox said.
Knox’s TRIUMPH classmate Anne Getzin also came to medical school with a social justice focus. Both credit their family upbringing, education and pre-med school experiences for their interest in working in underserved communities.
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During her last year and a half of medical school, Knox worked in Lindsay Heights at the Bread of Healing clinic, 1821 N. 16 St. Getzin was assigned to work in Clarke Square at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, 1032 S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr.
Dr. Cindy Haq, director of TRIUMPH, understands the power of the program to change lives. “I’ve found that if I can get the students really excited and show them that they can make a difference, and introduce them to really wonderful people like [Walnut Way co-founder] Sharon Adams and [Lindsay Heights community health leader] Dr. Tom Jackson, they kind of fall in love with the place.” That makes it rewarding for them and then they want to stay, Haq said.
Haq, a UW professor who has designed and led programs in Uganda, Pakistan, Brazil and Afghanistan, practiced family medicine in a small rural Wisconsin community, and now practices family medicine in a Milwaukee urban health care center, said she is “having the time of [her] life with these students … who have a very deep commitment to working with urban underserved populations.”
She explained that the TRIUMPH students moved to Milwaukee after their first two and a half years in Madison to have an immersion experience working with diverse populations. Each of them devoted much of their time to a community/public health project.
Haq noted that the program’s core curriculum also includes Milwaukee history and “a lot of what we call the social determinants of health.” What she is trying to teach these students, she said, is that health is not just about medical care. It’s about the way people live – their housing, jobs, food and social connections. She believes that doctors who really understand this will not just treat people when they’re sick, but rather will promote health in the community and “work to strengthen the many assets that we already know are present in Milwaukee,” Haq said.
She credited TRIUMPH’s community partners with being great hosts and mentors for the students and crucial in familiarizing them with Milwaukee’s neighborhoods.The advantages must flow in both directions, Haq added. “I’ve said from the beginning, [TRIUMPH] has to be good for the community.”
In addition to a six-week clinical rotation seeing patients, the TRIUMPH students participated in regular group meetings, which were vital in creating a supportive community for them, according to Getzin. The discussions covered a wide spectrum of topics, but always addressed how students could be community advocates and incorporate community and public health into their practices. Having those conversations frequently reinforced their clinical training in community medicine and public health, Getzin said. “It absolutely affected our viewpoints over those two years.”
As for their community projects, Getzin explained, organizations in the community proposed project ideas. Then, together with clinic personnel, the TRIUMPH students developed the projects and defined their roles.
“The first step was to get to know the people at our community sites and collaborate with them and then perform a community needs assessment,” Getzin said.
Knox saw patients at the Bread of Healing Clinic, under Jackson’s supervision. She also worked with him and the Lindsay Heights Neighborhood Health Alliance on her TRIUMPH project.
Knox’s major project was to support the health alliance’s Access to Care work group, chaired by Jackson. The group’s goal is to gather data that gives an accurate picture of the health status of Lindsay Heights residents and their access to medical, mental health and dental services, as well as healthy food and exercise facilities, Jackson said.
For example, Knox found that for the last few years, the largest number of emergency room patients with dental problems came from the Lindsay Heights zip codes, 53205 and 53206. This reflects the severe shortage of dental services in the neighborhood. Knox continues to work on the project as a resident, Jackson added.
Jackson is excited that Knox came to Milwaukee for her residency and wants to stay in the community. “She’s exactly the kind of person we need to recruit, because she has both the passion for taking care of the patients and the ability and interest to deal more broadly with their health problems,” he said.
At the Sixteenth Street clinic in Clarke Square, Getzin and her colleagues identified the need for a health clinic dedicated to providing confidential care to adolescents. The Tuesday evening clinic, which offers STD testing and treatment, pregnancy testing and care (but not abortions), contraception, acne treatment and counseling referrals among other services, opened in June at the center’s Cesar E. Chavez Drive site.
Dr. Steven Murphy, one of Getzin’s supervising physicians, said that TRIUMPH’s public health training gave her a strong vision of the teen clinic as a collaborative effort. Instead of the traditional one-patient-treated-by-one-doctor model, the teen clinic has medical doctors treating teenagers alongside social workers, mental health professionals and a team that does HIV and STD testing and risk reduction, Murphy said.
UW’s medical students are clamoring to get in to the TRIUMPH program, according to Haq. A recent survey of the current second-year class showed that 45 of the 150 students plan to apply for the program next year. There are 24 third- and fourth-year students participating this year.
Knox and Getzin began their residencies at St. Luke’s Family Medicine Residency Program in July. After completing their residencies, they both plan to continue working with urban underserved populations as family medicine physicians, they said.
Knox said that TRIUMPH showed her the importance of teaching and learning in underserved areas early in a doctor’s career, and “how possible it is, and what great people are doing that work right now.”
Getzin said the program taught her practical, pragmatic tools for working in public health and community medicine. “We also did a lot of important support work with each other in developing tools to avoid burn-out. I can’t say enough good things about the [TRIUMPH] program. It was pretty amazing.”


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bofh-f | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dave
April 7, 2012


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District 2 Police Crime & Trend Community Meeting | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 19, 2011

created: October 19, 2011


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Being Muslim in America | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 24, 2011

created: October 24, 2011


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Experts discuss community development in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
October 24, 2011
Corporate, nonprofit and government leaders will gather to hear and respond to reports on the status of Milwaukee community development at a symposium to be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 at the Marquette University Law School, 1215 W. Michigan.
Paul Brophy, a nationally recognized expert on urban redevelopment, will present the reports at the symposium, titled “Neighborhoods Matter: A Report to Stakeholders and Community Dialog.” A panel of community leaders will respond to Brophy’s findings.
Speakers and panelists at the event are scheduled to include Mayor Tom Barrett, Leo Ries of LISC Milwaukee, Sharon Adams of Walnut Way Conservation Corp., Julia Taylor of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, Gary Grunau of the Grucon Group, Rob Henken of the Public Policy Forum, Nelson Soler of the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute, and Michael Gousha of the Marquette Law School. Susana Vasquez, executive director of LISC Chicago, will give the keynote address at noon.
For details, email Dawn Hutchinson-Weiss or call 414/273-1815, ext. 25.
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Clarke Square Public Safety Committee meeting | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 30, 2011

created: October 30, 2011


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‘Quality of life’ plan to be unveiled in Layton Blvd. West | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jim McGowan
October 30, 2011
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors will unveil the area’s “quality of life” plan at the group’s annual gathering, set for 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3 at the St. Joseph Center, 1501 S. Layton Blvd.
The plan, nine months in the making, has involved more than 250  neighbors and partners and will set the stage for the next few years of  of action in the neighborhood. The unveiling is to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Before that, there will be a “Taste of the Neighborhood” in the St. Joseph  Center Cafeteria.  Attendees will be able to sample foods from  neighborhood restaurants. Winners of the “Most Improved Porch Contest” and “I Love My Neighborhood Poster Contest” also will be announced during the evening.
For more information,  email Daniel Adams or call (414) 383-9038 ext. 2305.
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