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Neighborhood leaders applaud Mayor Barrett’s state of the city speech | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 12, 2015
Mayor Tom Barrett gives his state of the city speech in front of a packed house at Alverno College. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Neighborhood leaders throughout Milwaukee praised Mayor Tom Barrett for his optimism and his focus on the need for the city to continue to partner with local organizations during his state of the city speech.
The mayor repeatedly told a crowd of 700 residents, community leaders and city officials at Alverno College that the City of Milwaukee must collaborate and cooperate with neighborhood groups and organizations to solve the city’s most pressing problems.
“That’s very encouraging…I think there is an effort on his part to change the culture within city government to be less insular and to be more effective in working with partners,” said Leo Ries, executive director of LISC Milwaukee.
During his 30-minute speech, Barrett highlighted several neighborhood initiatives, including the city’s sale of a six-unit property to Journey House to rehabilitate and house youth who have aged out of foster care and an effort by Pulaski Park residents to reconnect the Kinnickinnic River corridor with their neighborhood with the help of city officials.
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Onlookers listen to Mayor Barrett’s presentation. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
“We are fortunate to have so many dedicated partners who believe in Milwaukee and in building strong, safe and healthy neighborhoods,” he said.
Barrett also focused on his Strong Neighborhoods Plan, intended to address the foreclosure problem and improve the housing stock throughout the city by “taking a hard line on zombie foreclosures, nuisance properties and scofflaw owners.”
The mayor said the initiative has already paid dividends after the city earmarked $24 million for it in the 2014 and 2015 budgets. Through the program, the city sold 437 properties, surpassing its 2014 goal of 350 houses and adding almost $19 million to the tax rolls, the mayor touted.
“We are not letting up,” he said. “We are pushing back on this problem together and will continue turning neighborhood eyesores into neighborhood assets.”
The mayor’s neighborhoods plan caught the attention of Ian Bautista, executive director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative. Bautista said that while he is encouraged by the prospect of strengthening neighborhoods through housing stock improvements, it remains to be seen what role his organization and others like it will play in facilitating the plan over the long term.
“Having a mayor who makes that commitment is heartening,” he said.
During the speech, Barrett also highlighted the creation of a Milwaukee Police Department program in which 17 young adults will work part-time, year-long jobs as ambassadors. The intention of the program is to give young adults experience in the law enforcement field, the mayor said.
“Any time you get young people to serve and invest in the community, they are more likely to do well,” said Al Hegwood, a community organizer with Safe & Sound, a crime prevention organization.
Several neighborhood leaders spoke highly of the mayor’s commitment to creating the next generation of workers through Earn & Learn, the city’s youth workforce preparedness program. “I thought that was fantastic,” said Margo McGee, a staff member at Walnut Way.
McGee said she also appreciated the tough tone the mayor took when describing the looming state cuts to the Milwaukee Public Schools.
“Inner city kids can’t succeed if you keep taking things away from them,” she said.
The mayor did not shy away from discussing the city’s streetcar project and the financing for a new Bucks arena, two controversial issues that some say pit the needs of the downtown against the needs of the neighborhoods.
“That’s where the tension tends to bubble up, but he was very in tune to both,” Ries said. “He is trying to manage some of those tensions in a reasonable and balanced way.”
Neighborhood leaders said that the approach the mayor and his administration take when working with the community is vital to the success of his agenda.
“If they are willing to listen…that’s hugely important,” Bautista said. “They are not coming to the table, proclaiming to have all of the answers…they are working with us to be responsive to what our neighborhoods are trying to achieve.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 11, 2015

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Adam Carr


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On the Block: Touched by violence | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 12, 2015
Read more at Milwaukee Stories.

author: Jabril Faraj


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Supreme Court to Decide Soon Whether to Consider Wisconsin’s Photo ID Law | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 12, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio

author: Andrea Waxman


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When Life Overwhelms, This Group Lends A Healthy Hand | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 12, 2015
National Public Radio


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Benedict Center fights street prostitution with treatment, support | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Naomi Waxman
March 13, 2015
Several women participating in the Sisters Program celebrate their accomplishments and commitment to new goals. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the finalists for Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Benedict Center Sisters Diversion Program is a finalist for the PNC Bank Trail Blazer Award, which recognizes an innovative approach to a community problem.
When the Benedict Center Sisters Diversion Program opened its doors in 2011, prostitution seemed an inescapable rotating door both for the Washington Park neighborhood and the women involved: arrest, trial, incarceration, followed by a return to the street. Residents and police were frustrated, and prostitutes saw no way out.
Today, a unique collaboration among Milwaukee Police Department District 3, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Community Prosecution Unit and the Benedict Center Sisters Diversion Program is taking an innovative approach to the issue of prostitution.
Rather than facing a jail sentence, a person charged with prostitution in District 3 is presented with two options: receive a ticket and fine, or spend up to six months in the Sisters program.
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When Washington Park resident Angela Pruitt met Sisters Program Director Donna Hieptas at a Washington Park Partners (WPP) safety meeting last year, she was concerned about “cleaning up” the neighborhood by ridding it of prostitution. Hieptas introduced the idea that the women are, in fact, Pruitt’s neighbors. Hieptas invited Pruitt to join a Sisters group session so she could come see the women as individuals and hear their stories.
Outreach worker Shavon Pope helps a program participant update her personal information. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“Working with the women opened my eyes up to the fact that they’re not just prostitutes — they’re actually people,” Pruitt said. “They have the same needs that everybody else has. Just because they’re out there and they have a drug addiction, they can’t get the things they need. If we can get those things for them, they can make better choices in life. You have help; you just have to know that help is out there. “
Jeanne Geraci, executive director of the Benedict Center, said the center prioritizes healthier, safer lifestyles for the women, their families and communities. “Police have a different point of view and have traditional success markers that are different from a program like the Benedict Center.”
Historically police and prosecutors have been at odds with social workers about the most effective methods of addressing street prostitution and human trafficking. Traditional law enforcement methods typically focus on the end of the prostitution equation — penalizing participants.
Social workers, however, look to the beginning. Engagement in street prostitution frequently indicates abuse in relationships outside of the sex trade, usually at the hands of a supposed protector or guardian. Social workers seek to address the underlying trauma and instill skills that lead women to a life outside of prostitution, according to the Benedict Center.
WPP, LISC Milwaukee, UMOS, Justice Point and Justice 2000 also collaborate with the Sisters Program. Funders also include the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program through the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The Sisters Program offers morning group sessions addressing a range of issues including healthy relationships, anger management, past trauma and day-to-day concerns. In the afternoon, women drop in for support groups and meetings with case managers, safety planning and referrals to other services. They may also rest in a secure environment and eat a meal provided by Marquette University’s Campus Kitchen Project.
“This program is like a godsend for a lot of us women,” emphasized a participant we’ll call Sarah, who requested her name be withheld. “If you don’t have any support out here, you don’t have no hope, you don’t have no faith, you don’t see what needs to change in your life.”
The Sisters Program does not require drug testing or a commitment to stay off the street. Rather than dictating a particular treatment method, it seeks to build trust by addressing the individual needs of the participants.
Hieptas emphasized that building a long-term relationship and demonstrating consistency between words and actions are critical for the program’s success.
“When you’re working Lisbon or working North Avenue, you don’t see hope for change,” Hieptas added. “Once women start feeling valued, they can look and start to see things about themselves that they should be proud of.”
Bond of trust
Shavon Pope and Genene Williams have been outreach workers for the Sisters Program for nearly five years. Knocking on doors to remind former participants that they are always welcome and approaching women engaging in prostitution, Pope and Williams create a bridge between the street and the Benedict Center.
“We have to start by forming a bond with the ladies because they’re not open immediately to new people, new faces. It takes a while to form a bond of trust and we just keep plugging away at it,” Pope explained. “Every time we see them we stop them, talk to them, give them hygiene products. We just keep going at it until we wear them down,” she said, laughing.
Volunteer Pang Yong Lor and outreach worker Genene Williams admire the butterflies Lor painted. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Their commitment and consistency have paid off. “The people here reaching out to us continually, over and over, that gives us hope,” said Sarah, who added that the program also offers “somewhere to come and eat and be safe and warm and sleep. Over time you start to develop a relationship and develop hope for something different in your life.”
Grasping the hand of a fellow Sisters Program member in her own, Sarah wondered aloud where she would have been without it. “Through this program I’ve made a lot of amazing changes in my life and I’m very grateful for it. If it had never happened to me, would I even be here, I mean, on this earth?”
Since 2013, the outreach workers have connected with 187 women a total of 868 times. The Benedict Center believes that the repeated connections indicate trust and a willingness to seek services from the program. Though numbers are preliminary, researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin found that 71 percent of women who were arrested for prostitution and chose to participate in the program remained for more than the mandatory six months. While exiting prostitution is the ultimate goal, the program considers this a sign of success.
The early success of the Benedict Center’s Sisters Diversion Program is particularly notable because it is currently the only program in the nation working with police and a community prosecution unit to provide treatment for women charged with prostitution.
Community Prosecutor Chris Ladwig described the Sisters Program as a “unique and innovative program that other cities are trying to replicate…” He noted, “This is a model for the entire criminal justice system. … This is an example we can [look to] for drug use, domestic violence [and] juvenile issues.”
With support from a new $250,000 grant from the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, the Sisters Diversion Program hopes to expand in the coming year. Hieptas and Geraci believe the award is a unique opportunity to empower leaders. The Benedict Center plans to create “leadership circles” where Sisters Program participants can share ideas and insight to facilitate thoughtful growth.
The theme of development and transformation is evident throughout the program space. A wall in Hieptas’ office bears a plaque that reads, “Don’t always believe what you think.” In the outreach workers’ office, painted butterflies adorn the peach-colored walls.
“The women are in a metamorphosis,” explained Pope. “Out of the cocoon emerges a beautiful creature.”

author: Naomi Waxman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 12, 2015


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Donors give a lasting legacy to Milwaukee community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Menomonee Valley Partners
March 15, 2015
On Thursday, March 12, Menomonee Valley Partners and the Urban Ecology Center announce and celebrate the completion of the campaign to fund the Menomonee Valley – From the Ground Up effort, a series of interconnected projects to improve access to jobs, environmental education, outdoor recreation, and neighborhood vitality.
The $25 million effort includes the development of Three Bridges Park from a former vacant rail yard; the opening of the Urban Ecology Center’s Menomonee Valley branch, which provides environmental science education to neighborhood schools and community programming of the park; and a six-mile extension of the Hank Aaron State Trail. The implementation of these projects is the result of a partnership between Menomonee Valley Partners, Urban Ecology Center, the State of Wisconsin, and City of Milwaukee aimed at improving access to jobs, science education, environmental and public health, and neighborhood vitality.
More than 350 individuals, organizations, companies, and foundations contributed to the fundraising effort, with gifts ranging from $10 to $2.3 million. “The level of community engagement in the project has been incredible,” said Corey Zetts, Executive Director of Menomonee Valley Partners. “Transforming this area of the city into a place that connects people to jobs, to nature, and to each other required deep collaboration. This vision has become a reality because of the partnership, determination, and generosity of so many in our community.”
“Ten years ago, this was a neglected area, a divided community, a forgotten river,” said Ken Leinbach, Executive Director of the Urban Ecology Center. “What there is today, given that history, is nothing short of miraculous. It shows how people in this community have worked together to accomplish amazing feats that will serve the community for generations to come.”
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Thursday’s celebration includes the unveiling of a permanent donor wall inside the Urban Ecology Center, recognizing the 200 donors who contributed $1,000 or more to the campaign. A sculpture that recognizes donors will be installed in Three Bridges Park this summer.
The celebration includes stories from neighbors about the impact of the project on their communities. Marcel, a neighborhood teen, was invited to help make a mural in the Urban Ecology Center building in the weeks before it opened in September 2012. “I am going to work here someday!” he said moments after stepping inside the community center. Today, Marcel does, as one of the Center’s Outdoor Leaders working with other neighborhood youth.
Merrill Park neighbor Dan Adams and his wife took a photo of their newborn daughter, Ruby, next to a newly planted tree in Three Bridges Park when it opened to the public in July 2013. The family has been returning to the same spot to recreate the photo, watching Ruby and the park grow. “Seeing this new life,” said Adams, “embodies our dreams for a brighter future.”
With funding secured for the full project, plantings will continue in Three Bridges Park for years to come and the Urban Ecology Center will expand its programming to serve even more community members.

author: Menomonee Valley Partners


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Second chance for Health Insurance Marketplace sign up | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Enrollment Network
March 15, 2015
Although the open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace ended on February 15, a special enrollment period will be available March 15 through April 30 for individuals who did not have health coverage in 2014 and are subject to the fee or “shared responsibility payment” when they file their 2014 taxes.
Retaining health insurance is mandatory for most people under the Affordable Care Act. This year’s tax season is the first time individuals and families are asked to provide basic information regarding their health coverage on their tax returns.  Consumers who did not qualify for a fee exemption and went without health coverage in 2014 will have to pay a penalty of $95 per adult, or 1 percent of their income, whichever is greater, when they file their taxes this year.  The fee increases to $325 per adult or 2% of income for 2015.
“March and April are important months for individuals to get covered and stay covered,” says Danielle Coterel, navigator program manager with Covering Kids and Families.  “Many consumers remain unaware of enrollment deadlines or don’t understand insurance payment processes.  The Milwaukee Enrollment Network members are working to assure that all those who are eligible for a Marketplace special enrollment, as well as BadgerCare Plus, get the help they need signing up.”
Individuals enrolled in BadgerCare Plus need to complete an annual renewal to retain their coverage and make sure they are getting the correct benefit.  More than 31,000 Milwaukeeans will need to renew their coverage in BadgerCare Plus this spring.  Adults with income below 100% of the federal poverty level ($11,670 per year for an individual) and children and pregnant women in households with income under 300% of the poverty level ($71,550 for a family of 4) are eligible for BadgerCare Plus.
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Marketplace special enrollment periods are also be available for consumers who encounter key life events that may affect their coverage, such as losing their jobs, having a baby or getting married. To find free, in-person help in signing up for health insurance coverage, consumers should dial 2-1-1.
Walk-in enrollment assistance will also be available at Community Advocates, 728 N. James Lovell Avenue in Milwaukee every Thursday between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm through April 30.
The Milwaukee Enrollment Network reminds consumers to be prepared when signing up for healthcare coverage.  Whether visiting healthcare.gov or calling 1-800-318-2596, consumers should have the following information about themselves and their household:
– social security numbers or document numbers for legal immigrants
– employer and income information for every person in the home who needs coverage (from pay stubs or W-2 forms)
– policy numbers for any current health insurance plans covering members of the household

author: Milwaukee Enrollment Network


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Elderly, disabled among those hit hardest by cut in food stamp benefits | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 16, 2015
jsonline.com


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Get Out of Jail—For a Fee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 16, 2015
The Atlantic


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Wisconsin Lawmakers Consider Ousting 48-Hour Waiting Period on Handgun Purchases | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 16, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Collaboration, sustainability key to success of Gillespie Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 17, 2015
Ezekiel Gillespie Park, on 14th and Wright, is a symbol of positive neighborhood action in Lindsay Heights. (Photo courtesy of Tim McCollow)
This article is one of an occasional series profiling the finalists for Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Home GR/OWN’s Ezekiel Gillespie Park is a finalist for the Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award, which recognizes a public space that helps build the community.
Virginia DuPriest has lived at 2450 N. 14th St. for most of her life. The 68-year-old has been in the house since 1956 when her parents bought it, becoming the owner in 1991. However, as has happened with many central city neighborhoods, the area declined quickly as fewer owner-occupants resided there.
“In the ’80s and the early ’90s, the neighborhood really got drug-infested, crime, everything,” DuPriest said. “Our neighborhood had gotten so bad, the drug dealers were actually coming in your yard hiding their drugs under your porch.”
Virginia DuPriest, who lives near 14th and Wright streets, was instrumental in the new Gillespie Park. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
But one experience, in particular, sticks out in her mind. DuPriest’s young granddaughters, who are grown now, were jumping rope in front of the house, one day. “This guy just got out of a car all drunk and approached them and wanted to jump rope with them,” she said. “I’m glad I was in the door … cause anything could have happened.”
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That’s when DuPriest and her neighbor decided they were “going to do something about all the crime.” DuPriest said they started calling the police to report crime, got neighbors involved and “cleaned up” the neighborhood.
While DuPriest and her neighbors already have a lot to be proud of, now they have something else. Ezekiel Gillespie Park, completed last fall, sits on the corner of 14th and Wright only a couple houses away from DuPriest’s. Amenities include a border of rose bushes and a “food forest” with 15 pear and apple trees, as well as about 150 raspberry bushes. In addition, the park, which was built on a plot of land that experiences continual flooding, is designed for storm water management, with a built-in “rain garden” to capture excess water and a 1,000-gallon cistern hidden under the porous pavers used for the park’s paths.
“It’s the most sustainable park in the city of Milwaukee,” said Tim McCollow, a project manager with HOME GR/OWN.
One of two “catalytic projects” resulting from HOME GR/OWN — a city initiative inspired by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Challenge — Gillespie Park will revolutionize the way Milwaukee thinks about and creates public space, organizers hope.
‘By the neighborhood’
In 2000, along with other Lindsay Heights residents, Larry and Sharon Adams created Walnut Way Conservation Corporation. Since then, Walnut Way, which is located about five blocks from Gillespie Park on 17th and North, has been instrumental in aiding the neighborhood’s recovery through civic engagement, environmental programs and economic development.
So, a couple years ago when DuPriest and the Saint Paul Neighborhood Association, which she’s a part of, decided to create a housing committee to address the boarded-up houses and vacant lots in the neighborhood, they went to Sharon Adams for help.
McCollow said the last time the city took an official tally there were 2,454 vacant lots in Milwaukee, the majority of them located in the poorest parts of the central city, in and around the 53206 ZIP code. “They are concentrated in an amazingly small area,” he said.
In spring 2013 a group of five UWM students from the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design, with the help of Walnut Way and the housing committee, completed a report that identified 89 vacant lots in the area constrained by North Avenue, Center Street, Teutonia Avenue and 18th Street.
Gillespie Park’s food forest includes pear trees, apple trees and raspberry bushes and provides an aspect of the park’s water management system. (Photo courtesy of Tim McCollow)
Through this process a parcel of three adjacent vacant lots on the southeast corner of 14th and Wright was identified. “It’s on a corner, it had visibility, it was near other areas where there was some home ownership so it made sense,” said Carolyn Esswein, who oversaw the group of students.
But the space isn’t just a park. Those associated with the project view Gillespie Park as a multi-faceted solution to a number of neighborhood issues.
Jeremy Davis, who works in urban agriculture and landscaping at Walnut Way and was involved in the park’s creation, said many of things this space accomplishes fall directly in line with eight focus areas detailed in the Lindsay Heights Quality of Life Plan, released in 2008.
“[Gillespie Park] really falls into stabilizing our housing areas, it falls under life-long learning, in terms of providing that job training and employment for men of the neighborhood, and it falls into our health and wellness and healthy eating, too,” said Davis.
Walnut Way’s own Blue Skies landscaping crew employed neighbors for the project and was “integral to the process,” said McCollow. Simon Landscaping’s veteran crew was also involved with the build and was able to provide valuable training for Blue Skies regarding “green” infrastructure.
The sustainable park is right in line with the City of Milwaukee’s 2012 Sustainability Plan. But it’s not just environmentally friendly features that go toward creating a real, working community asset — it’s the process, as well.
Multiple meetings — between residents, community groups, the UWM students and city officials — ensured the final product would be something residents could truly utilize and enjoy.
Many area residents are elderly, so that was a large consideration that went into the planning. They wanted a quiet space that the older people could come to and relax. Benches are being designed for that purpose — another process McCollow said neighbors took particular interest in — and will be installed this spring.
“We didn’t want it to be a kiddie park,” DuPriest said. “But we figured … at least the kids could enjoy the fruit that’s on the trees.”
“In all these projects, if the neighborhood isn’t part of the discussion … there’s not as much value because it’s outsiders coming in,” Esswein emphasized. “But when it’s the neighborhood — residents are involved — there’s a lot more success.”
What’s in a name?
Ezekiel Gillespie was an African-American freedman who came to Milwaukee from Tennessee and, in 1965, won a landmark case securing voting rights in Wisconsin. He was also a founder of Wisconsin’s first African Methodist Episcopal church.
“We threw out some names and everyone loved Gillespie immediately once they knew the story,” said McCollow. “The name went up pretty quickly and it stuck real quickly.”
Gillespie is buried in Forest Home Cemetery. (Photo by Adam Carr)
In keeping with the name and Gillespie’s legacy, a get-out-the-vote rally, organized by State Sen. Lena Taylor and Ald. Russell Stamper, was held at the park last November. That event is indicative of the kind of engagement those involved in the park’s creation hope it will inspire.
“The voters rally was not anything that was planned by HOME GR/OWN or planned by Walnut Way,” Davis said. “It just kind of came organically.”
“I think the beauty of Gillespie is the level of neighborhood involvement,” said McCollow.
And even though a park can’t change a neighborhood, it can be a symbol of something positive. “I think it’s brought … a little more togetherness,” DuPriest said. “People are getting more connected and we’re learning to meet with our neighbors and know who our neighbors are.”
“So often … we’ll see development happening but if the community is not engaged then … maybe not a lot has changed other than the physical landscape,” said Davis. “But, through this process, neighbors were involved from the get-go in the planning process — that’s empowering.”
McCollow said Gillespie Park was a “signature” project for HOME GR/OWN in 2014; the initiative plans to develop 20 orchards and six mini-parks across the city this year.
“With the neighborhood’s involvement, we were able to create a green space that really works on multiple levels,” he said.
More importantly perhaps, that accomplishment comes as the first foray into a new approach to developing public space. “The City of Milwaukee doesn’t do top-down any more,” McCollow said. “That’s not how neighborhoods get rebuilt.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 16, 2015


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On the Block: Back to school | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
March 17, 2015
Jamaal Russell, 36, of the Riverwest neighborhood, went back to school to study graphic design at MATC in 2012. He also works in a city program coordinated through the Riverworks Development Corp. to maintain vacant lots.

author: Matthew Wisla


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The Greater Milwaukee Foundation announces over $830,000 in matching donations | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
March 17, 2015
On March 19, members of the community will come together again to raise funds for 20 nonprofits participating in the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s fourth Match Day. This year’s record-breaking match pool of more than $830,000 was contributed by donors and Board members of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation as well as the Brewers Community Foundation, The Ceres Foundation, Meijer, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and Faye McBeath Foundation. Each donation of $10 or more made online on March 19 will be proportionally matched based on the total amount raised. Last year, more than $3 million was raised through the event.
“Because of generous matching donations, every donation made on Match Day will have an even greater impact in our community,” said Ellen M. Gilligan, President and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. “Thank you to all of our funders and sponsors for supporting this year’s match pool.”
Sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the online giving event showcases 20 participating agencies in southeast Wisconsin helping meet individuals’ basic food and shelter needs, including:
To create Match Day, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation has partnered again with Razoo, the world’s fastest-growing crowdfunding site for causes.
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For more information on Match Day, visit the Match Day website and follow the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Match Day page on Facebook and Twitter.

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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Community Advocates will participate in national pay for success feasibility study | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Community Advocates
March 18, 2015
Today the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute announced that it has been selected by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), a grantee of the Social Innovation Fund’s Pay for Success program, to assess feasibility and develop Pay for Success capacity.
“We are happy to be a part of the innovative, national movement to reform our criminal and juvenile justice system,” said Robert Cherry, director of the Public Policy Institute. “In studying the feasibility of implementing Pay for Success in Milwaukee, we hope to gain more tools to narrow racial disparities in juvenile justice and to help more of Milwaukee’s young people positively contribute to their community.”
Wisconsin is an outlier nationally in racial disparities. In the nation, Wisconsin is first for rate of black male incarceration – nearly double the national rate of 6.7%; also first for black child poverty rate and black-white disparities in labor force participation.
“Our project focuses on replicating the One Summer Plus program that was found to dramatically reduce criminal involvement among adolescents in Chicago by offering youth a combination of employment, social-emotional learning, and mentoring,” said Cherry. “Such clear outcomes, if we can replicate them in Milwaukee, are likely a good fit for a Pay for Success model of program support.”
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Pay for Success is a new approach that brings together private, public and non-profit sectors to provide up-front funding to service providers. If the services provided achieve agreed-upon outcomes, the government repays the investors. If the outcomes are not achieved, the
government does not pay, allowing the public sector to receive the highest return on taxpayer investments. Seven Pay for Success programs have been piloted in the United States, in the cities and counties of Chicago, Cuyahoga County, New York City and Salt Lake County, and states including Massachusetts and New York, in the fields of juvenile justice, early childhood education, homelessness prevention and recidivism.
In addition to Milwaukee One Summer Plus, two other programs will also receive technical assistant from NCCD for up to two years. Those programs are YouthStat, a program of the City of New Haven, Connecticut; Alternatives to Detention and Placement, a program of the San Diego nonprofit the Children’s Initiative.
“NCCD strongly believes that Pay for Success creates a real possibility for sustained, positive change in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems,” said Kathy Park, acting president of NCCD. “We are proud to work with these three extremely dynamic programs to see if this innovative financing will work for them.”
“We received competitive proposals from states across the country,” said Deirdre O’Connor, senior program specialist at NCCD. “Through careful review and discussion, we selected our final three programs. We look forward to working with each to bring them one step closer to successfully implementing the Pay for Success model.”
In October, NCCD received $863,959 in investments from the Corporation for National and Community Service’s (CNCS) Social Innovation Fund (SIF). As part of the SIF’s Pay for Success Initiative, NCCD is helping strengthen the pipeline of state and local governments and service providers prepared to implement Pay for Success projects across the country.
The Social Innovation Fund and its non-federal partners have committed to investing more than $700 million in effective community solutions. NCCD’s project aims to assess feasibility and develop Pay for Success capacity in jurisdictions from the states with the highest rates of racial and ethnic disparities in these systems. NCCD released a request for proposals in December for programs in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin.
About Community Advocates Public Policy Institute
The Public Policy Institute (PPI) was founded in 2008 as a division of Community Advocates, a nonprofit serving low-income people in Milwaukee since 1976. PPI pursues its mission to prevent and reduce poverty while fostering wellness through a combination of local and national-scope work. The approach includes public health prevention work, re-granting to community-based agencies, policy research/advocacy, and a Minority Male Achievement Initiative. PPI seeks to develop evidence-based policy and prevention programs to reduce poverty, narrow disparities, and promote social justice and public health.

author: Community Advocates


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Apple commits more than $50 million to diversity efforts | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 19, 2015
Fortune


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North Side residents respond to Wisconsin Humane Society program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 19, 2015
A North Side resident takes her dog to the Franklin Square Playground, where the Wisconsin Humane Society offers free pet vaccinations twice a year. (Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Humane Society)
Amani resident Ba Ba El is impressed with the Wisconsin Humane Society’s (WHS) commitment to educating neighborhood residents while offering free services for their pets.
El noted that in poor communities residents often are not sufficiently educated about having their pets vaccinated, spayed and neutered. WHS has shown a commitment “to stick to what they’re doing … and come back over and over again with a lot of patience and tolerance,” El said.
Those educational efforts have helped raise the rate of spayed and neutered pets dramatically in Amani and surrounding neighborhoods. WHS estimates that the spay/neuter rate in ZIP code 53206 has risen from 9 percent to 50 percent since it took a new approach with its Pets for Life initiative, according to Jill Kline, vice president of community impact programs. The average national spay/neuter rate is 80 percent or more.
Tunisha Crosby-King learned about the Pets for Life program from outreach workers who came to her Clarke Street home recently. (Photo by Alhaji Camara)
Pets for Life was developed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which is not affiliated with WHS, to focus on communities with limited access to pet care resources. The program sends outreach representatives to engage with neighbors at their homes and at local vaccination events. It hopes to “build trust and relationships with community members, make information and resources accessible, and establish a consistent presence in the neighborhood,” according to the WHS Web site.
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Although WHS has provided low-cost services for some time, including a pet food bank, spay/neuter assistance and pet adoption programs, participation of residents in the 53206 ZIP code remained low, Kline said. So, with help from HSUS and funds from PetSmart Charities, WHS launched Pets for Life in 53206 in November 2012. Since fall 2014, a new national foundation that prefers to be anonymous has been the primary funder, according to Kline. This year, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation is providing additional local support.
According to the 2010 Census, the 53206 ZIP code contains 9,500 households, which could mean that there are 15,000 or more animals, according to Kline. Pets for Life’s focus on one ZIP code improves the health, safety and quality of life for the community in a stronger way than a citywide program of the same size would do, Kline explained.
A team of outreach workers goes door-to-door two or three days a week offering residents a core package that includes free spay/neuter, vaccinations and a micro-chip for identification, Kline said. WHS also provides free transportation to and from the veterinary clinic for surgery.
Nelle Kempfer, Wisconsin Humane Society outreach program manager, and Lisa Michel-Weiss, community outreach coordinator, go door to door offering the organization’s services to pet owners. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Vaccinations are offered twice a year at Franklin Square Playground, on Teutonia Avenue between Clarke and Center streets.
“It’s our goal to become the ‘go to’ resource, where people know us and know, when they get a new pet or have a question or concern about their animal, they can come to us and we can either help or point them in the right direction,” Kline said.
Tunisha Crosby-King was surprised when society outreach workers knocked on the door of her home, near the corner of 17 and Clarke streets.
“But when they explained to me what they were doing with the (Pets for Life) program, I was all on board,” Crosby-King said. The owner of a three cats and a dog, she had considered spaying and neutering, but found the cost prohibitive.
WHS volunteer Connie Peterson said it means a lot to her to help pet owners in 53206 — many of whom struggle to feed themselves — overcome barriers to keeping their animals at home. Also a volunteer with the animal-assisted therapy service Health Heelers, Peterson noted that a sometimes-overlooked benefit of pet ownership is that interacting with animals creates positive physiological changes.
Kline added that the residents of 53206 have given the WHS a warm welcome. “We’ve taken some time to build trusting relationships with the community but the community has been really receptive too.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 18, 2015


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On the Block: From destitute to ‘blessed’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 19, 2015
Patricia Huff was molested by her father at the age of 5. She was put up for adoption and came to Milwaukee where she eventually became an alcoholic and drug addict. Now, Huff has been clean for nine years and works as a daycare teacher.
Milwaukee Stories link: http://milwaukeestories.org/2015/03/18/i-feel-like-im-well-blessed/
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Revitalizing Bradley Tech High School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 19, 2015
WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio


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Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Match Day raises a total of $3,490,552 in 24 hours | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
March 20, 2015
Thanks to the generosity of thousands in southeastern Wisconsin through the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s fourth Match Day event, $3,490,552 was raised to support 20 area food and shelter agencies.
The special online giving event, which was coordinated by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, raised $2,235,902 from 5,484 individuals and $401,650 from Foundation donors. Those gifts were proportionately matched with money from a pool of $845,000 in matching funds from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, its donors and Board members as well as many community supporters, including Brewers Community Foundation, The Ceres Foundation, Meijer, United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County and the Faye McBeath Foundation. Eight nonprofits received an extra $1,000 thanks to the Brewers Community Foundation. The result was a total of nearly $3.5 million.
“On behalf of the entire Foundation, I want to thank everyone who helped make Match Day a great success for the fourth year,” said Ellen M. Gilligan, president and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. “It’s heartwarming to see our community come together like this, and the donations made for this event will have a lasting impact on the organizations and the citizens they serve.”
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Highlights from the 24-hour event:
-The first gift – $75 – was made 3 minutes after the event started at midnight
-A total of 9,280 donations were made through matchdaymke.org on March 19
-Hunger Task Force raised the most online of the participating agencies – 1,578 individual donors contributed a total of $422,727
-The Women’s Center, Hunger Task Force, Center for Veterans Issues, Guest House of Milwaukee, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Advocates of Ozaukee, Community Advocates and Salvation Army each received an additional $1,000, through the Super Match promotion, made possible by Brewers Community Foundation and in partnership with WISN 12 News
For more information on Match Day, visit www.MatchDayMKE.org and follow the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Match Day on Facebook and Twitter.


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Unite Milwaukee Summit seeks to address violence | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 20, 2015
Spoken-word artist Muhibb Dyer performs a piece about violence in Milwaukee, his hometown. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Muhibb Dyer kneels on stage at the Washington Park Senior Center during the Unite Milwaukee Anti-Violence Summit, arms spread, pain in his eyes. He speaks in spoken-word about the death of his godson Preston Blackmer, a 16-year-old black male, who was killed in Milwaukee in 2005.
“I just want to show you a face,” he said. “This is why I’m here.”
For Dyer, who grew up on Burleigh Street, violence and death aren’t theoretical occurrences — they’re very real. For spoken word poet Kwabena Antoine Nixon, who joined Dyer on stage, “it’s personal.”
Amid addresses by city officials including Mayor Tom Barrett and state Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd, who organized the summit, Dyer and Nixon set the tone for the day-long summit, which included presentations from neighborhood groups, community and faith leaders as well as law enforcement and city officials. Organizations including the 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corporation, Running Rebels, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) manned resource booths throughout the event.
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After Dyer’s rousing spoken-word performance, which received a standing ovation from the crowd of about 75, Nixon called a group of young African-American men who are members of BM2 onto the stage. BM2 seeks to “[cultivate] an open environment of creative talent, coupled with ongoing business development training,” according to its website. Dyer led the teenagers in a call-and-response chant affirming their worth and purpose. The young men repeated: “I. Will. Not. Die. Young.”
“We all understand each other and we all respect each other,” Shabazz said. “It’s a brotherhood — we treat each other like brothers.”
Lealyn Larry, another young man in BM2, said the program and the relationships he’s formed through it have helped him realize how important community and support are.
“When we all first met each other, we tried to one-up each other,” he said. “At the end of the day we all recognized … that we all need to come together.”
Sharlen Moore, director of Urban Underground, and her 11-year-old son, Malachi. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Barrett’s message focused on the high amount of violence in the first two months of 2015, compared with what Milwaukee has typically seen. It’s not just gun violence that has been an issue, he said, citing a recent incident in which two people were killed when an 18-year-old in a stolen car ran a traffic light. Using that incident as an example, Barrett said it’s important to inform people so they can be prepared. He said the young man had “probably stolen 30 cars,” many while they were running.
“People can take steps that can, I think, help insulate them from violence, which is something we want to see happen,” he said.
Dyer disagrees with the idea that people should only protect themselves. Though he understands the need for people to feel safe, he said they can’t lose their humanity in the process.
Instead, he said the way to address violence is through prevention — by people caring as much about others’ safety as their own.
Violence isn’t black and white, Nixon explained. “The conditions create the people and the people relay the conditions,” he said. “I can give you a hundred young men who are one foot in and one foot out and I’m [an] example — I could’ve went either way.
“Luckily, I was able to get out but, then, you’ve got a hundred more that, if you come through and show them a way, they might get away. But if nobody comes through, then what happens?”
Participants agreed that the only way forward is to have the tough conversations while being honest with each other and accepting responsibility instead of pointing fingers.
“There’s no secret — we have issues here in the city,” said District 7 Police Captain Jutiki Jackson. “I want to know about them, figure out solutions and then start to work toward those solutions.”
Harris Dodd said she hopes that the event, which she plans to hold yearly, will be the beginning of that conversation.
“We should start to see this summit build, with this community, a blueprint that holds everybody accountable because, right now, that’s what we are lacking,” she said, calling for an end to “policing tactics that are targeting certain communities unfairly.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 19, 2015


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Dyer | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 19, 2015


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Addressing infant mortality in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Raina J. Johnson
March 23, 2015
Raina J. Johnson
Raina J. Johnson, a freelance writer, discusses the need to improve birth outcomes for black babies in Milwaukee.
When Tonda Thompson went to the hospital nine months pregnant, she expected to leave with her baby boy in a car seat. Instead she left without him, and she had to make funeral arrangements.
“That moment when you hear your first born cry for the first time, is indeed a moment that I will never forget. Just 17 hours later, I was told that there was a slight chance that he would make it. It was within the last hour of his life that I said ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ to Terrell,” she said. During labor and delivery, due to a tragic incident, both her health and her son’s health began to deteriorate. She survived.
Sadly in Milwaukee, Thompson’s story isn’t uncommon. The health of a community can be seen in the health and prosperity of its children. The community is entrusted to protect and keep its children from harm. From 2009 -2011 the infant mortality rate was 10.6 per 1,000 live births. Milwaukee has come a very long way over two decades to reduce infant mortality and stillbirth rates. We still have some heavy lifting to do in the African-American community because black babies die at nearly three times the rate of white babies.
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In February, the Milwaukee Health Department released the 2013 Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR). The report takes a look at factors that contribute to stillbirths and infant deaths and recommends a few actions that communities can take to combat the problem.
We applaud Mayor Barrett, the Milwaukee Health Department and community partners such as the Black Health Coalition and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County for their efforts, but we can’t stop or slow down just because we’ve had a few “good” years of reduced stillbirth and infant mortality rates as a result of strong marketing and public relations campaigns.
The conversation in Milwaukee has been steadily growing about strategies to reduce racism and socio-economic disparities, which is a good sign. As a community, we need to continue to take steps for too many babies who won’t take first steps on their first birthdays. After the death of her son, Thompson started a support group to help other families who have experienced infant loss called Terrell’s Corner (http://www.terrellscorner.com.)
“My understanding is that this is my son’s purpose. He is with me in battle. We are here to make changes,” said Thompson.
We encourage all leaders at every level of government take a look at the whole child and the whole family. For us, that includes caring for women throughout their lifespan, regardless of whether they become mothers in the traditional sense; increasing access to holistic healthcare services across multiple spectrums; getting fathers involved in the pregnancy early on; and tackling Milwaukee’s racial and socio-economic divisions head on so that we can continue to save lives. One of the most immediate ways that we are tackling this issue is raising funds to ensure that the ideas outlined above can come to fruition.
On April 25, Milwaukee will hold a March for Babies through the March of Dimes at O’Donnell Park, 931 E. Wisconsin Ave. To support Tonda’s team, team Big Foot, click here.

author: Raina J. Johnson


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 23, 2015


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Building Neighborhood Capacity Program brings on program manager | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
March 23, 2015
Fatima Benhaddou in her office at the Dominican Center for Women. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
The Building Neighborhood Capacity Program has selected Fatima Benhaddou as its first program manager. Benhaddou assumed the newly created position on Feb. 16.
A 2013 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s dual master’s program in architecture and urban planning, Benhaddou has been working at the Dominican Center for Women as program coordinator for about a year. One of her duties has been to oversee the work of the BNCP site coordinator in the Amani neighborhood, and in that role, Benhaddou has worked with coordinators in all three BNCP neighborhoods, Amani, Metcalfe Park and Muskego Way/Clarke Square. She will continue at the Dominican Center as both its program coordinator and BNCP program manager.
“I think that Fatima is the best person that they could have put in that position,” said Metcalfe Park’s BNCP coordinator Danell Cross. “She’s worked (in BNCP) on the ground and she’s also worked with the cross-sector partnership in our capacity so she knows the challenges. She knows what’s good, what’s working and what’s not working from our perspective.”
While still a graduate student, Benhaddou worked as a housing rehab specialist at ACTS Housing. With three fellow students, she created a neighborhood plan for Amani as a capstone project in her urban planning program.
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BNCP is funded by a federal grant that is matched by local foundations. The BNCP partnership is composed of the grantee, which is the Milwaukee Police Department; cross-sector partners including city and foundation officials, intermediary organizations and community-based organizations that serve as neighborhood anchors.
Metcalfe Park residents plant vegetables in the community garden near 28th and Wright streets in June 2013. Metcalfe Park is one of the neighborhoods in the Building Neighborhood Capacity Program. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Site coordinators, hired from within each neighborhood, serve as resident engagement leaders, listen to residents’ concerns, help them build the skills to address those concerns and become leaders themselves, and build alliances with all the partners.
Since the launch of BNCP in late 2012, the executive committee of the cross-sector partners has worked with site coordinators first in the original BNCP neighborhoods, Amani and Metcalfe Park, and since the end of 2014 with Muskego Way/Clarke Square. But as the program has expanded and been extended for a second grant period, the committee decided to bring on a program manager to work with the site coordinators and all of the BNCP partners.
Susan Lloyd, executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation and a member of the executive committee, explained that when you have several organizations working in a neighborhood, “they really do need to know each other. They need to support each other’s efforts and coordinate with each other.
“It requires someone like Fatima, who is trusted by residents and local organizers, and who is knowledgeable about how to work in neighborhoods, but who can also step back and see the big picture,” Lloyd added.
Benhaddou said she knew early in her graduate studies that rather than working as an architect in a firm, her interests lay in preserving buildings and adapting them for reuse. She was also drawn to neighborhood work, she said.
The first BNCP coordinators in Amani contacted Benhaddou, she said, because they were using her neighborhood plan as a reference for the revitalization plan they were working on. “With my background and my involvement in Amani, I really wanted to stay and help them make the plan,” Benhaddou said, but it was not possible at that time.
Ultimately, her goal is to leave a foundation of residents who have the capacity, confidence and ability to determine what the neighborhoods need based on the challenges they see and what their neighbors say, Benhaddou said. Understanding that neighborhood organizations such as the Dominican Center and COA Goldin Center offer valuable support is also critical.
Jumping in with ideas and advice to help residents figure out how to achieve their goals is irresistible to her and, “I was going to do it regardless (of my job),” she said.
Another important responsibility will be to develop and begin to implement a sustainability plan for BNCP, said Lloyd. Benhaddou, with the help of others, will put together the plan for raising funds to continue the work in the neighborhoods after the federal grant ends.
“It’s just wonderful to have someone with Fatima’s abilities in this role. The program deserves it,” Lloyd said. “The work in the neighborhoods certainly merits that kind of attention and direction and support and so I am thrilled that she accepted the offer.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 22, 2015


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Jobs program for young adults aging out of foster care | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
March 23, 2015
88.9 Radio Milwaukee

author: admin


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Manney and Flynn Both Testify in Appeals Hearing | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
admin
March 23, 2015
WUWM Radio Milwaukee


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Safe & Sound welcomes three new board members | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Safe & Sound
March 23, 2015
Safe & Sound is pleased to announce three new Board Members as of March 2015. Bringing diverse and extensive community relations and law enforcement experience, the new Board Members share in Safe & Sound’s mission to build safe and empowered neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
James F. Bohn is the newly appointed Wisconsin HIDTA Director. He is retired from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), after 30 years of continuous service in federal drug law enforcement. During his tenure with DEA, Director Bohn had been assigned to offices in Cleveland, San Diego, the DEA Office of Chief Counsel, Chicago, and most recently Milwaukee. As the DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Milwaukee District Office from 2000 to 2014, Director Bohn was an active member of the Wisconsin HIDTA Executive Board, serving as its Chair and Vice-Chair on two separate occasions. Director Bohn has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, and a law degree from Cleveland
State University. Director Bohn has been a member of the Ohio Bar since 1984. He is originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Mequon, WI.
Sodi Nichols Sodi Nichols is Vice President, Community Reinvestment Outreach Director—US at BMO Harris Bank overseeing the Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Arizona, Indiana, Missouri and Florida districts. Developed under her leadership are the recently launched BMO Harris Bank Community Engagement Councils which focus on enhancing community partner relations across BMO’s US footprint. Prior to her role as Community Reinvestment Outreach Director, Ms. Nichols served as Community Reinvestment Residential Lender with M&I (Marshall & Ilsley Bank). A native of Milwaukee, WI, Ms. Nichols attended the University of WI—Parkside. Her civic involvement includes terms on the Board of Directors of Latino Arts Inc., and Past Chair of Layton Boulevard West Neighbors where she remains an active board member to date.
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Tony Nguyen is the Community Banking area president for the Greater Wisconsin market. He manages 37 banking stores, including stores in Milwaukee, Madison, Sheboygan, Eau Claire and La Crosse, Wisconsin and leads more than 400 team members. Nguyen began his Wells Fargo career in 2003 and has served as a mortgage closer, personal banker, store manager and business lending business development relationship manager with Wells Fargo Financial until he joined Community Banking in December 2011. Nguyen is a graduate of Drake University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He is the past chairman of the Iowa Asian Alliance, 40 under 40 Des Moines Business Record winner,
graduate of the Iowa Bankers Leadership Institute, graduate of the Wells Fargo ELS Asian Pacific Islanders Leadership course in San Francisco, a member of Asian Connection TMN, President Council Member from 2010- 2011 for Wells Fargo Financial Bank Presidents Leadership class of 2010 and is a graduate of the Waukee Leadership Institute 2009.

author: Safe & Sound


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MKE Plays aims to reconstruct 12 deteriorated playgrounds throughout city | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
March 24, 2015
Arlington Heights Park, 3429 W. Pierce, is the first playground slated for reconstruction through the MKE PLAYS initiative. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
A child of immigrant parents, Milwaukee Common Council President Michael J. Murphy said his family didn’t have much money, or go on many vacations, but he always had the playground.
“I grew up on the playgrounds,” Murphy said.
At a time when obesity rates in the city are rising and children are living increasingly sedentary lifestyles, Murphy wants more kids in Milwaukee to share the experiences he had growing up — getting exercise and learning how to socialize at the neighborhood playground. That’s what he envisions with MKE PLAYS, a new initiative aiming to turn the city’s 12 most deteriorated playgrounds, as evaluated by the Department of Public Works (DPW), into neighborhood centerpieces by October 2018. Most of the playgrounds are pocket parks, on a single lot.
A key component of the initiative is to involve residents in the planning and eventual building of the playgrounds. Each park will have a four-member ad hoc board selected from the community.
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KaBOOM! playgrounds are among the innovative designs that community members might consider for their neighborhoods. (Photo by Shakara Robinson)
These won’t be just any playgrounds, noted Murphy. He said Imagination Playgrounds, which are designed as interactive, transformable spaces, or Freenotes Harmony Parks, which are based on outdoor musical instruments, are some of the possibilities for the play spaces.
The cost of innovative reconstruction of the 12 parks is estimated to be between $1.6 million and $1.9 million, compared to a traditional reconstruction cost of $1.3 million. The 2015 city budget only provides $165,000 for playground improvements.
Enhancing where the children play and communities socialize, will uplift the communities where the playgrounds are located, Murphy said.
It’s all about “giving agency back to the neighborhoods” where these parks are located, many of which are in the poorest neighborhoods in the city, said Sarah Zarate, staff assistant for Murphy.
“If the community is involved from the beginning, it will also create a heightened sense of ownership and long-term sustainability,” Zarate added.
The process of securing a mix of private and public funding for the initiative has begun. The Zilber Family Foundation was first to jump on board, pledging a $300,000 two-to-one matching grant with the city for reconstruction of three parks, Arlington Heights and Trowbridge Square in Layton Boulevard West, and one in Lindsay Heights, at the corner of North 17 and West Vine Street. Both neighborhoods are part of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative. Zilber will also provide a Trinity Fellow to work on the community engagement portion of the plan.
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The deteriorating dozen
Twelve playgrounds are slated to be reconstructed through the MKE Plays initiative:
(1) 67th & Spokane
(2) Long Island & Custer
(3) 21st & Keefe
(4) 5th & Randolph
(5) Snails Crossing
(6) Buffum & Center
(7) DeBack Park
(8) 17th & Vine
(9) Foundation Park
(10) 34th & Mt. Vernon
(11) Arlington Heights
(12) Trowbridge Square
The Fund for Lake Michigan has also pledged $25,000 for MKE PLAYS and discussions are under way with Milwaukee Public Schools, which will give students jobs as play leaders at the parks.
The initiative is a departure from the top-down approach to playground repair, in which the DPW surveys equipment to determine what needs to be replaced. The dwindling of city funding available for playground repairs over the past 15 years has resulted in many of the 100 city-owned play areas falling into disrepair, according to Zarate.
More than 60 city playgrounds are currently deteriorated, said Susan Lloyd, executive director of Zilber Family Foundation.
Lloyd said one reason Zilber chose to support the initiative is because it is consistent with its approach of engaging community members in meaningful ways. Doing so will make the neighborhoods safer, she added.
“Collective efficacy is a stronger predictor of safety in a neighborhood than poverty or race,” Lloyd said.
Arlington Heights Park will be the first park to be renovated and Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN), a local nonprofit serving the neighborhood, will support the community engagement portion of the plan, according to Jezamil Vega-Skeels, director of catalytic projects for the organization.
LBWN has been working for years to improve the park, adding a bandshell in 2013, among other amenities. That hasn’t necessarily translated into higher usage of the playground, said Skeels. She said that should change with a park design that takes into consideration the unique needs of the surrounding community.
“There’s so much potential here in terms of innovative design and organized play for the children,” Vega-Skeels said.
As part of the initiative, the playground Murphy grew up in on West Wright Street and North 65 is also slated for reconstruction. Renamed the Marcus DeBack playground, after an 8-year-old boy killed by an errant bullet there in 1995, the park needs at least $110,000 in repairs, according to city estimates.
Giving the playground a facelift won’t be a cure-all for that neighborhood, or any of the others in which the parks are located, but it is a start, said Murphy. He said neighborhoods with high poverty and crime don’t usually see a lot of investment, but he hopes MKE PLAYS will spur more.
Most importantly though, “I just want to see playgrounds full of children who have the same opportunities that I had while growing up,” Murphy said.

author: Edgar Mendez


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On the Block: Don’t cross this guard | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 24, 2015

author: Brendan O’Brien


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 24, 2015


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On the Block: Single parenthood | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
March 26, 2015


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 25, 2015


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The Fallout of Workers’ Comp ‘Reforms’: 5 Tales of Harm | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 26, 2015
ProPublica.org


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Welfare Makes America More Entrepreneurial | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 26, 2015
The Atlantic


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Local store owner applauds CVS on going tobacco free | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rosie Coggs
March 27, 2015
CVS Health’s decision in September 2014 to stop selling tobacco products in their stores sent a clear message that they care more about their customers’ health than profits.
However, a recent report from Forbes shows CVS’ tobacco free policy is helping their bottom line in addition to their customers’ health.
CVS reported a record $37.1 billion in sales in the fourth quarter thanks to increased pharmacy sales. Forbes also recently reported that CVS’ tobacco free policy helped them build new hospital and health system partnerships.
This success and CVS’ new partnerships make sense when one thinks about tobacco’s harms. Last year’s U.S. Surgeon General’s Report highlighted the progress that has been achieved over the past 50 years, since the release of the first U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking.
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One of the conclusions drawn from the report indicated that, “Although cigarette smoking has declined significantly since 1964, very large disparities in tobacco use remain across groups defined by race, ethnicity, educational level, and socioeconomic status and across regions of the country.
This certainly holds true to Wisconsin, where 18% of the adult population smokes and disparities persist class, education, health status and race:
I couldn’t be happier about seeing CVS prosper from their tobacco free decision.
I am a local store owner of the Atkinson Food Market, and I have never sold tobacco products. I have still been able to run a successful business for 50 years, so I don’t see why other local stores who still carry tobacco products would feel like tobacco is necessary for them to survive.
I believe that CVS going tobacco free will encourage other pharmacies to rid their shelves of tobacco products for good. It just makes good business sense.
Members of the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Poverty Network are proud to have CVS Health as a partner in reducing tobacco’s toll.
For more on local tobacco prevention and control efforts, contact the WTPPN at (414) 418-6449 and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WiTPPN. Tobacco users can also call 1-800-QUIT NOW for free help and medications.
Sincerely,
Rosie Coggs

author: Rosie Coggs


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CVS | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
March 27, 2015

author: Name *


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Mayor Barrett to launch Strong Baby Sanctuary initiative | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee
March 27, 2015
Mayor Tom Barrett and health officials are launching a year-round partnership focused on reducing preventable infant deaths. Called the Strong Baby Sanctuary initiative, the effort builds upon the collaborative work of Mayor Barrett’s annual Strong Baby Sabbath, held each October, and the citywide Strong Baby campaign.
“Area faith leaders can play a crucial role in neighborhood well-being,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “In Milwaukee, too many infants continue to die because they are born too small, too soon, and because of unsafe sleeping environments. By partnering with faith communities, we can work together to provide social support and resources that will improve the health and well-being of pregnant women, new mothers, fathers and their families.”
The effort supports Mayor Barrett’s goal of reducing Milwaukee’s overall infant mortality rate by 10 percent and the African-American infant mortality rate by 15 percent by 2017. It also supports the goal to reduce racial disparities in birth outcomes, set by the Milwaukee Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families, a collaborative co-chaired by Mayor Barrett and led by United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.
“Columbia St. Mary’s Urban Church Wellness program has built a strong partnership with area faith communities,” said Bill Solberg, Director of Community Services for Columbia St. Mary’s. “The Strong Baby Sanctuary initiative will extend our community outreach by assisting churches and faith communities in being safe havens where pregnant women, new mothers and new fathers can get health-related support and information.”
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Churches who pledge to become a Strong Baby Sanctuary will serve as a place where pregnant women and new families can be referred to an existing web of community resources or take part in church or communitywide programs that can lower stress, support wellness, and reduce preventable causes of infant death.
Data indicates that of the approximately 100 infants who die before their first birthdays in Milwaukee, nearly 60 percent of all infant deaths result from complications of prematurity. Additionally, half of the sleep-related infant deaths in Milwaukee occur to infants who were born prematurely, making prematurity a significant risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and accidental suffocation.
“Both prematurity and its complications can be prevented,” said Courtney Rogaczewski, Associate State Director at March of Dimes – Wisconsin Chapter. “By collaborating with faith communities to address the complex factors that affect prematurity, we can have a positive impact on the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable residents.”
The Strong Baby Sanctuary program is being planned cooperatively by Columbia St. Mary’s Urban Church Wellness Program, City of Milwaukee Health Department, March of Dimes – Wisconsin Chapter, and United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families.

author: City of Milwaukee


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MPS administrators say Commitment Schools ‘moving in right direction’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Molly Rippinger
March 27, 2015
Students at Thurston Woods, which is one of 14 underperforming MPS schools participating in the Commitment Schools program, work on assignments. (Photo by Molly Rippinger)
Standardized test scores have Milwaukee Public Schools administrators expressing optimism about the outcome of academic and behavioral interventions implemented last fall at 14 underperforming schools through the Commitment Schools program.
Results from Measures of Academic Success (MAP) testing administered in the fall and winter indicate that the majority of K-8 Commitment Schools are closing the achievement gap in both mathematics and reading.
“Overall, we are moving in the right direction,” said Dr. Darienne Driver, superintendent of MPS.
Achievement gaps are based on MAP testing and measure the disparity between students’ scores and the scores needed to be considered proficient.
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Testing data showed that in K-8 Commitment Schools eight of the nine grades narrowed the achievement gap in reading while six of the nine grades made similar gains in math.
In reading, the greatest reduction in the achievement gap occurred in fifth and seventh grades; the gap increased in first grade. In math, the gap narrowed the most in second grade, and increased in first, fifth and eighth grades.
“This means that the [Commitment School] students are growing faster than average,” said Dr. Melanie Stewart, director of assessment at MPS. Administrators are confident that the gains will continue in the final round of MAP testing, which is administered in May.
MPS expected that Commitment Schools would reduce the achievement gap by 5 percent following the first year of academic and behavioral interventions.
“This is our first look at the progress we are making in our Commitment Schools,” said Driver in a news release. “We are pleased to see that outcomes for students are improving.”
The program provided $300,000 in federal funds to each school to be allocated in $100,000 increments over a three-year period. Commitment Schools have used the funds to increase professional development, implement improvement systems, upgrade technology and hire additional staff.
Ruth Maegli, chief innovation officer at MPS, explained that each Commitment School adopted interventions that address its specific needs. “Everybody chose something different because their population and their staff needed support in different areas,” said Maegli.
Thurston Woods
Thurston Woods Campus, 5966 N. 35 St., used the funding to hire Katrina Edmond, a “building intervention” teacher focused on working with K-8 students to improve math and reading skills. Mark Peterson was also hired as a “school support” teacher who aids Edmond.
“I’m really excited about the progress our students have made and the hard work our teachers have put forward to make sure that our students are learning,” said Keona Jones, principal of Thurston Woods.
At Thurston Woods, six of the nine grade levels are closing the achievement gap in both math and reading scores.
“This is working for us,” said Jones. “We think that the building intervention program was key for having these kind of outcomes.” Jones and her staff have found the supplemental lessons to be an effective catalyst for improvement.
In the previous academic year, only three of the nine grades at Thurston Woods reduced the achievement gap between fall and spring in reading while five of the nine grades narrowed the gap in math during the same time period.
All Thurston Woods students work with Edmond and Peterson four times each week in 15-minute increments, twice in reading and twice in math. “Students can be resistant to being pulled out of class, but we’re working with both the high-achieving students and students who need improvement — it’s an equalizer,” explained Jones.
The one-on-one approach has helped teachers at Thurston Woods create individualized MAP testing goals for their students. The data are also used to implement Response to Intervention (RtI), a framework used throughout MPS to monitor student progress through a tiered system of evaluation and action.
Another portion of the behavioral intervention strategy for Thurston Woods was to implement RtI at the beginning of September using the student testing data from the previous spring. Other MPS schools waited until the first round of MAP testing at the end of October.
Thurston Woods accelerated RtI by identifying 85 students at the beginning of September whose spring test scores indicated that they needed interventions to become proficient. After the first MAP assessment, 40 students showed enough improvement to no longer require additional support. Another 140 students began RtI in November and 45 students were dismissed after the second round of MAP testing.
“It was so nice that when we should’ve been just starting RtI we were already exiting students that didn’t need further interventions,” said Jones.
Thurston Woods was one of 48 MPS schools that “failed to meet expectations” set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) last year. All of the underperforming schools were encouraged to apply for the Commitment Schools program by submitting a formal proposal that detailed what resources would be added and systems implemented to improve academic achievement. MPS has not calculated achievement gaps for the other 34 underperforming schools.
Other elementary or middle schools participating in the program are Auer Avenue School, Browning School, George Washington Carver Academy of Mathematics and Science, Samuel Clemens School, Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education and Albert Story School.
The K-8 Commitment Schools are outpacing the growth being tracked district wide. “This is a very good thing,” said Tony Tagliavia, media manager at MPS. “These schools need to grow faster in order to get kids on track.”
MPS is hoping interventions made at the secondary education Commitment Schools will result in a 10 percent increase in high school students meeting requirements for the ACT, a standards- and curriculum-based test used to assess students’ readiness for college. Data will not be available until after testing is administered in the spring.
“We’re really just at the beginning,” stressed Maegli. “You have to remember this is a three-year program.”
As of now, Maegli explained that there are no concrete plans to expand the Commitment Schools program to include any other MPS schools that failed to meet expectations in 2013-2014. Yet, Maegli said that the thought of replication is always on the minds of MPS administrators.
Jones said she is already planning for the end of the Commitment Schools grant and is looking for ways to continue funding the building intervention teacher within the existing school budget.
“It has made such a difference to have a person working in a small, group setting with the students,” said Jones. “I’m already thinking about how we’ll maintain a similar system at the end of the three years.”

author: Molly Rippinger


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 26, 2015

author: Adam Carr


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15238694530_7fbd87a4b2_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 26, 2015


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Couples and community members celebrate Black Marriage Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Molly Rippinger
March 29, 2015
Dozens of couples and marriage activists gathered for the fifth annual Black Marriage Day held at Brentwood Church of Christ on 6425 N. 60 St. The celebration emphasized the importance of marriage throughout the Black community and was also an opportunity to acknowledge couples both young and old. More than 30 cities celebrate Black Marriage Day, which was originally organized by various faith-based and community groups in 2003. Read our past coverage of the event.


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At second annual Serve2Unite Peace Summit, students and officials make a stand | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alhaji Camara
March 30, 2015
Students from 11 Milwaukee Public Schools gathered at Turner Hall for the second annual Serve2Unite Peace Summit. Students engaged in dialogue informed by their research on methods of civic engagement around the world.
Attendees included Serve2Unite student leadership chapters, educators, Mayor Tom Barrett, MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver, Dydine Umunyana (S2U global mentor, survivor of the Rwandan genocide, filmmaker and peace activist), John and Ericajoy Daniels, and representatives of the Milwaukee Police Department.

author: Alhaji Camara


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The MANDIs launch first People’s Choice Awards | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
LISC Milwaukee
March 30, 2015
Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation
Since 1999, LISC Milwaukee has hosted the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI). The MANDIs highlight the unsung heroes working hard to revitalize Milwaukee’s most distressed urban neighborhoods. This Oscar-style event is attended by 750 civic leaders including neighborhood residents, nonprofits, private sector leaders, and elected officials. The MANDIs have grown into the premier event for the community development world, and it tells the much-needed story of what’s right with Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. The MANDI Selection Committee includes a panel of 40 volunteers.
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The Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award is a brand new interactive award category where the winner is chosen by the public through an online voting system. The goal is to increase exposure to the good work of the finalists in the broader community. The three groups who receive the most votes will each receive $1000!  Please cast your vote between March 30-April 14 at milwaukeenns.org/mandivote
Starting Monday, March 30, articles written by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and videos produced by LISC Milwaukee about each finalist can be found at milwaukeenns.org/mandivote.
Hosted by US Bank, the MANDIs will be held on Wednesday, April 15th, at the Potawatomi Event Center. A cocktail hour and Neighborhood Art Walk will be held from 4:15-5:30pm followed by dinner and awards from 5:30-7:30pm. The evening will close with a Neighborhood Dessert Reception and DJ from 7:30-9pm. For registration and information visit http://www.lisc.org/milwaukee/mandi/2015_mandi/index.php
“The MANDIs shine a light on inspiring stories of passionate, creative, and effective leaders and projects, working hard to make our city great. We want to help the public have a more complete picture of what’s happening in Milwaukee’s central city. These groups need our support, and deserve our recognition.” said Dawn Hutchison-Weiss, Communications Director for LISC Milwaukee.
BMO Harris Bank Cornerstone Award: Express Yourself Milwaukee, Pan-African Community Association, Rotary Club of Milwauke.
Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award: The ARTery, Holton Bridge Swing Park, HOME GR/OWN’s Ezekiel Gillespie Park
Northern Trust Navigator Award; LaKetta Caldwell, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Todd Hutchison, Impact Seven, Venice Williams, Alice’s Garden
PNC Trailblazer Award; Cream City Gardens and Rain Harvesting, Guest House of Milwaukee, Sisters Diversion Project, Bendict Center, Mobile Bike Hub, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors
State Farm Building Blocks Award; Veterans Administration Community Resource and Referral Center on MLK Drive; Zilber School of Public Health

author: LISC Milwaukee


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 30, 2015


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Transportation advocates offer differing perspectives on urban transit issues | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matthew Wisla
March 30, 2015
Photo by Andrea Waxman
This is a time of transition for transportation in Milwaukee. Decisions being made now regarding Milwaukee County Transit Service routes and budgets, how I-94 west will be rebuilt and the downtown streetcar line will affect city residents and economic development throughout the region for decades to come.
The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service surveyed six individuals involved in transportation issues to get their perspective on Milwaukee transit: Nick DeMarsh, organizer, Milwaukee Transit Riders Union; Kristi Luzar, deputy director/programs, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin (UEDA); Karyn Rotker, senior staff attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin (ACLU); Lee Schulz, president & CEO, IndependenceFirst; Bill Sell, organizer, Milwaukee Transit Riders Union; past meeting coordinator, Transit Matters; and Kerry Thomas, executive director, Metro Go. Edited versions of their responses are below.
How should transportation planning and projects be prioritized to meet the needs of central city residents (i.e., the reconstruction of I-94 west, the streetcar and the bus service)?
Karyn Rotker, senior staff attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin
Karyn Rotker, ACLU: All transportation planning must consider the needs of communities of color, and ensure that those communities get a fair share of the benefits of transportation system investments and do not experience disproportionate burdens. The I-94 expansion, as proposed, fails this test: it does not provide communities of color with a fair share of transportation system investments and it imposes disproportionate burdens on them — by not providing transit, by facilitating (segregated) suburban sprawl, by loss of business [and] jobs … and by adverse health and air quality effects.
Lee Schulz, president & CEO, IndependenceFirst
Budget cuts have resulted in service cutbacks and fewer riders on city buses. Now options such as signal priority and bus-rapid-transit are available to improve bus scheduling. Do you favor a more robust bus system with new routes and technologies? If so, how should it be funded?
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Long term, the only way for the Milwaukee area to succeed is with a Regional Transit Authority. This will provide the planning and the revenue for a comprehensive transit system. In the meantime, the city has shown interest in supporting public transit with the streetcar. Since the state refuses to allow an RTA, the city and county should work together to make infrastructure improvements to improve bus service.
There is also a need for increased state funding, as well as for the state to allow a local/regional funding source for transit operating expenses. Milwaukee is one of the only large metropolitan areas that is forced to use property taxes to support transit, with no specialized funding mechanism.
Kerry Thomas, executive director, Metro Go
Kerry Thomas, Metro Go: Faster transit is important for central city residents in particular, to bring scattered job locations into reach, and to reduce commute times. Shorter transit trips make the transit system more convenient and attractive to all residents, which drives up ridership. More people riding the bus generates more revenue to support improved transit, builds a broader base of transit supporters, and accrues more economic benefits to the local community.
High quality transit systems are a central factor in attracting businesses, young workers, visitors, residents and investments that are all needed to boost the local economy.
Before a meaningful discussion of funding of new transit enhancements takes place, the transit plans and costs and the return on investment must be clearly understood. Investments in transit are investments in economic development.
Wisconsin legislators have been known to characterize public transportation as “social service” and prioritize planning and funding accordingly. Other states treat transportation as an economic development tool. Which is it?
Bill Sell, organizer, Milwaukee Transit Riders Union
Bill Sell, Milwaukee Transit Riders Union: Of course it’s an economic development tool. Those folks who don’t ride do not see the packed buses during rush hours. Riders reduce our state and national dependence on fossil fuel, and cost the government much less to support than building and rebuilding concrete roadways. Transit is the lower-cost solution to our transportation needs.
I often think of areas of the city where multiple nodes of transportation meet at main arterials and it’s at those intersections where you also find centers of commerce such as office buildings, coffee shops, restaurants, copy shops, small businesses, etc. Increasing mobility of both residents and visitors creates significant opportunities for economic activity.
Employers are already finding it challenging to fill positions and the trend is expected to deepen dramatically. Employers’ access to ALL available workers is a critical economic issue. One of the most critical priorities right now is ensuring the alignment of worker skills and transportation options with employers’ needs, so that residents can be fully employed.
Do you favor the streetcar project as it currently stands?
This investment in transit is creating more than 700 good jobs to build the transit line and thousands more jobs to build and service the development that has already been spurred by the added value that transit provides. Training programs and commitment to hire are in place.
This is a pivotal opportunity for central city residents to advance in the construction trades.
The route 19 bus on Martin Luther King Drive experiences overcrowding most of the day between Wisconsin Avenue and Capital Drive. A streetcar on this corridor could serve existing transit needs first, in addition to providing economic benefits for the entire route. MLK Drive’s legacy as a major streetcar route provides ample space for dedicated lanes. To make an effective and just transit system, the next extensions of the streetcar should have similar qualities to MLK Drive where transit-dependent riders need service and where service can be implemented effectively.
Kristi Luzar, deputy director/programs, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin


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16910696466_31c47af772_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 30, 2015


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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 30, 2015


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Debunking the Myth of the Job-Stealing Immigrant | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 31, 2015
New York Times


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Local Veterans Share Thoughts on Tomah Probe, Multiple Drug Prescriptions | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
March 31, 2015
WUWM


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Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity homeowners rebuild after fire | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity
March 31, 2015
In October of 2014, a house that was to become home to a Habitat family was critically damaged by fire.  The house, located on the 2100 block of North 38th Street, was one of five complete rehab projects that Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity had been working on last year.
Yer Her and his family of seven were hoping to move out of their apartment and into this new home over Christmas, but Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity Executive Director, Brian Sonderman, assured them, “…it’s a tough loss, but we’ll rebuild.”
Thanks to a grant from the Argosy Foundation with additional support from Wells Fargo and individual donors, the Her family got to open the doors to their new home last week. This property was another one of Habitat’s complete rehab projects, located on the 1900 block of North 33rd Street.
The family’s five young children ran wide-eyed, exploring the welcomed space of their rebuilt two-story home.  The original darkly stained joists and built-in cabinets were left intact by Habitat rehab crews, much to the delight of its new homeowners. The Her family gleamed with joy, having turned a new chapter following the fire of what was to be their first home.
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This was not the only time Yer Her overcame adversity to achieve a better a life for his family. Born in the mountains of Laos, Yer and his family fled to Thailand in 1980 to escape imprisonment and genocide following the Vietnam War.  They settled in a refugee camp for seven years until Yer moved to the U.S. in 1988.
On a return trip to Laos in 2003, Yer met his wife and began a family of their own. That family now has a safe, decent and affordable home to call their own.
Yer said one of the first things he plans to do as a homeowner is take down the existing fence between he and his new neighbor, who happens to be Yer’s brother, a fellow Habitat homeowner. “It’s the perfect size for volleyball.” Yer adds about the yard spanning between he and his brother’s property.
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity is breaking ground on 13 new construction homes and rehabbing five abandoned, foreclosed properties in Washington Park in 2015, making affordable homeownership a reality for more hard-working families throughout Milwaukee.
If you would like to help Habitat achieve its vision of safe, affordable housing for all, donate monetarily at www.milwaukeehabitat.org (Or call 414-316-5609) or donate items to our ReStore. ReStore offers free pickup service for large donations. Schedule a pickup at www.milwaukeerestore.org (Or call 414-316-5651)

author: Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity


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On the Block: Coffee shop conversation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wyatt Massey
March 31, 2015

author: Wyatt Massey


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
March 31, 2015


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PeppNation teaches city youth skills needed for college through rugby, other sports | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wyatt Massey
March 31, 2015
Brandon Culpepper watches as a youth development mentor leads PeppNation participants in warm-ups. (Photo by Wyatt Massey)
The popular European sport of rugby has found a new generation of players in central city Milwaukee. PeppNation, the youth mentoring program behind the growing movement, is using the sport to help young people succeed in academics through high school and into college.
“In 2012, we had more kids playing rugby in the inner city of Milwaukee than all the suburbs combined,” said Brandon Culpepper, founder of PeppNation.
Culpepper said the sport teaches discipline and teamwork, skills necessary for students to attend college.
The after-school program also trains students in other non-traditional sports, such as lacrosse and cricket. Culpepper focuses on athletics to build life skills and expose youth to positive role models. PeppNation’s 12 staff members coach sports and serve as youth development mentors.
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Youth development mentor Aaron Hill helps a participant put on a flag rugby belt before practice. (Photo by Wyatt Massey)
Jane Moga volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and mentors a participant of PeppNation. Moga drives the young woman and her three brothers to practices and said she is impressed with the way Culpepper’s program teaches youth the importance of school.
“After one session, they were in the car talking about attitudes and grades,” Moga said.
Culpepper partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to pilot his program in 2011. He brought the program to Milwaukee because of its low graduation rate. The Milwaukee Public School system’s high school graduation rate was 68.6 percent in 2011, compared to 87 percent in Wisconsin.
Vincent Lyles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, said PeppNation is appealing because it offers unique programming to youth.
“PeppNation helped to expose our kids to rugby and other sports,” Lyles said. “Combining academics and sports is a cornerstone of our programming.”
Culpepper also has PeppNation groups in Atlanta and New York. More than 500 students nationwide participated in the program in 2013. Since 2010, 26 PeppNation graduates have enrolled in college. Mariah Weddle, who earned a basketball scholarship at the University of Indianapolis, credits Culpepper with preparing her to market herself to college coaches as an athlete and a student.
“He has a clear-cut plan for high school students starting the recruiting process,” Weddle said.
Part of PeppNation’s goal is to bring diverse groups of students together to learn sports and compete against one another.
With rugby growing in the Milwaukee area, neighboring communities send their teams to compete against Culpepper’s teams in the city. For example, PeppNation hosts tournaments in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood on the north side.
The interaction between urban and suburban student athletes in rugby tournaments shows students and parents that the divisions between communities are simply geographic, Culpepper said.
Culpepper also takes teams to tournaments outside of Milwaukee, exposing them to parts of Wisconsin they might not have seen otherwise. The global sports of rugby, lacrosse and cricket begin dialogues among students about the world beyond Milwaukee.
“[The program’s] global aspect allows kids to have conversations about the world,” he said.
Culpepper said he visits high schools and middle schools to put on demonstrations of his program, but finds it difficult to involve students who are unfamiliar with the sports he teaches. He noted that he often faces criticism from students and parents who have the misconception that rugby is a violent sport.
However, this does not hinder Culpepper’s optimism for PeppNation. His goal is to offer the program at 50 schools in Milwaukee, Atlanta and New York by the end of 2015.