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Youth Advisory Council reports results of media project | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Running Rebels Youth Advisory Council
February 8, 2018
From left to right: Ashanti Travers, Kevon Wright, Frank Howard, Darius Simmons, Victor Barnett Jr. and Terrance Robinson, with WUWM’s Michelle Maternowski and LaToya Dennis. (Photo courtesy of Dae Hill)
During the month of January, the Running Rebels Youth Advisory Council challenged local media to report more positive news about Milwaukee’s black community. In this article, YAC members reflect on the results.
Running Rebels Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is working to translate research results into positive community action, and our current focus is on challenging the chronic, negative media images of young black men. We developed two media “action asks” for the month of January: 1) Friday black positivity recaps, where positive news on Milwaukee’s black communities (e.g. black artists, black- owned businesses, youth leaders, etc.) could be tracked and showcased each week; and 2) A weekly segment, written by or focused on youth. (For details on how and why the asks came about, see our first article.)
Every Friday, we tracked articles from participating media organizations (WISN Channel 12, WUWM Radio, James Causey of Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee PBS Black Nouveau and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service) and posted them in a YAC Positivity Recap on Running Rebels Facebook page. Below, we share our results.
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During January, we tracked 53 positive news segments focused on Milwaukee’s black communities and youth. Week 4 was the weakest turnout, with only five articles meeting criteria, while week 2 was strongest, with 19 articles.
Referring to tracking positive news stories, Terrance Robinson said, “It was a good feeling — it made us feel important and heard. And it makes us feel one step closer to changing the negative depiction of young black males.” Darius added: “The positive stories help show that we are not ‘at risk,’ we are on the rise.”
Though the overall impact was positive, the youth noticed that not every week brought a lot of positive news. Ashanti Travers noted: “Some weeks, I felt like the research was disappointing — we learned to expect a lot of positive news — but even though they (the media) initially listened to us, we saw fewer of the stories we were looking for over the weeks.” Victor Barnett echoed these thoughts, but also acknowledged that some of that responsibility fell on the YAC.
“When we first started looking at the news, it was really surprising how they listened to us and we found a lot of positive stories. But then we didn’t keep the pressure on and it seemed like as time went on, there weren’t as many positive stories — they (the media) started strong but then faded.”
WUWM’s LaToya Dennis and Michelle Maternowski visited us to talk about our ideas of good, positive news stories. They reminded us of our own responsibility and power in storytelling and said that reporters don’t often have the same access to youth networks or youths’ insider knowledge. They encouraged us to reach out to local media with story ideas, and to post our own stories on social media where local media can then share them. As Robinson reflected: “We learned that we need to help find and support the positive stories — to step up and be leaders in locating positive news and bringing reporters to the positivity.”
Though our tracking and Friday recaps are ending, our media partners made their own “asks” of us this month. As a result, we are happy to share that we’ll work on a collaborative story with WUWM’s LaToya Dennis, brainstorm positive news stories with the Marquette Wire, and share more about our process and results in a feature on Milwaukee PBS’s Black Nouveau with James Causey. And we were invited by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service to write this Community Voices article. We’ll also perform in Running Rebels’ Black History Month performance at the end of the month where we will frame our process in the historic context of media perpetuating negative images of black men, which dates back to the 1600s.
Kevon Wright is inspired by the upcoming media activities, stating: “I feel like we’re going to make a change and have people notice that we want to make a change within the media community.” Frank Howard, initially more skeptical, added: “I feel surprised that they’re (the media) actually asking to work with us because I thought they weren’t paying attention. We didn’t always hear back from them, but when they started reaching out about working with us in February, it felt good to know they’re listening and interested in supporting us above and beyond what we asked them to do.”
On that note, we’d like to thank WUWM, WISN Channel 12, James Causey, the Marquette Wire and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service for helping to start 2018 with more positivity, and to thank Purple Door Ice Cream for its ongoing YAC support and delicious ice cream!
Running Rebels Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is made up of youth members Ashanti Travers, Kevon Wright, Frank Howard, Victor Barnett Jr., Darius Simmons and Terrance Robinson, and leader Sandy Bogar.

author: Running Rebels Youth Advisory Council


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 7, 2018

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: February 7, 2018

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

author: Adam Carr


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Journey House wins field refurbishment from Scotts and Major League Baseball | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Journey House
February 9, 2018
Felix Mantilla League teams have played their games at Baran Park, 2600 S. Chase Ave., for decades. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Journey House has been selected by a special blue ribbon panel to receive a field refurbishment grant from the Scotts Company LLC (Scotts) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Scotts and MLB today announced the four community organizations that will receive improvements to their local ball fields through an inaugural grant initiative that is part of the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program. The Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program provides youth with modern, playable baseball and softball fields in American communities of need.
The winners of the grant program are: the Red Sox Foundation in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (MA), United Way of Central Georgia (GA), Journey House (WI) and DREAM (formerly known as Harlem RBI) (NY). Additionally, by winning one of the grants, the Atlanta Braves committed to helping refurbish a second field for the United Way of Central Georgia. A fifth grant will be awarded to another organization decided upon by an online vote set to launch next month. More than $250,000 in repairs and upgrades will be made across the five fields this spring.
Journey House is one of four grant-winning organizations announced today that were selected from over 350 grant applications across 315 cities in 43 states seeking refurbishments for their youth fields. The winning organizations were chosen by a special blue-ribbon panel which included two-time World Series champion & ESPN analyst David Ross, Olympic Gold Medalist & MLB Youth Softball Ambassador Jennie Finch, World Series champion & MLB Network analyst Cliff Floyd, MLB Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Kim Ng, Scotts Vice President & General Manager Josh Peoples and additional executives from MLB and Scotts. The panel also selected the finalists for the online vote, those of which will be announced prior to next month’s online vote.
In addition to the five grantees, this summer Scotts and MLB will refurbish a Washington, D.C. area youth field as part of MLB’s All-Star Legacy Initiative. Scotts and MLB also plan to renovate a field in Tallahassee, FL, which will be in partnership with Ross and the city of Tallahassee’s Parks & Recreation Department.
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“Having a clean, safe place to play ball is one of the most important parts of getting kids active and outside,” said Ross. “The youth in all of these communities are in for a real treat and I’m just so happy that they’ll have a greater opportunity to practice, play games, run around and just have a catch when they want. It’s wonderful to see Scotts and MLB supporting a great initiative like this for the next generation.”
More than $250,000 in repairs and upgrades will be made across the five grantee fields this spring, with another $150,000+ in support being dedicated to the three additional field refurbishments.
Journey House is an organization that empowers families on Milwaukee’s near southside to move out of poverty through youth development and family engagement, amongst other efforts. Journey House will use this grant as part of an existing project that looks to transform the urban baseball playing infrastructure into a beautiful community for its youth scholar athletes. This youth field will become one of the centerpieces of the redevelopment of the entire 15 acre Baran Park.
“At Journey House, we believe that athletic fields are our outdoor classroom.  We are honored to partner with Scotts and Major League Baseball in the renovation of our Felix Mantilla Little League Fields at Milwaukee County Baran Park,” said Dr. Michele Bria, CEO of Journey House. “We are excited about all the possibilities and opportunities that will happen for our Scholar Athletes, families, and neighborhood residents with the redevelopment of our baseball fields.  It will be truly catalytic.”
“Creating safe, quality places for kids to play is an important component in growing and retaining participation in our sport,” said Tony Reagins, MLB Senior Vice President of Youth Programs. “We congratulate these organizations for winning these inaugural grants and for putting the future of our game in a great position to succeed in these communities.”

created: February 9, 2018

author: Journey House


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 9, 2018


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MHSA senior wins national YoungArts award for jazz singing | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rachel Kubik
February 9, 2018
Princess Vaulx, a senior at Milwaukee High School of the Arts student recently won a YoungArts merit award. (Photo by Rachel Kubik)
Princess Vaulx, 17, of Milwaukee High School of the Arts, was in pre-calculus class Nov. 29 when she opened an email on her phone sent to her just 30 minutes earlier. She could not believe what she was reading. “I was shocked. For a second I was just staring, swiping the email up and down, over and over again.”
The email alerted her that she won a Merit Award from the National YoungArts Foundation for her jazz singing. The senior was one of more than 8,000 students who competed in the 2018 YoungArts competition and one of just 700 to receive recognition.
She said she was trying to stay calm, but found it difficult to contain her excitement in the quiet class that day. Right after class, she went to her vocal jazz teacher, Raymond Roberts, who had inspired her to compete.
“He really wanted to get us into the competition because he really shows us the potential that we have,” she said.
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Roberts said he expects a lot from his students, but knows they will rise to those expectations and learn something about what they can achieve. “The teen mind is kind of a nebulous thing that hasn’t totally formed yet and (having students being recognized) reinforces my philosophy of really driving kids to work hard so that they can discover their potential,” Roberts said.
To enter the competition, Vaulx recorded and submitted four songs from different styles of jazz: “Autumn in New York” by Vernon Duke, “Sunny Side of the Street” by Jimmy McHugh, “Jeannine” by Duke Pearson and “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” by Sigmund Romberg,
“Picking the songs is kind of a big deal, because they’ve got these categories to fit, but finding the songs that really fit their voice, that really highlight their strengths, is my biggest part,” Roberts said.
Vaulx received a YoungArts medal in the mail. “I wasn’t expecting it at all. … I was like, ‘what is this? I didn’t order anything online, why is this here for me?’”
Vaulx said she remembers getting serious about singing when she was in fifth grade, but a picture of her singing when she was 8 suggested that she was interested at a younger age.
She didn’t start singing jazz until she auditioned for a vocal jazz class two years ago. That’s when she tried to learn more about and appreciate jazz, and began focusing mainly on jazz music, she said.
The high soprano entered the competition last year, but was not selected. “I knew that I had grown in my art tremendously, so I just wanted to take a chance again and see if I would qualify. I knew that I definitely wouldn’t qualify if I didn’t apply,” Vaulx said.
Vaulx, who lives in Brown Deer, is planning on attending college to study kinesiology and music.
Roberts said a lot of students express interest in national competitions and the deadlines are all around the same time, the third week of October. “Students who express interest in entering those, I pretty intensely work with them one-on-one, use class time, lunch time, my prep time or … study hall,” Roberts said.
He estimated that Vaulx put in eight to 10 hours of in-class time, and practiced additional hours on top of that during the three to four weeks before the deadline for submission.
Vaulx’s medallion came to her in the mail. (Photo by Rachel Kubik)
Roberts said since 2011, the school has had six singers recognized by YoungArts. “I had an inkling that she would be recognized.” Roberts said that out of the four students who applied this year from MHSA, “I thought she had the most legitimate shot.”
“I was thrilled, and not terribly surprised, but really happy because she worked so hard for it.”
Diane De La Santos, executive director of City on a Hill, watched Vaulx grow throughout the nine years she’s been participating in the organization’s Youth Center.
“She’s quite an accomplished young singer,” De La Santos said. “What I often hear people say when they hear Princess sing, is that the song seemed to come from her heart. She’s a quiet young lady in conversation and so forth, but when she sings, she just really pours her heart out and pours her heart into her music.”
De La Santos said it was very nice to see her honored. “I was very excited for her. She has a lot of talent, she works hard on her music, she wants to use the gifts God’s given her in effective ways and to the best of her ability,” De La Santos said.
Demetrous Elam, 17, a senior at MHSA who plays alto saxophone in the jazz ensemble, has known Vaulx for about eight years. The jazz ensemble and the vocal jazz class perform together often, so Elam hears Vaulx sing “pretty much every day,” he said.
Elam said that while he was initially upset that Vaulx did not notify him immediately of her award, he was very happy that she won. “I wasn’t surprised like, ‘Oh my God, Princess, you sing so good,’ because I already knew the girl has what it takes,” he said.
Elam said it’s difficult to describe how Princess sings. “It’s like that unh, that ahh! She’s just got that juice, as Milwaukee people say.”

author: Rachel Kubik


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 8, 2018

created: February 8, 2018


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Groundbreaking new organization to recruit, train workers and connect with employers in Bucks arena district launched | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization
February 11, 2018
(Photo by Adam Carr)
To implement the next steps of an innovative agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks for job standards within the new arena and surrounding development, the Alliance for Good Jobs launched the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization today.
Known as MASH, the new organization serves as a hub to recruit, train and place workers in jobs in and near the new Bucks arena and connect them with employers covered by the agreement.
“Through this partnership we’re continuing to create jobs that pay family supporting wages while providing opportunities for those living in the hardest hit districts in the city,” said Alex Lasry, Bucks Senior Vice President. “As we’ve consistently said, this project will benefit the entire city, not just downtown.”
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Recruitment begins today for arena district jobs available beginning in June.  In the coming weeks, MASH will announce job fairs to be hosted during the spring. People interested in service jobs in the arena district can visit MASHworkers.org or email info@MASHworkers.org to apply.
“As an organization of service and hospitality workers, MASH will work at the intersection of employer and worker needs to address the challenges they face and transform employment, the industry, and our community,” said Peter Rickman, executive director of MASH.
Under the agreement:
“MASH means my life will be changed with higher wages and a real career,” said Jeffrey Greer, a lifelong Milwaukee resident who works in property services at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and Miller Park. “For the first time in my life I believe I can start a family and retire someday.”
Beyond providing a stream of pre-screened, qualified workers to employers in the arena development area, MASH intends to transform the service industry here by improving retention and reducing turnover for employers through ongoing employee development programs while also offering workers a career ladder to increasingly better jobs.
Half of all jobs in the district will be filled by people living in targeted ZIP codes in parts of the city hit hardest by low wages and high unemployment:
53204
53205
53206
53208
53210
53212 (within Milwaukee city limits)
53215
53216
53218
53221 (north of Howard Ave.)

created: February 11, 2018


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 11, 2018


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City program funds beautification projects to build social connections | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
February 12, 2018
“Compassion” features two colorful hearts and ethnic and religious symbols designed by teen Kennedy Holliman. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 12 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). The Community Improvement Project (CIP) is a finalist for the BMO Harris Cornerstone Award, which recognizes commitment and effectiveness over time.
You can vote today for People’s Choice Award winners. Click here to vote.
Kennedy Holliman was honored when fellow Urban Underground teens and Sherman Park residents chose her design for a community sculpture.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was just putting what I was feeling on the inside, out,” said Holliman, now 19.
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A high school student at the time, Holliman decided to represent the community with symbols of the neighborhood’s many ethnicities, religions and traditions.
The sculpture, called “Compassion,” was unveiled in November 2015 at the intersection where Roosevelt Avenue meets 60th and Burleigh streets to mark a neighborhood entry point. It was funded by a partnership between the city and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative.
In 2008, the city expanded the funding of small neighborhood projects into the Community Improvement Project (CIP) and offered it to neighborhoods citywide. Administered by the Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation, CIP offers matching grants of up to $4,000 for community projects, such as the “Compassion” sculpture, that engage residents and beautify neighborhoods.
The “Handala” mural by artist Jennifer Espenscheid depicts the hands of area residents arranged in the shape of a mandala. (Photo by Jessica Luebbering)
Projects include pocket parks; community gardens; public art works; signs, markers and benches among others. Communities designated GMF Healthy Neighborhoods (Capitol Heights, Havenwoods, Silver City, Burnham Park, Layton Park, Harambee, Riverwest, Sherman Park, Kinickinnic River Neighborhoods and Dunbar Oak and Tower Hill in Waukesha County) can apply for CIP matching grants of up to $10,000, according to Angela Mitchell Reid, NIDC’s community outreach liaison.
Since 2008, upwards of $1.1 million in CIP grants have funded more than 300 projects that involved 10,000-plus participants in 50 neighborhoods. An additional $2 million was leveraged from residents, businesses and organizations in these neighborhoods. Residents and neighborhood organizations must raise half of the money needed for a project to be eligible for a matching CIP grant.
“We want the neighbors to be involved. We want to hear their voices as to what they’d like in their neighborhoods,” Mitchell Reid said. A CIP “needs to be something permanent for the community,” that will add beauty and value and enhance the quality of life, she added.
In the Clarke Square neighborhood,CIP matched $4,000 contributed by the Patee Group, a real estate development company that purchased a foreclosed building from the city. Patee then added another $4,000 for a mural to adorn the west side of the building on the southeast corner of 25th Street and National Avenue.
Company owner Ryan Pattee wanted to make a commitment to Clarke Square, which he believes is poised to flourish. “It’s got good people, good geography, good architecture. I really wanted to make a statement … and hopefully invite other people to come and invest (there) as well.”
The Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative (CSNI) and the building owner discussed with residents what the neighborhood means to them and then requested proposals from artists for the mural. They also hosted a community gathering at which a volunteer photographed the hands of residents. Mural artist Jennifer Espenscheid arranged painted images of the hands, which represent a variety of ages, abilities and aspirations such as hope, peace and love, into a mandala shape. The mural, which was completed in July 2017, is titled “Handala.”
NIDC’s contribution was vital to the project, Pattee said, adding that it would have been difficult for his company to fund all the costs for the mural. He is grateful that the community “stepped up” and that the city supports and values art, he said.
CSNI’s Danielle Nabak said Clarke Square is still feeling the ripple effects of working together on the beautification project. “It’s going to have lasting impact on the neighborhood.”
CIP also offers matching grants for home repairs. Franklin Heights resident Henrietta Cloyd, who has lived in her house on North 29th Street for 48 years, received $1,500, the maximum home repair grant. She was recently able to replace three windows, she said.
“I was very happy with it … and my living room is so much warmer,” said Cloyd, 82, who learned about the CIP grant opportunity at a neighborhood association meeting. “I was so glad to get this help,” she said. “Even paying half of the cost was a hardship.”
Jonatan Zuniga, a community outreach manager at Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, said LBWN used CIP grants for “all types of community projects from community gardens, to a band shell at a park, to smaller improvement projects focused on one block.” Noting that all of the projects bring the community together and build resident leadership, he added, “There is not a lot of funding for smaller-scale projects” and if it weren’t for the CIP funds, many would not be possible.
Vanessa Llanas, formerly community outreach liaison at NIDC, said she misses working on projects that reach so deeply into the neighborhoods.
“Chances are any time you’ve driven through the city, you’ve seen the impact of Community Improvement Project grants.”

created: February 12, 2018

author: Andrea Waxman


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Milwaukee’s Mad Hot Tap Dance | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Rozga
February 12, 2018
(Photo by Heather Drummer Combs)
Milwaukee, we can be proud of our young people. Over 1,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students from 46 Milwaukee area schools danced in the annual Danceworks Mad Hot Tap Dance competition held at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Thursday, Jan. 25. They danced their hearts out. In the process, they danced away with mine.
I attended this event to watch the fourth-grade students from the MPS Milwaukee French Immersion School dance. All of them were participating, including one of my granddaughters. Not wanting to miss their performance, I arrived before the 1 p.m. start of the competition.
Small groups of dancers clustered in the hallways and filled them with the clicking of their tap shoes as they informally practiced their routines. They may have enjoyed and wanted to savor as much as possible this newly discovered joy of having their feet do their talking, but they were also serious about wanting to do their best for their school, for their partners and team, and for their own sense of accomplishment.
During the opening ceremony, the students were asked to shout out one or two words that described why they were participating,what they were learning. A group of boys sitting near me looked at each other, nodded, and then called out in unison, “Teamwork! Teamwork!”
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The competition began in earnest with Latin, the first of three dance categories. Funk and swing would follow. Ten dance circles were outlined on the concrete floor. One team with as many as six couples took each circle. Emcee Van McNeil called out, “Dancers, take your positions,” and they did. In pairs they stood back to back, waiting for the count to eight and the signal to begin. The students then gave it their all, too intent on the music and the routines they had practiced for weeks to pay attention to the five judges, all dance professionals, circulating on the floor taking notes.
During the intermission between the first round and the semi-finals, students had the opportunity to see in performance the dance teachers who had worked at their schools. Not only did they see that their teachers can do at a very high level what they teach, but they had the opportunity to return a favor, cheering their teachers on as their teachers had cheered and encouraged them.
This event required a network of collaborators all contributing their energy: all the energy of the students working individually and together to do their school proud; all the many sponsors and volunteers investing their time and resources in these wonderful young people who are too often unjustly written off by people who know nothing of Milwaukee firsthand.
The organization required to create this opportunity is amazing, much of it invisible, except for the fact that the program runs so smoothly. Someone had to show guests where to find the school they came to see. Some committee had to choose music and determine an order of procedure. Others had to find judges, invite dignitaries, line up sponsors. Still others contributed and delivered snacks for the dancers. I could go on and on. What particularly impresses me is the work of many people to keep the tap shoes that are loaned to dancers in good repair, an important factor because without those shoes, many students could not afford to participate and would miss out on all the benefits.
This is the Milwaukee where I live. This is the Milwaukee where I want to live — a city that believes in, supports, encourages and invests in the talents of our young people.

author: Margaret Rozga


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Rise and Grind Café opens on MLK Drive | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alhaji Camara
February 12, 2018
Rise and Grind Café hosted the grand opening of its second location at 2737 N. King Drive in Bronzeville on Saturday. Co-owners Larina Hightower and Baboonie “Bobbi” Tatum opened the location in the hope of becoming “a community hub.”
The café’s other location is at 6007 N. Teutonia.
The large space, formerly the Growing Power Café, houses a deli on one side and a smoothie and espresso bar on the other. In between is ample seating for guests to look out on MLK Drive through the ceiling-high windows. Empty refrigerators line the opposite wall, which will be filled with pre-made sandwiches and drinks.
In addition to the deli and café, Tatum plans to feature a market space selling naturopathic health products, fresh fruits and veggies, and other locally sourced products. The space also includes a lounge for guests and an area for local entrepreneurs to sell their goods.
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author: Alhaji Camara


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City of Milwaukee Health Department urges precautions as flu activity continues | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
February 13, 2018
Flu activity remains widespread nationwide, with increased hospitalizations in Milwaukee. The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) continues to urge residents to take steps to protect themselves and those around them against the seasonal virus.
In the city of Milwaukee, 611 flu-related hospitalizations have been reported to the MHD since the start of flu season, a significant increase compared to previous seasons. Influenza-like illness levels remain high statewide, where more than 4,300 hospitalizations have been reported.
“I urge all Milwaukee residents to take the advice of health officials to protect yourself and the people that you care about, especially those at highest risk for complications,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “These steps include getting your flu shot if you have not already. It is important to know that even if you do get sick, the flu vaccine may make your symptoms less severe. A simple flu shot could mean the difference between being home sick or being hospitalized.”
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Young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and blood disorders are at higher risk in developing severe flu complications.
Protect yourself and your loved ones in two simple steps:
1.      Get vaccinated. It’s not too late to get the flu shot. Health officials recommend flu vaccine for all individuals over 6 months of age. The vaccine protects against multiple strains of the flu, and can help prevent you from getting the flu, help prevent the spread of influenza, or help reduce the severity of symptoms if you do get sick.
2.      Prevent the spread.
a.       Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow, and wash your hands frequently. The flu virus is spread through the air when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes, or speaks. Washing your hands frequently with soap and water, or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, can also help prevent the spread.
b.      Stay home from work or school when sick. If you are experiencing symptoms of seasonal flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, and fatigue, stay home from work or school, get rest, and drink plenty fluids.
If you are at risk for complications, or if your symptoms persist or worsen, contact your health care provider, and take antiviral medications if prescribed by your doctor. Antiviral medications can reduce the severity and duration of illness in individuals at risk for complications associated with the flu, especially for those with persistent or severe symptoms.
To find a flu vaccine clinic near you, use the Flu Vaccine Finder at www.milwaukee.gov/health.

created: February 13, 2018

author: City of Milwaukee Health Department


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HUD awards nearly $240,000 to promote jobs, self-sufficiency for public housing residents in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
February 13, 2018
In an effort to help low-income residents become self-sufficient, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded nearly $240,000 today to S.E.T. Ministry, Inc. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is part of a national endeavor issued to public housing authorities, public housing resident associations, Native American tribes, and non-profit organizations across the nation to hire or retain service coordinators to help them find jobs, educational opportunities, and achieve economic and housing independence.
The funding, provided through HUD’s Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency – Service Coordinators Program (ROSS-SC) helps grantees hire or retain “service coordinators” who work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with education, job training and placement programs, and/or computer and financial literacy services available in their community to promote self-sufficiency.
“It’s part of our mission to help connect public housing residents to better, higher paying jobs and appropriated, critical services as a means of helping them move beyond public assistance and toward self-sufficiency,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “This funding gives our local partners resources they can use to help residents become economically independent and achieve the dreams they have for themselves and their children.”
“This funding will facilitate educational and economic opportunities to help residents along in their trajectory towards self-sufficiency and success,” said HUD Midwest Regional Administrator, Joseph P. Galvan.
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“Every person deserves the opportunity to build self-sufficiency,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “This funding will provide public housing residents with new pathways to achieve their goals and gain independence.”
“SET Ministry and the Housing Authority share a long and innovative partnership to improve quality of life and increase independence among HACM residents,” said HACM Secretary-Executive Director Tony Pérez. “We are thankful to HUD for this opportunity to expand our work together and to positively impact even more lives. This  grant continues to underscore that HUD sees their investments with us as an effective deployment of limited resources.”
The purpose of HUD’s ROSS-SC program is to encourage innovative and locally driven strategies that link public housing assistance with public and private resources to enable HUD-assisted families to increase earned income; reduce or eliminate their need for welfare assistance; and promote economic independence and housing self-sufficiency.  These grants provide funding to hire and retain Service Coordinators who will assess the needs of residents of conventional Public Housing or Indian housing and coordinate available resources in the community to meet those needs. In addition, ROSS-SC grants help improve living conditions for seniors, enabling them to age-in-place.


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Milwaukee teens meet with filmmaker, national black health advocate | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lorraine Lathen
February 13, 2018
(Photo courtesy of FACT)
Members of the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network and Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention & Poverty Network FACT groups, based in Milwaukee, traveled to Madison on February 3rd to attend a presentation by filmmaker and national health equity and criminal justice advocate Lincoln Mondy.
During his keynote address, Mondy spoke about how tobacco companies target African Americans with menthol cigarettes.  Menthol are easier to start and harder to quit, said Mondy, who created the film Black Lives/Black Lungs.
Recent Wisconsin data shows that 87% of African American smokers smoke menthol cigarettes, compared to 40% of White smokers. Each year 45,000 African Americans die in the United States from tobacco related causes.  FACT is Wisconsin’s youth-led tobacco prevention program.
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The event was sponsored by the Tobacco Free Columbia Dane County Coalition in its partnership with the Good Start Men’s Health Symposium.

author: Lorraine Lathen


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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February 13, 2018

author: Name *


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On the Block: A good heart | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rachel Kubik
February 13, 2018
Sabrina Watson-Love, a caregiver, said she believes that people should help each other out in a time of need, no matter what the circumstance is. She also runs Sisters of the Father Support Ministry, which helps the homeless. She looks to her elderly mother and late father to find inspiration for helping the elderly.


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39293748175_2cd98c07b1_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 12, 2018


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library_mixdown2 on the block | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 12, 2018
“library_mixdown2 on the block”. Released: 2018.


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Residents at MPD chief forum: ‘I don’t feel like my voice was heard’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
February 13, 2018
Attendees look on during the forum. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
After a forum where the two remaining candidates for acting Milwaukee police chief answered written questions from attendees posed through two moderators, residents said many of their questions remain unanswered.
“I don’t feel like my voice was heard tonight,” said Cynthia Greenwood, 60. Greenwood said moderators reworded a question about “stopping the shooting of unarmed black men and women.” She said she wasn’t able to get a satisfactory answer.
Davion Clancy, 17, who attended with three other young black men, said he would have liked to hear more about how the candidates — Inspector Michael Brunson and Capt. Alfonso Morales — planned to engage with young people and communities of color. “They didn’t talk about that,” he said.
Jermaine Reed, 44, who was with Clancy and the other young men added, “None of the young people’s questions were answered.”
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Former Police Chief Ed Flynn, who was appointed in 2008, announced his retirement, effective Feb. 16, in January. The shake-up came just as a local effort to reform the Milwaukee Police Department began with town hall meetings at the end of December. Residents have said one of the main issues is a lack of trust, particularly between police and communities of color, which are more heavily patrolled.
MPD Assistant Chief James Harpole, also named a finalist for the job by the Fire and Police Commission (FPC), announced the day before the forum that he would retire with Flynn. Harpole has been with the department for more than 30 years.
Ald. Tony Zielinski, who is running for mayor in 2020, speaks with MPD Inspector Brunson (middle) and Capt. Alfonso Morales before the event. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
LISC Executive Director Donsia Strong Hill, one of the moderators, said she was “disappointed” that some people commented that they did not feel heard. According to Strong Hill, moderators tried to cover as many questions as possible, while not duplicating questions. She said questions, which were submitted on index cards, “had to be legible,” adding that attendees were not asked to provide names or any kind of demographic information.
“They provided whatever information they wanted to,” said Strong Hill. “I can understand people wanting to remain anonymous.”
Markasa Tucker, director of the African American Roundtable, one of the organizations leading the reform effort, said questions she submitted were not answered. She suggested there could have been more thought put into how questions would be asked, with a focus on representing the different groups in attendance.
FPC Executive Director MaryNell Regan did not respond to phone calls and messages requesting comment.
About 150 people attended the the forum late last week, filling a large room at the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation headquarters, 2997 S. 20th St.
During the more-than-90-minute event, Morales and Brunson answered questions about how they would address low staffing levels, how to engage respectfully with black and Hispanic men, how they would handle officer-involved shootings and what new strategies they would bring to the department.
Morales, a Milwaukee native with more than 22 years on the force, stressed the importance of teamwork and building a culture where minorities not only occupy leadership positions within the department but are included in decision-making. He said constantly educating and proactively training officers would be a focus of his administration. Morales was head of the District 2 station for more than 10 years and currently runs MPD’s Project Safe Neighborhood-High Value Target program, a department-wide initiative designed to reduce violent crime by focusing on the worst gun offenders.
Brunson served at District 5 from 2005 to 2010, when he was promoted to commanding officer of District 3. Brunson, who also teaches criminal justice at Concordia University, said his tenure would be defined by integrity, honesty and accessibility. During a stint on the South Side, Brunson took it upon himself to learn Spanish, and spoke about the importance of communication.
Both said it would be “counterproductive” for MPD to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a regular basis.
In a 25-minute phone conversation after the forum, Brunson spoke about his views on the questions residents said went unanswered. He called some police killings, such as that of Walter Scott, shot in the back in South Carolina while unarmed and fleeing a traffic stop, “disturbing” and “indefensible.”  He said it is important to increase “positive contacts” with youth and to “show up as often as you can” to “show that you care.” And Brunson stressed the importance of leading by example, saying that people “have a right to voice their grievances,” whether against the government or police.
“I’m not above listening to people,” said Brunson. “I mean, that’s the bottom line — that’s part of being a leader … you have to be willing to listen, even to people who don’t agree with you.”
Morales did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment. The FPC is expected to make a final decision this week.

author: Jabril Faraj


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 12, 2018


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United Community Center’s dedicated volunteers to be honored at thirteenth annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
United Community Center
February 13, 2018
The United Community Center (UCC) has been successfully serving Milwaukee’s south side since 1970 due, in large part, to volunteers throughout the region that go above and beyond the call of duty to serve our agency. Each year, more than 1,000 community members and organizations share their generosity of spirit with us and therefore share in our victories. The thirteenth annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration will honor some of the most notable contributions onThursday, February 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the Latino Arts Auditorium and Gallery:
Youth Volunteer of the Year: Joshua Villa
Over the past year, Joshua has dedicated more than 75 hours of service as a mentor in our youth programs. He is an excellent role model and connects with the youth he mentors, helping them improve their academics and build self-confidence.
Athletic Coach of the Year: Marco Ayala
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Marco has coached elementary and middle school volleyball and basketball teams for the past five years. He is committed to each team he coaches and engages players through his excitement for the game.
Individual Volunteer of the Year: Kris Apfeld
Kris has dedicated many volunteer hours to BGCS, helping students learn how to read and build their vocabulary, assisting in the summer school program and working as a math tutor in afterschool programs.
In-Kind Donor Volunteers of the Year: Badger Mutual Insurance Company
Badger Mutual has generously donated time and resources to UCC for many years, currently acting as the title sponsor of the Badger Mutual Youth Wall of Fame Award. They also worked with the BGCS art department to create artwork for their corporate headquarters and have continuously donated items to our senior clients.
Volunteer Group of the Year: Marquette University Police Department
In an effort to stress the importance of literacy, volunteers from the Marquette University Police Department have spent countless hours in our Reader Leader program and have donated books to our classrooms. Sergeant Glenn Berrios-Schroeder also participates as a mentor to our teens in our Youth Programs, sharing true life stories and shifting negative perceptions into positive ones.
Corporate Volunteer Group of the Year: Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo has continuously supported UCC by facilitating various projects with our senior center clients, assisting elementary students with homework and tutoring afterschool, hosting an annual book drive, and financially supporting our programs.
Elderly Programs Volunteer of the Year: Cesar Pabón
Once an Associate Director at UCC, Cesar Pabón now volunteers his time at the center, proving his commitment to the community. His most recent project is leading a Nutrition and Fitness education class for UCC seniors.
Latino Arts Strings Program Volunteer of the Year: Francisco Hernandez
Francisco is a passionate volunteer in the Latino Arts Strings Program. He is dedicated to helping the instructors and students get the most out of group and individual guitar lessons by providing feedback and musician tips.
Thank you to all of our volunteers for their contributions and efforts, and congratulations to our Volunteer of the Year Award Winners!

author: United Community Center


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How to keep your children’s teeth and gums healthy | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Michelle Graham, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin
February 14, 2018
Visiting the dentist is important for maintaining good oral hygiene for children. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and now is a good time to brush up on proper dental hygiene techniques and get away from cavity in kids. Dental health is important for overall health in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children. Here are some ways you can make sure your children have clean and healthy teeth.
For baby’s teeth and gums:
For children’s teeth and gums:
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By taking these steps, you can start your children down the road of good oral health.

created: February 14, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 13, 2018


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SBA’s Emerging Leaders initiative to help growing entrepreneurs opens for Milwaukee recruitment | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
U.S. Small Business Administration
February 15, 2018
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the launch of the 2018 Emerging Leaders initiative for executives of small businesses poised for growth in emerging markets.  Local area recruitment for the 2018 training cycle is ongoing in Milwaukee and nationwide.  Classes are scheduled to begin in mid-April.  Interested small business owners can learn more regarding eligibility, how to apply, and class schedules at the SBA’s Emerging Leaders website.  The application deadline for Milwaukee is April 2.
The Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders initiative provides free entrepreneurship education and training for executives of small, poised-for-growth companies that are potential job creators.  This intensive executive entrepreneurship series includes nearly 100 hours of classroom time.  It also provides opportunities for small business owners to work with experienced coaches and mentors, attend workshops, and develop connections with their peers, local leaders, and the financial community.
Since its inception in 2008, the SBA’s Emerging Leaders Initiative has trained over 5,000 small business owners, creating over 6,500 jobs, generating over $300 million in new financing, and securing over $3.16 billion in government contracts.  More than 100 Milwaukee area small business owners have participated, with some achieving annual growth rates of 30-60 percent.
“Given the success of SBA’s Emerging Leaders, we have expanded the initiative to include a total of 60 locations to help growing entrepreneurs in emerging markets,” said Allen Gutierrez, associate administrator of the SBA’s Office of Entrepreneurial Development.  “I am excited for the positive economic impact that each of this year’s Emerging Leaders participants will make when using this training to take their business to the next level.”
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Business executives who want to join the 2018 Emerging Leaders in Milwaukee can register interest online at www.sba.gov/emergingleaders or by contacting Lead Business Opportunity Specialist Shane Mahaffy at Darryl.mahaffy@sba.gov or 414-297-1455.

created: February 15, 2018

author: U.S. Small Business Administration


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Women in low-wage jobs fear losing livelihood if they report harassment | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elizabeth Baker
February 15, 2018
More than half of women workers in the service industry said they experience sexual harassment on at least a weekly basis, according to a 2014 survey.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series about sexual harassment in Milwaukee. Part one focused on black women’s experiences.
As the #MeToo movement continues to gain momentum, women in hourly wage, blue collar jobs are grappling with how to address sexual harassment in their work places. For them, the stakes of reporting harassment are high.
“You endure it because you have to,” explained Amber Tucker, manager of youth programs at the MKE LGBT Community Center and adjunct sociology professor at Cardinal Stritch University.
“The decision to report harassment comes down to a paycheck. For women working for hourly wages, the lack of benefits, health insurance, and perhaps the educational qualifications to get another job all contribute to a feeling of powerlessness and insecurity,” Tucker said.
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One African-American woman, who asked not to be identified, was working on Milwaukee’s North Side as a cashier for a retail company. For about two years, her male supervisor targeted her, making inappropriate, overtly sexual comments, inviting her on dates, leaning over her and rubbing his body against her.
Amber Tucker, PhD, manager of youth programs at the LGBT Community Center and adjunct sociology professor at Cardinal Stritch University, speaks about sexual violence at a January Community Brainstorming Conference Breakfast Forum at St. Matthew C.M.E. Church. (Photo by Elizabeth Baker)
She felt uncomfortable, but she said nothing to him or anyone else. As a single mother of four young kids at the time, she did not want to risk losing her job.
“I didn’t want to make a big thing or big commotion and have it end up with me being fired or people looking at me differently,” she said. “I just tried to stay as distant as possible and continue working there, just hoping that all that stuff would die down. But it made me feel bad, like, we have to go through this just to be able to work?”
Eventually, the harassment by her supervisor did stop, and Renee (not her real name) held that job for about 15 years while raising her four children.
“Now if it happened to me I would react differently because my kids are old, but back then I couldn’t lose my job,” said Renee, now 43.
Many women in low-wage jobs face a similar predicament. According to Tucker, the fear of retaliation “may override the ability or the capacity to report to an authority, especially if (the harasser) is in a position of power.” She added, “Really it’s about power, and so when you add in class, that’s another level of subordination.”
In Renee’s case and for others like her, Tucker said the choice to stay in their jobs can also be a way to assert their own power.
“Sometimes asserting that power is just not leaving and not quitting,” Tucker said. “You’re doing this to me, but I’m going to show you that you’re not going to win.”
A study by the Center for American Progress showed that between 2005 and 2015 female- dominated industries accounted for significant percentages of workplace sexual harassment charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fourteen percent of the charges were in the accommodation and food services (defined as providing customers with lodging and/or preparing meals, snacks and beverages for immediate consumption); 13 percent in retail trade; and 11 percent in the health care and social assistance.
Accommodation and food service workers make up 7 percent of the total U.S. workforce, and more than half of the employees are female. Health care and social assistance workers make up 13.5 percent of the nation’s workforce and nearly 80 percent are women.
(Click image to enlarge)
At her job as a caregiver at a small group home, Ashley (not her real name), had a co-worker who often made inappropriate comments to her. Ashley was in her early 30s and a single mother; the co-worker was a driver for the company and a friend of the owner. He always found excuses to come when she was on the shift, she said.
“I noticed that every time he would come around he would give me strange looks, and so I kind of felt it coming,” Ashley said. “I thought that maybe if I would show him that I’m not too interested, maybe if I …keep it moving and give him no eye contact or anything like that he wouldn’t try to pursue it,” she said.
She largely ignored his comments, acting standoffish in the hopes that he would leave her alone, until one day, just a few months into her job, he grabbed her.
“It was a Saturday morning, I remember,” she said. He touched her breast while passing her on the back stairs of the client’s home.
“You never know what you would do in those types of situations, and I literally, I didn’t react. I kind of —  and I hate that I did this now — but I just kept going, I just kept coming down the stairs and I just brushed it off.”
Ashley, who is African-American, did not tell anyone about the incident, but before the end of the week, she quit. She felt overwhelmed, she said. Not only did this physical invasion of privacy make her feel vulnerable and taken advantage of, but she was also anxious about what else he might do to her and nervous to tell anyone about it.
“If you go tell your story to someone, you have to worry about the judgment from them, and then you have to worry about them saying, ‘Why didn’t you do this?’ or, ‘Why didn’t you react this way?’ and you don’t want to go through that,” Ashley said.
Even today, Ashley, now 40 and a community organizer living in the Uptown neighborhood, often looks back on that incident of sexual harassment and wonders what might have happened had she reported the abuse. Would she have been fired? Or, could she have grown her career with that company?
“I was a new employee, I was younger, and I’m wiser now, and I think now I probably would have told her (the owner) because I’m more familiar about laws and policies,” Ashley said.
Both Ashley and Renee agreed that many companies could improve their sexual harassment policies. Neither of them received formal training at these jobs. Employers prioritized and reiterated scheduling rules and vacation day policies at orientations but failed to inform workers about sexual harassment policies and what to do if they are harassed, Ashley said.
Astar Herndon, the state director of 9to5 Wisconsin, said most workplaces — especially those with low-wage workers — do not provide any information about sexual harassment, except for maybe in a manual or pamphlet. Thanks to the popularity of the #MeToo movement, 9to5 Wisconsin, which is part of a national advocacy organization that protects the rights of working women, is ramping up its anti-sexual harassment efforts. It is reaching out to local businesses to offer free workplace training to employees. 9to5 aims to help women know their rights and equip them to feel empowered in the workplace, Herndon said.
“We’re grateful for the high profile stars that have come out and brought awareness to this,” Herndon said. “Women living at the margins are feeling it in a more pointed way, and it’s far more oppressive.”
She added that 9to5 has seen an upswing in businesses and workers reaching out to the organization for resources during the past few months. The Wisconsin chapter is restructuring its website and updating materials to make resources about workers’ rights more accessible and relevant.
Herndon said she’s glad to see a culture shift occurring, but noted that there is much progress left to be made. In many industries, the work of women is inherently devalued, she said. Restaurant industry workers, for example, depend on tipping, which inherently emphasizes physical appearance, she said.
A 2014 study on sexual harassment in the service industry reported that women comprise two-thirds of all tipped restaurant workers.
Respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment from managers, co-workers and customers. More than half of the women surveyed said they experienced sexual harassment on at least a weekly basis, including deliberate touching and sexual teasing, jokes, remarks or questions from customers.
Kristina Nailen, 31, who has worked at five Milwaukee bars and restaurants, said harassment from customers is an unspoken aspect of the industry.
“It’s what’s expected. It’s part of the job. It’s difficult to go and tattle on a customer,” said Nailen, who is white. “That’s the way it feels as a woman on the job. You don’t necessarily feel very empowered.”
Her first job in the service industry was at a bar on the South Side, near her home in the Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood. She said she was immediately surprised by — and extremely uncomfortable — with the overt flirting and inappropriate comments from customers.
Around the same time, Nailen was working one of her first shifts at a sports bar in West Allis when a customer grabbed her backside as she walked by his table.
“It shook me,” she said. “I gave him a sideways look, and then I hustled back behind the bar where it was safe.” She told no one about the incident and went on with her work as normal.
“There’s people all around. They see it, they hear it, but nothing ever gets done about it,” Nailen said. “If I were my true self about it, I would prefer that they (harassers) be kicked out … but we’re not in a position as servers to do that.”
Today, Nailen works four jobs, two of which are in the service industry, to pay for student loans, rent, car payment and other basic needs.
“I do this because it’s important to me to be independent and meet some other financial goals, and that’s been really difficult to do without the supplemental income that I find in the service industry.”
She said sexual harassment by customers is rarely a topic of conversation among co-workers, and she has not yet seen the effects of the #MeToo movement reach the service industry.
“I think that in real time what we’re still seeing is the same,” she said. “I have not had any discussions with my female co-workers about these issues or the movement. I don’t hear it talked about on the job at all.”
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service partnered with Milwaukee PBS to cover the issue of sexual harassment in Milwaukee. Tune in to 10thirtysix tonight at 9 p.m. for other perspectives on this story, or view the program here: http://www.milwaukeepbs.org/local-programs/programs/10thirtysix.

author: Elizabeth Baker


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 14, 2018


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Developer Kalan Haywood works to ‘build people, build solutions’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Talis Shelbourne
February 16, 2018
Kalan Haywood started honing his development skills on architectural drafting boards at the age of 16. (Photo by Talis Shelbourne)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 12 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Kalan Haywood is a finalist for the Northern Trust Navigator Award, which recognizes individual leadership.
You can vote today for People’s Choice Award winners. Click here to vote.
Developer Kalan Haywood, Sr. was 15 years old when he encountered Tyrone Dumas, a former director at the City of Milwaukee’s Bridges & Building Services department.
“I met Tyrone at a seminar he provided to [Riverside University High School],” Haywood said. “His whole mission at the time was to make sure I didn’t do knucklehead teenage boy stuff.”
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Haywood found himself interning with Dumas during his junior year in high school. Afterwards, he earned his first paycheck interning at EU Architects before studying architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Now he is president of the Haywood Group, which he co-founded in 1999.
Haywood was born and raised in Brewers Hill, a predominantly African-American and Hispanic neighborhood during his youth that has since become majority white. As Haywood grew up, he saw the effects of gentrification firsthand.
“I heard my grandmother say how she felt left out of the process,” Haywood recalled. “They were pushed out, in essence, of a community that they were raised in, that they loved, and had spent so many years investing in.”
Haywood Group renovated the Germania Building at 135 W. Wells St. in a $25 million project. (Photo by Talis Shelbourne)
The young Haywood’s experience deeply affected his development style later on. “We don’t develop with budgets or calculations,” he said. “Our vision is set and founded in morals [and] the voice of our heart.”
During the past 18 years, Haywood has developed subdivisions, single-family homes, residential apartments, commercial spaces and retail stores in Milwaukee and other cities that he said “look and feel like Milwaukee,” such as St. Louis, Louisville and Indianapolis.
With his $25 million Germania building renovation in 2014, Haywood became the first African-American developer to build in downtown Milwaukee. However, the accomplishment left him with mixed feelings.
“For it to be ‘20-anything’ and we’re still saying, ‘first black anything,’ is ridiculous. So ok, it’s a good win but at the end of the day,” he said, “being the ‘first black’ says something about the rest of the city too.”
When he renovated the historic building, at 135 W. Wells St., he added residential housing and, in the summer of 2017, moved the Haywood Group’s offices there.
“He’s a strong businessman,” said Clifton Phelps, a JCP Construction partner who has worked on Haywood’s commercial projects. “You would think that he’s been doing this for 40 years.”
“He’s the kind of person who takes an eyesore and he breathes life into [it],” Phelps added. “Mainly, that downtown area was a ghost town for the last 15 to 20 years. And he had vision to put housing where there was a big housing lag.”
Haywood brought that same vision to his project with JCP Construction to move Walgreens from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to North Avenue.
“He was building or trying to build a Walgreens in the old Jim Patterson tire lot,” on the 2700 block of North Avenue, Phelps said. “By the end of the conversation, he had us convinced.”
Later, Haywood approached Phelps about the possibility of constructing a healthy grocery store in Bronzeville.
“He literally came into our office, walked straight to look for me and my two brothers and said, ‘Look, we are going to solve this fresh food desert in our community and I want you guys to help,’” Phelps said.
Pete’s Fruit Market, which opened in September 2017, resulted from what Haywood described as a holistic development approach.
“It wasn’t us coming in and saying, ‘You guys need a grocery store,’” Haywood explained. “They said, ‘We won’t settle for anything less than a grocery store.’”
Ben McKay, chief community assistance planner at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, worked with Haywood on a four-year regional housing research project, which analyzed patterns in Milwaukee’s housing/development sector and studied its effects on health, employment, transportation and other factors.
“He provided us with a much better understanding of the connections between the affordability of housing in Wisconsin and how that relates to better job opportunities for Wisconsin residents,” McKay explained.
“We just wanted to make sure that we did not have housing [in] a silo,” Haywood explained.
Haywood is vice chair of Milwaukee’s Housing Trust Fund Advisory Board, which examines proposals and assesses their financial viability and community impact. He also sits on the advisory board’s Technical Review Subcommittee.
According to Mario Higgins, associate director of the city’s Community Development Grants Administration, Haywood has always emphasized giving new and local developers opportunities to improve Milwaukee’s most dilapidated areas and his development expertise has made him an invaluable member of the advisory board.
“His background as a developer is extremely valuable for the committee in making those decisions on who to fund,” Higgins said.
For Haywood, infrastructure and community are indivisible. “Our part is not just to build bricks and mortar,” he said, “but to build people and build solutions.”
Haywood said he feels compelled to “build” the next generation. He visits classrooms to speak to students regularly. He said it is important for young people to have access to role models.
“Sometimes it is being present in the classroom. Sometimes it is when we sponsor basketball teams. … A lot of times, it’s saying ‘here is my story’ and young brother, young sister — whoever you may be — ‘here is my blueprint, you can use it.’”
Now a mentor and role model, Haywood said Dumas is never far from his mind.
“There is probably not a day that goes by that I do not think about Tyrone, that I do not think about myself as a kid. There is not a news story that goes by about a young man murdered that does not remind me of my childhood — how things could have been. So I am doing my part and I think Tyrone would want me to do that.”

created: February 16, 2018

author: Talis Shelbourne


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 15, 2018


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Teen art exhibit spreads awareness about sex trafficking | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
February 17, 2018
Bianca Williams had just turned 13 when her mother kicked her out of the house. With nowhere to go and no one to support her, Williams turned to exotic dancing, working clubs and private shows to provide for herself.
“My whole immediate family pretty much came from that lifestyle so I thought that was the only thing that I could be, because that’s all I saw growing up,” Williams said, adding that she was “groomed into the dancing field” by her mother and grandmother, who put her mother out at 13, too.
She said no one seemed to care. Even when she became pregnant for the first time at 17, doctors didn’t look into the situation. “Someone needed to say something — someone needed to intervene and talk about what was going on.”
Williams wanted to get out, and she wanted to help other girls and family members get out too. So, at 21, she founded A Cry for Help Foundation, which provides girls with the resources and support to escape the world of human and sex trafficking; Feb. 13 marked five years since Williams stopped dancing.
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Williams was the featured speaker at a recent youth art exhibit focused on human trafficking.
The showcase featured art produced by middle and high school students that “portrays the dangerous trafficking world,” according to the Neu-Life website. The artwork, created in Neu-Life’s ARTREACH program between 2012 and 2016, illustrates multiple themes. They include how perpetrators prey on young people, how human trafficking turns people into objects for profit, how difficult it can be for victims to leave and that not only girls are at risk. The Feb. 6 event was sponsored by Neu-Life Community Development, Milwaukee Public Schools and the Zonta Club of Milwaukee. It was held at the Milwaukee Public Library Central Branch.
Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry with more than 120 million victims worldwide, according to Donna Neal, a member of the Zonta Club, which advocates on behalf of victims and works with legislators to combat trafficking. State Sen. Lena Taylor, who attended the event, referred to Milwaukee as “a hub” of sex trafficking.
According to a Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service report, 133 Milwaukee children were trafficked, or suspected of being trafficked, in 2014 and 800 youth in Milwaukee who are homeless, have run away or received emergency support services are at risk for sex trafficking. However, data can be hard to come by because of the industry’s secretive nature.
Milwaukee’s poverty rate is about twice the national average.
Ayanna Martin, 17, said she didn’t know too much about the issue until she went through the Neu-Life program in summer 2016. She called trafficking “depressing,” “frustrating” and “sad,” adding that it is “way more than just prostitution.”
“You’re working for people; you’re making money for someone; your body is the item that’s being sold,” Martin said.
Martin and Quaveion Brown, 18, who participated in the program at 15, said it was “shocking” to hear the stories of trafficking survivors. Brown said he wants people to know that young people need support. “It’s not easy to go through this alone,” he said.
Attendees called the exhibit “thought-provoking” and “powerful.” They said it’s important for parents and community members to ask questions and create an environment where young people are comfortable enough to confide in a trusted adult. Providing resources, support and looking out for each other is also important, they said.
“Your heart breaks,” said Cathy Lathrop, 69, a Shorewood resident. “It doesn’t take much for some circumstances to put a kid in a vulnerable spot.”
“We have to start by seeing something, saying something, being willing to be engaged, being willing to not be silent,” Taylor said. “In the end, it’s us. There’s no magic answer.”

created: February 17, 2018


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Nine new members join Artists Working in Education’s board of directors | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Raina Johnson
February 18, 2018
As Artists Working in Education welcomes their 20 year of service to the Milwaukee community, we are pleased to announce nine additions to our board of directors.
In total, AWE is delighted to have nineteen board members who want to ensure Milwaukee area youth have access to the visual arts, and are thinking about public art in a new way though our strong Truck Studio and Artist-in-Residence programs. Our new board members are:
Danielle Decker, City of Milwaukee, Legislative Fiscal Manager
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Bess Earl, LISC Milwaukee, Program Officer
Johannah Karstadt St. John, Professional Dimensions, Director
Janine Kolbeck, Engberg Anderson Architects, Marketing and Development
Donte McFadden, Marquette University, Senior Associate Director UR/HIP and Educational Opportunity Program
Tony Panciera, Greater Milwaukee Committee, Project Director of MKE United
Margret Petrie, UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, Assistant Dean for Academics
Paul Schleicher, Town Bank, Business Banking Representative
Shameka Tyler, Human Resources Professional
“It’s an exciting moment for AWE. These new leaders bring a depth of neighborhood planning, strategic business management, youth service, marketing and fund development experience to AWE as we look to the future and build deeper relationships in the community,” said Adam Carr, board chair at Artists Working in Education.

created: February 18, 2018

author: Raina Johnson


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logo jpg_hires | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
February 14, 2018


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Various job opportunities from IKEA, Bucks arena and employers from construction and manufacturing trades | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee
February 18, 2018
IKEA is hosting hiring events on Saturday February 24th and Sunday February 25th 2018 at 5007 S. Howell Avenue. Click on this hyperlink to see available positions and apply now! Then, choose to attend the Saturday or Sunday event for an interview.
BUCKS ARENA is committed to hiring 50% of their end-user workers from the following Milwaukee Zip Codes and has retained MASH to do so:
53204, 53205, 53206, 53208, 53210, 53212 (within Milwaukee City Limits), 53215, 53216, 53218, 53221 (North of Howard Avenue)
Click on this hyperlink to sign up with Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization (MASH). Someone from MASH’s hiring hall will be in touch with you. BUCKS will be hiring individuals with experience in Food Service, Hospitality, Healthcare, Janitorial, Catering, Retail and Security.
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The Joseph Project will be hosting a Manufacturing hiring event this week on Friday February 16th 2018 at Employ Milwaukee located on 2342 N. 27 Street. Doors open at 3:00 pm and close to 5:30 pm. Come ready for an interview and bring along your resume. See attached flyer for more details.
Arandell is accepting applications for 2 and 3 shift Entry Level Bindery Workers and Joggers. Arandell is located in Menomonee Falls (east of Hwy.45 between Good Hope Road. and Main Street.). Starting pay is over $11.00 for both positions and you can earn up to four automatic increases in your first 18 months of work.
Provided by Common Council – City Clerk’s Workforce Development Office

author: City of Milwaukee


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Ascension Wisconsin unveils new community wellness program: “Be of Good Heart” | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ascension Wisconsin
February 19, 2018
Ascension Wisconsin leadership team members and Milwaukee-area community leaders take aim at heart disease. (Photo courtesy of Ascension Wisconsin)
In honor of National Heart Health Month, Ascension Wisconsin unveiled its new community wellness program – “Be of Good Heart” – on Tuesday, February 13. The program will partner with 90 Milwaukee-area Urban Church Wellness congregations to provide 2,000 people living in poverty with free screenings for hypertension and diabetes – primary causes of heart disease and death.
Ascension Wisconsin chose to focus on diabetes and hypertension because a large percentage of people are unaware that they have these diseases. Among African-Americans, more than 40% of diabetes cases and 25% of hypertension cases are undiagnosed.
Dr. Joshua Liberman, preventive cardiologist at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s and one of the founding supporters of Be of Good Heart, spoke about the health disparity of heart disease in African-American communities:
“Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in this country,” he said, “Out of the 72 counties in Wisconsin, Milwaukee consistently ranks the worst in heart health – with people living in Milwaukee County having four years less life expectancy than those living in Ozaukee County. Our zip codes matter more than our genetic codes.”
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The “Be of Good Heart” Community Wellness Program will reduce this health disparity for underserved African-Americans living in central Milwaukee by:
“We need people that care about us to take care of us,” said Julia Means, BSN, parish nurse at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s, “We cannot just tell people where to get care, we have to show them and remind them that the power of their health is in their hands.”
Be of Good Heart community screening sites will be listed on www.urbanchurchwellness.org.
If you are interested in becoming a screening site, please contact Penelope Stewart, community outreach coordinator, at Penelope.stewart@ascension.org or (414) 585-4805.
Ascension Wisconsin Be of Good Heart Screening Sites:
Ascension Ebenezer Health Resource Center
3132 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53212
Wednesdays & Thursdays – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
(Located on the lower level of Ebenezer Church of God in Christ)
Ascension St. Joseph’s Hospital – Conference Room ST1824                                                                                5000 W. Chambers Street Milwaukee, WI 53210
Mondays – 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
(Located in the front entrance of the main lobby of the hospital)

created: February 19, 2018

author: Ascension Wisconsin


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 19, 2018

author: Adam Carr


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Riverwest 24 bike ride strives to create ‘feeling of togetherness’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dean Bibens
February 19, 2018
Riders pose after the Riverwest 24 race last summer. (Photo courtesy of Steve Whitlow)
Editor’s note: This article is one of an occasional series profiling the 12 finalists for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs). Riverwest 24 is a finalist for the Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award, which recognizes public space that helps build community.
You can vote today for People’s Choice Award winners. Click here to vote.
Nearly 11 years ago, Jeremy Prach and Paul Kjelland made their way out west on a trip to see the Baja 1000, an off-road race that takes place in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. That race inspired them and four other friends (Chris Fons, Mike McGarry, Steve Whitlow and Wendy Mesich) to create a tradition of their own in the Riverwest neighborhood.
“There was one thing that Paul and I realized when we were watching the Baja race,” Prach said. “No matter what town we watched in, everyone in the community would be cheering as the racers would make their way through and that was really awesome.” Prach and his friends were determined to bring that atmosphere home to Riverwest.
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As soon as Prach told Whitlow about the idea, he was on board. “That feeling of togetherness and being neighborly is something that we’ve really strived for,” Whitlow said. Once the course map was devised, Whitlow and Prach agreed that riders should make stops to check in at different places.
“We needed multiple checkpoints where riders would stop and get their manifest punched and my house has been the first checkpoint for every year we’ve been doing this.”
More than 200 volunteers work to prepare for the event, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last summer. They arrange stops that require riders to get off their bikes and explore the neighborhoods’ public spaces. These checkpoints have included the COA Youth & Family Centers, where the riders participated with youth on group projects; Habitat for Humanity, where they helped prep construction materials; Reservoir Park, for a view of the sunrise; and Riverwest Food Pantry.
Bikers whiz down Pierce Street during the annual Riverwest 24 ride. (Photo courtesy of Sara Stathas)
“The youth at COA have benefited a lot from this event and we are all grateful for what it has accomplished in its 10 years,” said Tom Schneider, executive director of COA Youth & Family Centers. “It’s just good for the city of Milwaukee as a whole,” he added.
According to Jake Brandt, Habitat for Humanity marketing director, “Riverwest 24 does a great job of bringing community together, but our checkpoint was difficult to reach due to treacherous road conditions. In years past we enjoyed working with Riverwest 24 so it would be great to collaborate with them again.” Habitat for Humanity has not participated in Riverwest 24 since 2010, according to Brandt.
For 24 hours, once a year, the Riverwest community celebrates the vibrancy of street life as families and friends ride, walk and watch the neighborhood in action, the organizers say. According to Whitlow, the event takes place in rain or shine and there is always a stellar turnout.
“The first year we started this event, there were about 188 participants, but we knew we could get more,” he said. “This past year, we had over 1,300 riders involved, our most ever, and it’s crazy to think how much this event has grown over the years.”
Jim Kogutkiewicz, 41, wanted to participate in Riverwest 24, but never made it because he missed the deadline for registration. “I’ve hung out in Riverwest during the race, but I really wanted to officially ride,” he said. “In 2017 I was able to join a team, and it exceeded every expectation. The neighborhood turns out for it and makes it such a huge party, but the organizers also go beyond to make sure your ride puts you in real, one-on-one contact with other people.”
Kogutkiewicz, a Shorewood resident, said that two “bonus checkpoints” were the best part of the race. “There was an activity where you are paired with another person, randomly, and you give your full life story in five minutes. I really valued hearing him sincerely explain his life, and talking to him.”
Riders are awarded nominal prizes for finishing the ride, according to Whitlow. “We had a complaint one year that there should be trophies for all participants, so we went ahead and got marbles and other things to let people build their own trophies after the conclusion of the race,” he said. “We also bought ice sculptures one year, which is ironic because the race is in the … summer and it all melts away,” he joked.
Whitlow said he does not expect the race to ever exceed 1,500 people because of the limited number of volunteers.
One Riverwest resident, Jennifer Quint, said she loves the race because of its ability to bring an entire community together. “This is one of my favorite days of the year because I can hang out with my friends until the sun rises and bike [until] I can’t feel my legs anymore.”

author: Dean Bibens


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 18, 2018


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Gallery displays portraits of local figures by black artists | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alhaji Camara
February 20, 2018
The Fresh Perspective Art Collective displayed its Urban Wood, Urban Heroes Gallery, last weekend, in which African-American artists used recycled wood from local ash wood trees as canvasses to portray prominent figures in Milwaukee’s history. They include baseball great Hank Aaron; Ezekiel Gillespie, who successfully sued for his right to vote in the 1890s; and George Marshall Clark, the only African-American lynched in Milwaukee.
This was the second year of the gallery, which took place at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center, and featured new and old artworks. Wudeward Urban Forest provided ash wood lumber to the collective, a group of black professional artists who curate art shows to sell their work.
Willie Weaver-Bey, a participating artist, painted the late Eric Von, a broadcast journalist and host of a popular morning show on WNOV. Weaver-Bey served a 40-year prison sentence, where he taught himself how to draw and paint. He says his experience in the prison system has inspired him to give back.
He hopes to intervene in the lives of at-risk youth to keep them out of the prison system, and art is his medium to do so. “Keep your ear to the ground and give back to the community,” said Weaver-Bey.
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Wudeward owner Dwayne Sperber is an advocate for the innovative use of “urban wood.” According to the company’s website, Sperber works to build awareness and markets for the abundance of wood being removed from municipalities due to insect, disease, storm damage or other reasons. The company recovers the wood to give it a second life as lumber, flooring, millwork and other innovative uses.

created: February 20, 2018


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On The Block: Kickball League organizer | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elliot Hughes
February 20, 2018
Nicole Groce, 44, is an organizer for Milwaukee’s Urban Kickball League for adults. The league runs 13 weeks, beginning in the spring and running into the summer at Meaux Park in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. She called the league a “good opportunity for fellowship amongst family, friends.” She is currently trying to fill five open spots for food vendors. More information about the league and vending opportunities can be found at www.urbankickball.org.

author: Elliot Hughes


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 20, 2018


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Two new centers to provide financial and career coaching for city residents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rachel Kubik
February 20, 2018
Eve Hall, president and CEO of Milwaukee Urban League, speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for two new Financial Opportunity Centers. (Photo by Rachel Kubik)
Two new Financial Opportunity Centers in Milwaukee, just opened Feb. 13, will help low- and moderate-income individuals build credit, savings and assets, among other services.
The new FOCs are operated by the Milwaukee Urban League at 435 W. North Ave. and Milwaukee JobsWork, at 2821 N. 4 St. Milwaukee LISC partnered with Milwaukee Urban League and Milwaukee JobsWork to establish the centers.
Two pre-existing FOCs are continuing to operate at Riverworks Center on the North Side and Journey House on the South Side.
The Riverworks Center and Journey House FOCs together have more than 500 clients per year who benefit from employment and career counseling, one-on-one financial coaching and low-cost financial products. Clients also can be connected with income supports such as food stamps, utilities assistance and affordable health insurance. The new FOCs are expected to serve at least 100 additional clients each year.
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Eve Hall, president and CEO of Milwaukee Urban League, said she is excited that additional service and support will be available for people looking for jobs.
“People are very excited about the role that the Urban League is taking in terms of collaboration with other nonprofit organizations and also in terms of enhancing the service that we’re providing to our clients,” Hall said.
Michael Adams, the director of employee development at Milwaukee JobsWork, said LISC approached JobsWork to open an FOC because of its workforce model — providing clients with case management, counseling, comprehensive trainings and ultimately job placement.
Adams said the partnership will help JobsWork serve its clients in a more comprehensive way, adding that the community will see a model that’s been missing for quite some time.
Shaunta Gibbs has been a client of the Riverworks FOC for the past two years. Because of the help she’s received, her credit has improved from a score in the 300s to a score in the 600s.
Gibbs, 34, is also a first-time homeowner. “This was … a milestone that I wanted to have in my life done by a certain time and I was able to meet that goal … so I’m really excited about that,” Gibbs said.
The coach encouraged Gibbs to set financial goals, as well as short- and long-term life goals. “You can’t get yourself financially together if you’re not together, so you work on yourself and then you work on (finances), and (then) you work on both at the same time.”
Gibbs participated in scheduled monthly appointments, but voluntarily saw her coach weekly. Her coach would ask her whether she was sticking to her budget and if she had talked with her banker about refinancing. “She was just trying to make sure I’m on my square and I haven’t dropped the ball.”
Gibbs said having a coach was like having a big sister who wants to see her do well and be a productive citizen. She said she did all the work and put in the sweat. Her coach was there to “guide me and comfort me through all of it,” Gibbs said.
Sakuri Fears, who oversees financial income and wealth building programming at LISC, said financial coaching benefits more than the individual. “We know that once people have financial stability, they’re able to really invest in their communities in a number of different ways.”
Fears said LISC is looking to increase the number of people served by the FOCs, as well as build out the program to be deeper and more meaningful for people.
“Low- to moderate-income families, often times, their budget is very tight. The additional support, we believe, is going to be helpful,” Hall said.
She advised families in a difficult financial situation to seek out the Financial Opportunity Centers for guidance and support, and not to be discouraged. “There are organizations and people out there to help.”

author: Rachel Kubik


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Daddy/Daughter Dance celebrates 15 years with sold-out event | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Cannon
February 21, 2018
Dray Norwood has brought his four daughters to the Daddy/Daughter Dance nearly every year since the first one in 2003. What started as an event attended by 25 people in a cafeteria has grown into a gymnasium full of 1,000 people 15 years later.
“It’s all about getting to spend quality time with my girls, before they go away,” said Norwood.
Thirteen-year-old Lenehja Norwood said she has gotten a lot taller since she attended her first Daddy/Daughter dance as a young girl. This year, she and her three sisters wore matching black and white outfits and braided their hair for a special night out with their father.
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“It took a while to decide how we were going to dress and what we like,” said Lenehja.
The dance, which sold out for the fifth year in a row, was held at North Division High School, 1011 W. Center St. The event was hosted by Milwaukee Recreation, Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, Social Development Commission and Milwaukee Public Schools.
“It’s kind of like the old saying, ‘If you build it they will come’ and I think that’s really what happens with most of our programs,” said Brian Hoffer, marketing manager for Milwaukee Recreation.
Hoffer said Milwaukee Recreation hosts many events every season targeting youth development, and the Daddy/Daughter Dance is its flagship event.
For the first time, the dance was streamed live on Facebook this year.
David Polk said his wife spent a lot of time getting his two daughters ready for the night. They came downstairs all dolled up and they took pictures together before coming to the dance.
“It was like an early prom night for my girls,” said Polk. “We’re definitely making this a ritual.”
More than 100 volunteers and staff worked to put on the event. Photographers were there to take professional pictures for the fathers and daughters to have a memento from the night.
Dale Shuster, a volunteer who used to work for SDC, knew that even after he retired he would want to participate in the event.
“I think it serves a need. I think there are unfortunately not a lot of outlets for positive family experiences, but I think this is one that people recognize, and they jump at,” said Shuster.
Toward the end of the night, the dance floor was transformed into a “battlefield,” with daughters on one side and dads on the other.
Brooklyn Love, 9, in a white, flowing dress said that the dance battle is her favorite part of the whole night.
“Except we smoke them every time,” said Greg Love, her father.
The dance competition pits the dads against the daughters. Hip-hop songs from the ‘90s such as “This Is How We Do It” inspired the dads to show off their old moves, sparking laughter from their daughters. The daughters danced to modern songs such as “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” as the fathers beamed with pride.
The daughters won.
Dale Williams, project coordinator of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, said that the night is about fathers showing daughters how they deserve to be treated on a date. He added that it is sometimes the first date dads have with their daughters, but it should not be the last.
“Our mission is to get fathers involved with the lives of their children,” said Williams.

created: February 21, 2018

author: Margaret Cannon


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
February 21, 2018


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How seniors can protect themselves from tax scams | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Michelle and David Kyhn, Home Instead Senior Care
February 21, 2018
The vast majority of seniors today are using the internet at least once a week to check email, pay bills online and keep in touch via social media. But all that time online puts them at risk for scams and hacks, such as tax fraud.
In fact, a study by Home Instead Senior Care found that 66 percent of surveyed older adults have been the victim of an online scam or hack.
Encouraging seniors to practice cyber security can go a long way toward protecting their identity and sensitive financial information.
Older adults can take the following steps now to protect themselves online:
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How to Become a Force For Positive Change | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kelly Fay
February 21, 2018
Alverno College will host a seminar on how to become an agent of positive change on Wednesday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. Deanna Singh, an accomplished author, educator, business leader, and champion for marginalized communities will lead the seminar entitled The Anatomy of a Social Entrepreneur. Audience members will be given the tools and courage to imagine, activate and impact the world in a positive way.
“My hope is that people who come to my seminar will walk away feeling like they have permission to go out and make a change,” said Singh. “One of my favorite things is when people reach out to me six months, a year or two years later and say, ‘I was sitting in the audience, and I was thinking about doing this thing and I did.’ To play a role in someone else’s journey, there’s really no greater feeling.”
Singh is the founder of Flying Elephants, and has spent nearly 20 years researching and designing solutions to complex social challenges. She was recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies at Fordham University, a law degree from Georgetown University, and an MBA from UW- Madison.
The seminar is free and open to the public. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.alverno.edu/center-academic-excellence/cfae-events.php.
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About Alverno College
Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business are open to women and men.
A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The College has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education and for the past eight years has been ranked one of the top five schools in the Midwest doing “the best job of educating undergrads” by U.S. News & World Report.
Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.

author: Kelly Fay


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
February 20, 2018