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Post from Community: MATC appoints Dr. Naydeen Gonzalez-De Jesus Executive Vice President of Student Success and Laquitha “Elle” Bonds Vice President of Human Resources | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
December 23, 2020
Dr. Naydeen Gonzalez-De Jesus and Laquitha “Elle” Bonds (Photos provided by Milwaukee Area Technical College)
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Milwaukee Area Technical College has hired two new leaders who will shape enhanced student and employee workplace experiences and strengthen MATC’s position as an educational leader in our community. Dr. Naydeen Gonzalez-De Jesus has been appointed executive vice president of student success and Laquitha “Elle” Bonds has been named vice president of human resources.
“We are proud to announce that two outstanding leaders will fill these extremely important positions at the college,” said Dr. Vicki J. Martin, MATC president. “This is a pivotal and extraordinary time for MATC, which is navigating organizational change to drive greater student success. Our new organizational structure is centered on creating a student experience that focuses on eliminating our achievement gaps so all students can succeed. These experienced leaders will help shape these important efforts.”
The new position of executive vice president of student success brings together academics and student services in a new structure for MATC. Dr. Gonzalez-De Jesus will ensure collaborative strategy and implementation of initiatives to improve students’ educational experience at MATC — and their preparation for success after graduation. She will oversee the vice president, enrollment management; the vice president, learning; the vice president, retention and completion; the executive directors of the Mequon, Oak Creek and West Allis campuses; and the student Title IX coordinator. She will play a vital role in the college’s firm commitment to the nationally-recognized Guided Pathways framework to help more students graduate and achieve their dreams.
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Gonzalez-De Jesus most recently served as the public diplomacy officer for the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, dedicating her time to impacting the lives of students from the U.S. and abroad by creating connections and platforms for student success and faculty-led research. Her previous roles include serving as vice president of student affairs for Bergen Community College in New Jersey; associate dean, academic advising, and working with special populations at Rowan College at Burlington County in New Jersey; and as assistant dean of student services, and founding member and director of the Center for Student Success at Salem Community College in New Jersey.
While at Bergen, Dr. Gonzalez-De Jesus led Project Graduation, an initiative that was nationally highlighted through the American Association of Community College’s 21st Century Center, which also received several Bellwether Award nominations for its ability to help students complete their college education, thus moving the needle on student success with a focus on equity. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University, a master’s degree in student personnel services from Rowan University and a doctorate from Northcentral University in industrial/organizational psychology.
“I see this role as a strategic opportunity to position equity, through inclusion and social justice, at the center of everything we do at MATC to increase student success,” said Gonzalez-De Jesus. “MATC’s mission to transform lives is what attracted me to MATC — the laser focus on strategic community involvement to empower students through education that leads to family-sustaining jobs.”
As vice president of human resources, Bonds succeeds Cheryl Zima.  Bonds leads the Human Resources Department by utilizing best industry policies, practices and trends to oversee talent management, succession planning, innovation, collaboration, employee recognition, compensation and benefits programs, legal compliance, data analysis and other HR systems. Among her responsibilities are positioning the college as a preferred place to work and serving as a change agent for diversity, equity, inclusion and multiculturalism.
Bonds was director of talent operations at Waukesha County Technical College for the past nine years. During that time she designed and implemented their first HR Partner business model, led the college through a compensation study and served as the affirmative action officer as well as deputy Title IX coordinator. Prior to that, Bonds worked for local hospital systems for nine years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management and communications from Concordia University and a master’s degree in management from Cardinal Stritch University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, one of the largest African-American sororities in the world, which has received international recognition for service to the community. The Milwaukee chapter has been honored for commitment to offering resources, support and programming for MIlwaukee’s inner city.
“Being a life-long Milwaukeean, I know the rich history of MATC. I am excited to join the college as we look to reshape the way in which we provide services to our community and position MATC as an employer of choice.” Bonds said. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose challenges in our lives and our workplaces. In the midst of all of this, MATC is moving forward with new strategic priorities — the student experience, organizational excellence, equity and community impact.”
Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. Nearly 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 150 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 35 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

author: Milwaukee Area Technical College


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 23, 2020

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: December 23, 2020

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

author: Adam Carr


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Post from Community: MATC horticulture class shares poinsettias they grew with Hunger Task Force | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
December 23, 2020
(Left to right) Cassie Brayton, Laurie Weiss and Hort Club President Brian Morrison prepare poinsettias for donation to Hunger Task Force.
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Students in Milwaukee Area Technical College’s landscape horticulture associate degree program produced a quality crop of holiday poinsettias this year.
Laurie Weiss’s Fall Greenhouse Production class grew the plants which couldn’t be sold this year because the annual holiday plant sale was canceled due to Covid-19.
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The class and the Horticulture Club decided to share the plants with the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee. Horticulture Club President Brian Morrison, instructor Laurie Weiss, instructor Delisa White, and Horticulture Department Chairperson and Hort Club Advisor Cassie Brayton worked together to sleeve and package the plants that were then transported by Weiss and Brayton in mid-December to the Hunger Task Force where they were distributed to the community.


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Post from Community: Registration is now open for First Stage Winter and Spring Theater Academy 2021 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Cindy Moran
December 23, 2020
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
First Stage Theater Academy, the nation’s leading high-impact theater training program for young people, is offering both virtual and limited in-person classes at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center for its Winter and Spring Academy programs, with winter classes beginning Wednesday, January 13, 2021 and spring classes beginning Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
Both virtual and in-person classes will follow First Stage’s curriculum of Acting, Musical Theater, Improvisation and more led by professional theater artists, fostering life skills through stage skills. Class highlights include weekly acting workshops themed with specific plays or stories, virtual Master Classes for middle and high school students focusing on specialized Classes are available for students in grades K3 – 12.
These programming adjustments continue to ensure the health and safety of students, families, staff and teaching artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person classes will see additional health and safety procedures implemented, including staggered class start times, smaller class sizes, student temperature checks upon arrival, ensuring of six-foot separation among students and staff, requirements of masks to be worn by all students and staff and thorough cleaning of facilities between classes. To learn more about First Stage’s COVID-19 health and safety measures, go to https://bit.ly/Academy-COVID-19.
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Cost: Tuition varies depending upon length of class. Financial assistance is available.
Location: Online, with limited in-person classes at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 West Walnut Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212.
Website: www.FirstStage.org/schoolyear
Phone: (414) 267-2970

author: Cindy Moran


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UPDATED: Where to find free meals in Milwaukee during the holidays | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 23, 2020
Though large gatherings are canceled, food pantries like this one at the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center are still open. (File photo by Mark Doremus)
We are hearing a lot from people looking for food, so we’ve created a list of food pantries, food banks and meal distribution centers.
Note that this is not a complete list, and times and locations may have changed by the time you read this. Please call before visiting a site.
We want to keep this list updated. If we have missed a resource, let us know by emailing your information to info@milwaukeenns.org with “meals” in the subject line.
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The Hunger Task Force has created an interactive map complete with food pantries, MPS meal sites, non-MPS meal sites, meal sites for seniors and more. The map is updated daily but call the location before you visit to make sure it is still open.
Feeding America also has an interactive map of food pantries and meal programs located across eastern Wisconsin. The map is updated regularly but call the location before you visit to make sure it is still open.
Use the 2-1-1 Wisconsin website to find the food pantry in your neighborhood.
Call Impact at 2-1-1, which can connect you to food pantries and meal programs in your area. You can also text your ZIP code to TXT-211.
The Salvation Army is continuing its annual Christmas Family Feast this year, but meals are available only for takeout or curbside pickup. Meals will be distributed on a first come, first served basis on Dec. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wisconsin Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Large in-person gatherings, like this one at Riverwest Food Pantry in 2011, are canceled this year. But that doesn’t mean those in need are out of options. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
The Milwaukee Center for Independence, or MCFI, is distributing seven-day meal kits at three locations. On Monday, Dec. 28, kits are available at 2330 W. Vieau St. (Clarke Square Park) from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. On Tuesday, Dec. 29, kits are available at 4201 N. 27th St. and 1915 N. Martin Luther King Drive from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center, located at 5135 N. Teutonia Ave. is open from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday Dec. 23, Tuesday Dec. 30, and Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Capuchin Community Services will be distributing meals at 1702 W. Walnut St. on Dec. 23 from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and from 3 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The location will also be distributing meals Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. starting Dec. 28.
The Neighborhood House pantry, at 2819 W. Richardson Place will be open to serve residents of the 53208 and 53233 ZIP codes on Dec. 23, 24, 30 and 31. On Wednesdays (Dec. 23 and 30) the pantry will be open from noon to 2 p.m. On Thursdays (Dec. 24 and 31), the pantry will be open from 4 p.m.. to 6 p.m..
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Milwaukee is operating two meal program sites this week and next at its North (2600 N. 2nd St.) and South (931 W. Madison St.) sites. Both sites will be open on Dec. 25 from noon to 12:45 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 27, only the North site will be open, from 4 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. On Monday, Dec. 28, only the South site will be open, from 4 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Both locations are then closed through Jan. 1.
MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary will be holding service on Dec. 24 at 1720 W. Locust St. from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The service will include bag lunches, fresh produce and sweets. On Dec. 25, it will serve hot meals at 2461 W. Center St. from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
COA Youth and Family Centers’ food pantry, 2320 W. Burleigh St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 28.
Ayuda Mutua MKE will open at 2801 S. 5th Court for curbside pickup from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26.
The best way to support these organizations is to donate. You can donate to each organization via their websites, linked above. In addition to these organizations, here are some other opportunities to help:
Neighborhood House is looking for volunteers to staff its Thursday operation from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. It is also looking for volunteers to help accept food deliveries for two Friday mornings per month starting at 9:30 a.m. Those interested can email development director Widge Liccione at widge@nh-milw.org.
MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary is looking for volunteers to staff its food distribution and other programs.

author: Sam Woods


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 22, 2020

created: December 22, 2020


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Campus and COVID-19: Marquette seniors reflect on a challenging semester | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
December 24, 2020
Natalie Maniscalco (from left), Jack Phillips and  Madison Perkins
We asked seniors from the NNS journalism capstone class at Marquette University to reflect on the semester. This is what they told us. (Here’s what some of their classmates said last month.)
‘I took a lot for granted’
(Photo provided by Natalie Maniscalco)
If someone came up to me as I was moving into my dorm room in August of 2017 and told me that this is what the end of my journey at Marquette was going to be like, I would have laughed in their face.
Marquette has been my dream school for as long as I can remember. My grandpa and aunt went to Marquette, and I grew up attending every basketball game since I was 5 years old. It was actually the only college I applied to.
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In my first two and a half years at Marquette, I created relationships, memories and experiences that will last a lifetime. However, nothing will compare to the relationships, memories and experiences that were created because of COVID-19.
I live in a house on Kilbourn Avenue with seven roommates. Our house is three stories, and boy are there a lot of stories that I could tell. I met all of these girls in McCormick Hall my freshman year and consider them my sisters. They have been there for me through some of the most difficult and most fun times of my life.
In March, we went to Daytona Beach for our spring break trip – this was our last taste of normalcy. I will never forget lying on the beach on our last day and seeing an email notification from Marquette explaining that all classes were going to be put on hold until further notice.
We got back to Milwaukee and had no idea what to do. Within a week of us returning from one of the most fun weeks any of us had ever had, everything was shut down – bars, restaurants, shopping malls, gyms, everything.
All we had was each other. Countless nights of drinking games, card games, board games, movie nights, playing Wii, long walks, etc. Not to mention the birthdays we celebrated along the way. I will never forget the first quarantine birthday we celebrated. Everyone picked a popular downtown Milwaukee bar, attempted to draw their logo to tape to their door and tried to re-create a signature drink from the bar. I selected Vagabond, a popular Mexican bar and restaurant right off of Water Street and made a very mediocre margarita.
As strange as it is to say, I miss quarantine.
There were a lot of things I was looking forward to my senior year: senior bar crawl, homecoming weekend, float trip, junior vs. senior keg race, National Marquette Day, senior week, etc. However, COVID-19 has changed my perspective on a lot of things. Looking back on the way things used to be, I took a lot for granted. I am now not able to visit my friends in Madison for game days because there are none, I no longer spend up to five out of seven days a week at the Fiserv Forum watching Milwaukee Bucks or Marquette basketball games because fans are not allowed. I no longer go out on the weekends because it is too dangerous.
COVID-19 has allowed for me to open my eyes to what is really important: the people you surround yourself with. I cherish the memories I have created throughout the pandemic because of the people I have made them with, not because of an event or a game or a keg race.
—Natalie Maniscalco
‘Learning not to be selfish’
(Photo provided by Madison Perkins)
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Madison,” my family sang to me as my younger brother blew a noisemaker in my ear. A 21st celebration in my family’s home with my parents was not what I had planned, but it was one I won’t forget.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every single person in the United States in unique ways. I’ll argue that it has forever changed the way we live as a nation. As a college student, I had to adjust to online schooling, pack up and move back in with my parents and find ways to have a socially distanced social life.
I was sunburnt and poolside in Orlando on a spring break trip with my mom when I received the email from Marquette University that announced all our classes would be online through the end of the semester. I feel guilty now thinking about the excitement I felt at first. I pictured easy online classes that I would sleep through. I was looking forward to all the time I would have to hang out with my friends at school.
The harsh reality set in when my flight home landed in Milwaukee. People were dying all over our country from this disease; It was serious. When the CDC advised we quarantine, I zipped up my suitcase, and my parents welcomed me home with open arms.
As difficult as it was to navigate this new living situation, I feel grateful to have been surrounded by a few loved ones during such a time of isolation.
My father has been a stay-at-home dad since I can remember. He was used to having a peaceful house to himself during the day. Now, all of us were home together 24/7 adjusting to doing school and work from home.
I was worried about not seeing my friends in person. Keeping up with them has actually been pretty easy because of the advanced technology we have. Daily FaceTime and Zoom video calls became my new routine.
As a young adult, the hardest thing for me has been learning not to be selfish. Some bars and restaurants reopening their doors have been tempting to me. I want to have those fun, college experiences. However, it’s important to take a step back to look at the bigger picture.
There have been thousands of deaths caused by COVID and millions of positive cases in the U.S. alone. If that alone doesn’t encourage you to stay home, wear a mask and stay socially distanced, I don’t know what will.
—Madison Perkins
‘My “college experience” can wait’
(Photo provided by Jack Phillips)
My father once told me that my time in college would be the best four years of my life. And for the first two and a half years, he was correct. But that was before the world was consumed by a deadly virus.
Of course, there was necessary time for completing homework, studying for exams and expanding my portfolio as an aspiring sports media personality. But it was the parties, the memories I would never remember and the feeling of invincibility that made college the best chapter of my life. Never had I been more humbled than when the world suddenly stopped.
I had heard about the coronavirus since January, reading about the effects it was having on China and in countries throughout Europe as it began to spread. As our president continued to deny the severity of the virus, I was naïve enough to assume it wouldn’t become a problem (because when’s the last time humanity experienced a deadly pandemic?). But March inevitably arrived and with it one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history.
I want to make it clear that I understand the privileges I’ve had for my entire life. Some people around the country (and the world, for that matter) would dream of even having the chance to attend college, so I’m eternally grateful for the sacrifices that my family has made for me to have the opportunity to educate myself. But it’s easy for us to look at others and want what they have. When my parents and both of my sisters attended their respective universities, the “best four years of their lives” lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to say the same. I can grumble and ponder the possibilities of a COVID-19-less world, yet that dream will never become a reality.
But even in the middle of a global pandemic, I always put myself in the shoes of my grandparents. My grandfather didn’t ask to be born into a world war. My grandma didn’t ask to be born into a depression. They definitely complained about the world around them at the time, just like I (and I’m assuming most of us) am right now, but they didn’t let it destroy them. They persevered. And even when I ask them about their experiences during these tough times in their lives, they never get bogged down in the negatives. They always smile and “look on the bright side.”
Without even telling me, my grandparents taught me the greatest lesson of this pandemic: Certain circumstances will always be out of our control. It’s how we deal with them and continue to push through the uncertainty that gets us to those better days. This pandemic will subside. We might not know how or when, but we do know that our species has dealt with similar situations throughout history, and we’ve consistently came out the other end stronger.
So, sure, wearing masks and socially distancing in a college classroom stink. And trying to connect with classmates over a Microsoft Teams screen isn’t the easiest task, but it’s not forever. Just like both world wars and the Great Depression, there is an end to every beginning.
I may have lost a year and a half of my typical college experience, but just like the times when my grandparents were growing up, there are more important things happening in the world around us. Continue to push our elected officials for criminal justice reform. Continue to demand equality for all. Continue to make the world cleaner and safer for the next generations. My “college experience” can wait.
—Jack Phillips

created: December 24, 2020

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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How one new program hopes to help kids who test positive for lead poisoning | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
December 24, 2020
A new Milwaukee-based program seeks to increase communication between agencies for lead response. Tap water from lead service lines can be a source of exposure. (File photo by Edgar Mendez)
A new program from the Medical College of Wisconsin seeks to create a more efficient response process for children who have tested positive for lead poisoning.
The program, Clinical and Community Solutions to Lead Free Children, launched this month. It is funded in part by a $400,000 grant from Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin and is expected to last three years.
The program combines efforts from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Health Department, Children’s Wisconsin, Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin and the Social Development Commission. Local clinics and health providers also will participate.
Myah Pazdera, program coordinator with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Office of Community Engagement, said the program’s main goal will be to better connect departments and organizations that handle lead response and to increase communication between clinics, the community, the Milwaukee Health Department and parents.
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“We’re going to try to fill in the gaps and mitigate lead exposure,” Pazdera said.
Lead poisoning continues to be a concern in the community. In 2018, Mayor Tom Barrett accepted Milwaukee Health Department Commissioner Bevan Baker’s resignation because the department failed to ensure that families of 8,000 children with elevated lead levels in their blood were notified. The Common Council called it an “egregious public health failure.”
David Nelson, an associate professor at MCW and principal investigator for the program, said children who test positive for lead exposure will likely need medical attention and screenings. The source of exposure will also have to be dealt with, and all of these processes require specific personnel.
Children can be exposed to lead in a number of ways. Tap water from lead service lines and exposure to lead paint chips and dust are some of the most prevalent. These issues are most common in houses built before 1978, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Nelson said some of these issues can be mitigated with ventilation and regular cleaning. Others, such as lead service lines, must be dealt with through replacement.
Nelson said some of the most important partners in the project, will be parents. He said the program will emphasize communicating with parents early in the process.
“We need to get them to come back again,” Nelson said. “We’re going to align people to start that process.”
Nelson said the program is meant to address the issue of lead in a holistic way. Lead exposure disproportionately affects Black and brown communities and the economically challenged. The program will be tailored to address the needs of these communities.
The new effort comes as the state saw a notable drop in lead testing this year largely because of the pandemic. Pazdera said the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported a 26% decrease in lead testing over the first three quarters of 2020.
But Pazdera said positive rates may also be rising because kids are spending more time at home because of the pandemic.
Jesse Ehrenfeld, director of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, said the project was one recipient out of seven grants distributed by the endowment. The goal of these grants is to establish better policies and practices in public health and community-based health efforts.
Pazdera said the ultimate goal of the program is to build an infrastructure for lead response. This includes creating relationships with clinics and to get them integrated into the program.
“We’re going to move at the speed of trust and build those relationships,” Nelson said.
Ehrenfeld said the fight against lead will be a long one and won’t be resolved with this project alone. He said the hope is to potentially expand the project throughout the state, if success is seen locally, looking for “sustainability and scalability.”
“This will have a generational effect,” Ehrenfeld said.

author: Matt Martinez


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29625652631_3767ec7212_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 23, 2020


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‘I just kind of panicked’: Patients confused as hospitals file liens to recoup costs of treating injured uninsured | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Bram Sable-Smith (Wisconsin Watch/WPR)
December 24, 2020
ManeishaGaston was driving west on Milwaukee’s Brown Street with her 15-year-old sonwhen another driver blew through a stop sign, crashed into the passenger sideof her car and fled the scene.
“Thewhole door was crushed like a piece of paper,” Gaston recalled of the Octoberincident.
Gaston,43, needed help from her son and police officers to escape the totaled car. Sheand her son suffered injuries, which she declined to detail beyond a welt onher head  from a flying rearview mirror.
Gastondeclined treatment from paramedics at the scene. Instead, her mother came todrive Gaston and her son to the emergency room at Froedtert Hospital inMilwaukee. Gaston, who lacks health insurance, recalled waiting nearly twohours before receiving an X-ray, ibuprofen, Tylenol and advice to follow upwith her doctor.
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Threeweeks later, she learned by certified mail that the hospital filed a $2,314.98lien against her and one against her son for $1,044.34 — to cover her billfrom the visit. But what did that mean?
Gastoninitially worried the lien was filed against the home she proudly purchasedthree years ago on Milwaukee’s North Side. That was not the case. Instead thelegal filing would reduce compensation she might receive from anaccident-related lawsuit — if one is filed.
“Theyjust sent me this bill saying that they were going to put a lien on my name,and I just kind of panicked,” Gaston said. “I had to seek some advice.”
Froedtertis increasingly lining up for a cut of compensation in injury lawsuits byfiling liens. The filings come as the hospital delivers on a promise to stopdirectly suing patients over debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
InApril, Froedtert dropped more than a
dozen debt lawsuits after a Wisconsin Watch/WPR
investigation revealed the hospital and others in Wisconsin were suing patientsduring the pandemic who struggled to pay medical bills. Froedtert vowed tosuspend such small claims suits. The hospital has followed through on thatpromise — while filing more liens against patients. Some hospitals elsewhere,including Froedtert South in Kenosha, are continuing to sue patients over alleged debt, a moreaggressive tactic that can damage credit histories.
Froedtertfiled 362 hospital liens through Dec. 11 of this year, including 251 since May.That outpaces the 300 liens it filed in all of 2019.
StephenSchooff, a spokesman for Froedtert Health, said the hospital’s volume of lienfilings “aligns with the number of Froedtert Health hospital cases resultingfrom auto accidents.”
Indeed,Milwaukee County this year has seen an increase in
serious car crashes, even during a pandemic that has limited traffic.
“FroedtertHealth follows the process for filing liens as set forth in the WisconsinHospital Lien Statute and only files liens to collect from third partysettlements,” Schooff added in an email.
Thepractice also happens at nonprofit hospitals in Wisconsin. SSM Health, whichowns hospitals and clinics across Wisconsin, filed at least 116 liens this yearthough Dec. 11, court records show. UW Health in Madison filed at least 67,while La Crosse-based Gundersen Health System filed at least 49. Aspirus WausauHospital filed at least another 13 liens.
“Hospitalsattempt to balance their responsibility to be good stewards of resources toensure they can best serve their communities,” said Kelly Lietz, a WisconsinHospital Association spokesman. “Hospitals prefer not to go to court or fileliens, so those actions really are a last resort, taken only after all otheroptions are exhausted.”
ThomasRussell, a UW Health spokesman, said hospital liens are “very rare and onlyapply in the case of a personal injury settlement.”
Butfiling a lien without explanation can leave patients confused.
“Theirimmediate thought is — like when someone files a lien on your house, orthey’re going to garnish your wages, said Lance Trollop, a personal injuryattorney in Wausau. “It’s scary when you have all this coming at you at once,with medical bills and insurance calls and forms.”
Lienscan siphon off large portions of a patient’s injury compensation. And thatpayment is typically more than a hospital would collect from an insurer for thesame care.
Consumeradvocates say the process illustrates one way that the American health caresystem leaves uninsured patients on the hook for “fictional” health care pricesthat don’t reflect the actual cost of care.
How liens work
Gastonfits the typical profile of people facing hospital liens, experts say:uninsured patients who have been injured in car crashes, although liens couldalso be filed in other cases involving negligence or wrongful conduct.
Unpaidmedical debts can take years to evolve into a small claims court lawsuit.Liens, on the other hand, happen relatively quickly. Hospitals must file themwithin 60 days after discharging the injured person, according to Wisconsin
law,which limits lien filings to charitable hospitals. Because of the strict legaldeadline, some health care industry lawyers encourage hospitals to file liens even beforelearning a patient’s insurance information.
Inthe event of a legal settlement over an injury, hospitals get paid before thedischarged patient.
Wisconsinhospitals mostly file liens against people involved in car crashes because theyare easier to file, says Trollop. Crashes typically generate a police reportwith the names of the people involved, their insurance companies and otheruseful information. Those cases are also more likely to yield a payout, Trollopadded.
Lienrecipients usually lack insurance, but hospitals treating some publicly insuredpatients — those enrolled in Medicare, for example — may choosewhether to bill the public insurer or file a potentially more lucrative lien.
Ifa patient does not file a lawsuit over their injuries hospitals can still tryto collect a debt in other ways — including by suing the patient, Trollopsaid.
Howmuch would Gaston owe if Froedtert pursued payment outside of the lien? That’snot clear. But possibly very little if she applied for charity care.
Likeother nonprofit hospitals, Froedtert offers a charity care
program— part of its  commitment as anonprofit to serve the community in exchange for tax breaks and other benefits.Patients who earn up to two and a half times the federal poverty level couldqualify for free care under the program, while patients above that thresholdmay be eligible for discounts of 65- to 90% on a sliding scale.
Froedtertdebts resolved through an injury settlement are ineligible for charity care,Schoof said.
Gastondescribed her earnings as a business analyst as “just a little above” the$43,100 annual limit for she and her son to qualify for free care as a familyof two.
Whenshe visited Froedtert in October, Gaston said someone gave her informationabout the hospital’s financial assistance policy and told her someone wouldcall about her billing options. Gaston did get a voicemail about billing. Shereceived the hospital liens a week or two later, she said.
How much does a patient owe?
Infiling roughly $3,300 in liens against Gaston and her son, Froedtert is likelyseeking to recoup “chargemaster prices” — sticker prices for medical care.
“It’sbeen my experience in defending hospital lawsuits that it’s difficult forhospitals to prove reasonable value of their services,” said Mary Fons, aconsumer protection attorney in Stoughton. “They just have their prices.”
NicholasBagley, a University of Michigan law professor, described chargemaster pricesas “basically fictions” that should serve as the starting point for costnegotiations.
“Insurancecompanies are supposed to be our agents,” Bagley said.  “And they’re supposed to negotiate hard withthese big hospital systems to come up with reasonable rates for the servicesthey provide.”
Thearrangement works for insurers, he added, because the companies hold leverageover hospitals and clinics; they pay health care bills of many patients and canthreaten to exclude hospitals and providers from their networks. But thatprocess breaks down for the poor and uninsured, sticking them with a “fictionalfee” for care.
Individualpatients — even those with attorneys — lack the bargaining power of aninsurance company. Trollop, the Wausau attorney, said hospitals have noobligation to budge, although sometimes they do.
JamesPayne, a personal injury attorney in Kenosha, said even a lien negotiated downto half price in a settlement will cost a patient more than private insurerswould pay for the same care — and far more than Medicare and Medicaidwould pay.
Somehospital liens can jeopardize an injury settlement, particularly if they arelarge, Trollop said. Settling makes little sense, for instance, if a hospitaldemands a sum near the cap that the at-fault driver’s insurance policy iswilling to pay.
“Myclient isn’t going to sign off on a settlement that only pays back the hospitallien,” Trollop said. “The uninsured person is going to walk away with lessmoney in the end.”
No lawsuit, but debt lingers
Afterconsidering her options with a lawyer, Gaston said she probably will not suethe driver who totaled her car. The driver doesn’t have car insurance, shesaid, adding that he might face a hit and run charge. Avoiding legal actionwould render the Froedtert lien moot. But her medical bills remain unpaid, andthat issue could take longer to resolve.
Gastonsaid she doesn’t have an extra $3,300 just sitting around, but she plans toprioritize the bill if necessary.
Schooff,the Froedtert spokesman, said a lien rendered moot by a lack of a lawsuit wouldnot preclude a patient from applying for charity care. (He could not responddirectly to Gaston’s case because of privacy considerations.)
“FroedtertHealth continues to work with patients related to financial counseling andallows patients with financial hardship who are on a payment plan to deferpayments while financial assistance is discussed with them,” he wrote in anemail.
Asshe sorts out the aftermath of her collision, Gaston is also recovering fromCOVID-19, which she caught a few weeks before Thanksgiving.
Aftershe emerged from 10 days of isolation, Gaston learned that her grandmother diedfrom conditions unrelated to COVID-19, making a hard year even harder. She isnow taking solace in how funerals bring families together.
TheDepartment of Financial Institutions offers general advice to debtors here,and residents may file a complaint here.
Theagency’s Office of Consumer Affairs can be reached at 800-452-3328 or608-264-7969.
ABC for Healthalso assists Wisconsin residents who have problems with medical debt or otherissues. You can reach the organization at 608-261-6939.
Legal Action of Wisconsin,a nonprofit public interest law firm, is also offering a range of assistance tolow-income people struggling with debt or other issues during the COVID-19crisis. You can call 855-947-2529.
This story comes from a partnership of Wisconsin Watch and WPR. Bram Sable-Smith is WPR’s Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow embedded in the newsroom of Wisconsin Watch (wisconsinwatch.org), which collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

author: Bram Sable-Smith (Wisconsin Watch/WPR)


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Dwayne Burtin
December 22, 2020

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Dwayne Burtin
December 22, 2020


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Dwayne Burtin
December 22, 2020


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Dwayne Burtin
December 22, 2020


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PHOTOS: The faces of the season, part two | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers, Adam Carr, Ana Martinez-Ortiz and Sue Vliet
December 24, 2020
Second of two parts.
At the end of a turbulent year, we sought out holiday spirit in our community and were thrilled with what we found.
We met families throughout our neighborhoods on their porches for family portraits, with their smiling faces filing this “holiday card” from us to you.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
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In case you missed it: See the first installment of the holiday family portrait project.
More community photos: Check out the beautiful, resilient Class of 2020.


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5 things to know about Joan Johnson, Milwaukee’s new library director | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 28, 2020
New library director Joan Johnson addresses a crowd during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Good Hope Library in July. Also pictured are former library director Paula Kiely and Mayor Tom Barrett. (Photo courtesy of Jeramey Jannene/UrbanMilwaukee.com)
Joan Johnson’s time has arrived.
Johnson was officially named the director of the Milwaukee Public Library after Paula Kiely’s retirement in August.
Johnson, 59, joined the Milwaukee Public Library system in 2006. She is the first African American woman and the fourth woman overall to be named library director.
Here are five things to know about Milwaukee’s new library director.
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Johnson grew up in Milwaukee in the Concordia neighborhood. As a child, her babysitter would take her to the library every week.
“The thing I remember the most, was the trip to and from the library,” Johnson said.
Johnson loved going to the library, and it became a sanctuary for her. While attending West Division High School, now Milwaukee School of the Arts, Johnson began working as a library monitor.
After graduating from high school, Johnson went to UW-Madison, where she studied interior design and art. After earning her degree, Johnson worked in Buffalo, New York, on set designs, before returning to Milwaukee as a freelancer.
During her time as a freelancer, Johnson helped design the scenic designs for her high school’s productions. She later temporarily relocated to Chicago to work on the film, “The Untouchables,” before moving to Seattle.
“It was 10 years before I decided to go back and get my master’s in library sciences,” Johnson said.
Upon landing in Seattle, Johnson struggled to get a job in interior design. Instead she connected with a temp agency and began working various jobs. For a brief time, she worked in politics and helped on a senator’s campaign. Eventually, she found a job related to the arts.
“I did a lot of different things,” Johnson said. “I freelanced a lot and did a lot of research for other artists.”
It was her research assignments that led her back to the library. Being in a library felt like home, Johnson said. Soon after, she chose to pursue a master’s in library sciences and specialize in bibliographic instruction and government information.
While attending school, Johnson worked part time at the library. As part of her research, Johnson asked patrons if they were aware of the resources the library offered. A library is not only informational, it’s empowering, Johnson said.
For 15 years, Johnson worked in the Seattle Public Library System as a branch manager and later as a department director. During this time, she helped rework and rebuild the library system.
Johnson spent 20 years in Seattle before coming back home to be closer to her family.
“I saw an opportunity here in 2006 and was lucky to get in,” Johnson said. “I joined the administration team.”
Johnson started working on a building renewal project, as the lead for the internal design team.
“I brought my interior design experience to the table,” Johnson said.
Sam McGovern-Rowen, project manager of library construction and former member of the library board, got to know Johnson through their work on the building renewal projects. McGovern-Rowen said that Johnson made sure the libraires were both functional and user-friendly.
“Our libraires are really wonderful places,” he said. “Joan has put her stamp on all those places.”
McGovern-Rowen said Johnson had a clear vision down to the details on what she wanted for the library.
Under Johnson’s leadership, the library expanded its programming for teens and adults. She also created an internship position for teens.
Rachel Arndt, the public services area manager of the Central Library, has worked closely with Johnson for the last five years and said she’s excited to see her take on her new role as library director.
“We’re going from one strong leader to another strong leader,” Arndt said, adding that Johnson loves people and loves Milwaukee.
Johnson isn’t wasting any time in tackling the issues facing Milwaukee and improving the library system.
“We’ve got to get better at expanding our capacity and taking advantage of growth opportunities that come our way,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the pandemic has exposed the disparities that exist in Milwaukee – including access to internet and digital technology.
Johnson said the library intends to double down on its digital resources, beginning with its hotspot lending program. The hotspot devices are always checked out, and Johnson hopes to have 500 of them in circulation.
In addition, the library system  is responding to calls for social and racial justice and will be looking through an equity lens to see what barriers lie in the way of all Milwaukeeans.  Through its many partnerships, the library aims to help improve the quality of life for all community members, Johnson said.
McGovern-Rowen pointed out that one of the biggest challenges facing the library is the budget.
“We as the library system – we’re good at shifting things around and keeping a good experience, but every year it gets tougher,” he said.
McGovern-Rowen said that Johnson is tough and will be a good negotiator when it comes to the budget. She knows how to get creative and is up to the task, McGovern-Rowen said, adding that Johnson handles challenges well.

created: December 28, 2020

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 27, 2020

created: December 27, 2020


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‘Moving to the other side of the desk’: Paula Kiely reflects on 27 years as a librarian | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 28, 2020
“If you can read, you can do just about anything, but when you can’t, you hit a wall,” Paula Kiely says on the library system’s early outreach literacy programming. (File photo by Alhaji Camara)
A self-proclaimed lover of books, Paula Kiely never gave much thought to becoming a librarian and instead chose to pursue a fine arts degree.
But a conversation with a supervisor changed that.
“The lightbulb went off, and I thought, ‘I should be a librarian,’ ” Kiely said.
Kiely, who served as the director of the Milwaukee Public Library since 2006,  retired in August.
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The road to librarian
Growing up, Kiely’s mother made sure that each of her children had a library card.
Kiely, 64, said she contemplated pursuing a master’s in library and information studies for 24 hours before deciding to go for it.
That weekend, she began studying for the GRE. She applied and was accepted to UW-Milwaukee.
As part of her field work, Kiely worked at the art history library on campus and at the Brookfield Public Library. While her dream was to be an art librarian at the Art Institute of Chicago, her work at the public library changed her mind.
“I realized I should be a public librarian and work with children,” she said.
After graduating in December 1992, Kiely began working part time at the Brookfield Public Library as the children’s librarian in the spring of 1993. Two years later, she joined the Milwaukee Public Library at the Zablocki branch. Eventually, she made her way to the Central location, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave., where she worked in the children’s room before becoming the coordinator of children’s services.
In 2000, Kiely became the deputy city librarian in charge of the Central Library, and she remained there until 2006 when she became the library director.
As library director, Kiely challenged the notion of what a library should look like and the services it should offer, those who know her say. After the renovation of the Central Library, Kiely looked at the other branches to see where renovations and replacements were needed.
In 2011, under Kiely’s leadership, the Villard Square library was transformed into a mixed-use building.
“Libraries are technology-rich places that are flexible and serve the needs of the community,” Kiely said. “So, we changed the footprint.”
More than just books
The Mitchell Street Library, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St., was one of the branches that underwent a renovation to make it more welcoming for patrons. (NNS file photo)
Michele Bria, president of the library board of trustees, said Kiely brought Milwaukee libraries into the 21 century.
Since the transformation of the Villard Square Library, other branches such as Mitchell Street, Tippecanoe and Good Hope have undergone changes. Now, these libraries allocate more space for people and more natural light.
Rachel Arndt, the public services area manager for the Central Library, said Kiely worked to ensure that libraries are a welcoming place.
Libraries began because books were expensive and the library system allowed people to share the knowledge, Arndt said. The future of the library means responding to the needs of the community, she said.
And this includes access to library cards, which Kiely and her successor Joan Johnson have championed.
The Milwaukee Public Library began the Library Now program, which offers digital cards to all Milwaukee Public Schools students and several charter schools.
“Paula’s vision was that everyone has access to a library card and to these materials,” Arndt said, adding, “Joan was instrumental in Library Now.”
In addition to the building project, Kiely created Ready To Read (formerly Books To Go), worked with childcare providers to foster pre-literacy skills and created the Library Loud campaign, which encouraged residents to get involved in the library through a haunted house, rap battle, rock concert and more.
“If you can read, you can do just about anything, but when you can’t, you hit a wall,” Kiely said.
As Kiely prepares for the next chapter in her book, she offers words of advice to  Johnson.
“Really think about where you want to take the library and focus on that,” she said. “Keep your finger on the pulse of the community but remember to take time for yourself.”
After nearly three decades as a librarian, Kiely is planning to focus on her family and her hobbies.
“The work has been challenging and demanding but extremely satisfying, and I have loved my career,” Kiely said. “Now, I’m just moving to the other side of the desk.”


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Adam Carr
December 27, 2020


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Documentary tells the story of ‘Latino Wisconsin’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 29, 2020
Georgia and Ralph Pabst knew that Latinos had a rich history in Wisconsin. But they wanted to explore what life for them is like today. This photo captures a Voces de la Frontera march. (Photo provided by Ralph Pabst)
Georgia Pabst’s interest in Wisconsin’s diverse Latino communities is both personal and professional.
After all, she’s a fourth generation Mexican American, and as a former reporter at The Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she spent over 30 years covering Latino affairs.
And now she and her husband, Ralph, have added “filmmaker” to their respective résumés.
Several years ago, the Pabsts decided to take a look at Latino life throughout the state. Their findings are showcased in the hour-long documentary, “Latino Wisconsin,” which they released earlier this year.
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In many ways, the documentary is a culmination of 35 years of reporting, Georgia said.
“I initially thought it was a Milwaukee story, but no, it’s a state story,” she said.
In July 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the Hispanics/Latinos made up an estimated 7.1% of Wisconsin’s population; and in 2016, Pew Research reported that the Latino  population in Wisconsin was the 25 largest in the nation.
The couple started filming in 2015, completing their last interview in February. In 2018, they received funding from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, the Bader Foundation, the Brico Forward Fund and Milwaukee Film.
“Latino Wisconsin” is the first documentary that the Pabsts have produced together. (Photo provided by Ralph Pabst)
While nearly everyone knows about how Hispanics have helped to shape the West Coast, few people realize how much influence Latinos have has on Wisconsin, Ralph said.
In the documentary, the Pabsts narrowed their focus to five chapters: On the Farm; Rural Communities; Art, History and Activism; School Choices; and Today and Tomorrow.
A firsthand view
The Pabsts, in the first chapter of the documentary, explore a farm in Buffalo County to show how immigrant workers have become key figures in the dairy industry. Georgia said they visited the farm several times and made a point to capture the farm in winter so they could illustrate how hard the work is for the farmhands.
They also visit Arcadia, home of the Ashley Furniture plant. In 2015, Latinos made up 34% of the population. The group’s influence can be seen in the schools, the neighborhoods, the storefronts and more. The documentary talks with native Arcadians and transplants on how Latinos have transformed the town.
The remaining chapters focus more on Milwaukee, where Latinos make up 19% percent of the population.
The interviewees include Reynaldo Hernandez, an artist; Christine Neumann-Ortiz, an activist and executive director of Voces de la Frontera; Tony Báez, a member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors; Ricardo Diaz, former executive director of United Community Center; Ernesto Villarreal Sr., co-founder of El Rey Market; and others.
“This city will go as far as the Hispanic community will take it,” Diaz said in the documentary.
Although they had worked together in the past on various small-scale projects, this was the first time the Pabsts had teamed up to produce a documentary.
Ralph, whose background is in photojournalism, is a director at Fresh Coast Production Resources. His experience, he said, helped them when they first started filming.
The documentary does not feature voiceovers but instead relies on the voices and testimonies of the interviewees to carry the story.
“I wanted to tell people the bigger story,” Georgia said. “It is in many ways the future of Wisconsin.”
How to view ‘Latino Wisconsin’
Although the coronavirus pandemic has prevented an in-person public screening, the documentary has aired on Milwaukee PBS and will air again on PBS Wisconsin at 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 4.
“Latino Wisconsin” is also available to view on the film’s website.

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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 28, 2020


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Adam Carr
December 28, 2020


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OPINION: Inside the ‘bubble’ at Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Students of the Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center School
December 29, 2020
(File photo by Andrea Waxman)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center School provides educational services to all Milwaukee County youth who are placed in secure detention by the Wisconsin juvenile court system.
The NBA did an excellent job keeping everyone safe last season.
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They placed all players, coaches and others in a “bubble” at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Only certain people were able to enter the resort from the outside world. All wore masks and practiced social distancing. Players had restrictions. Players were tested all the time.
The NBA used video technology to monitor movements and contacts with people. No fans were allowed at the games; but some fans were allowed to cheer from home using a phone app.
The NBA had plans for what to do if someone tested positive or was in contact with the virus. They followed through with those plans. This meant some had to quarantine at times. In a way, the NBA got ahead of the virus before it could spread.
Other professional sports have not been as effective in handling the virus. The NFL has seen more COVID cases spreading and games or practices canceled. And baseball had the most problems.
Despite giving a long instruction manual and having protocols, MLB did not always follow through on protocols. At times, infected players were allowed to practice with their teams. At other times, individuals who were exposed to the virus continued their daily lives as normal. This caused significant spread of COVID, cancellation of games — and ultimately — lost revenue.
Do you know the last time the whole world had to deal with a deadly pandemic? The 1918 flu pandemic lasted from February 1918 to April 1920. It infected 500 million people and is thought to have killed from  17 million to 50 million people. It reached nearly every single part of the world. We still don’t know how or where the Spanish flu started–but it was not from Spain! (It is called the Spanish flu because Spain was hit especially hard.)
We may have or still might see similarities and differences between the Spanish flu and COVID-19.
While those with certain health conditions have the toughest time with COVID, young and healthy people suffered the most from the flu.
But with both pandemics, some authorities tried to downplay the seriousness. Mask wearing and social distancing have been common with both; and with both, businesses and schools closed for periods of time. And both in the early 1900s and today, the world of sports changed.
The most popular sports at the time of the Spanish flu were baseball, college football and boxing. The baseball season had already started when the flu first hit America. They decided to cancel the rest of the season but still hold playoffs.
While fans were allowed to attend the playoff games, many did not. Still, the last game caused a new wave of infection in America.
College football decided to go on with a shortened season. Fans wearing masks were allowed to attend games. 18 college teams refused to participate. Many boxing matches were canceled. High school sports were canceled.
Our local sports have also been affected by COVID-19. The Wisconsin Badgers football team needed to cancel games on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. Sixteen student-athletes and 12 staff members tested positive for the virus, although none showed severe symptoms.
The Packers also had a scare as they considered canceling a game against the San Francisco 49ers when four from the Niners and three from the Packers tested positive.
Most states (including Wisconsin) are allowing high school sports to continue. Fourteen states have postponed high school sports.
In many ways, our Vel Phillips school — like the NBA — operates in a bubble. Outside advocates or teachers take temperature checks when entering the facility, wear masks, practice social distancing and complete health screenings. Court hearings are conducted through Zoom calls. New youths who come in from the outs are quarantined a certain length of time before they can join their pods.  Youths who need to leave for some reason are quarantined when they return to the center. Other outsiders or guests are limited.
Quarantining policies are followed not only for new students but also pods that may have been exposed to the virus. Video technology is used to help determine exposure for any individuals in the center.
Even with all these protocols that are followed, we know much of it is on us:
We have to keep ourselves safe. Because we don’t know if someone from the outside can possibly have the virus … we mostly keep distance, keep to ourselves, and wear our masks.
“Vel’s Voice” is a monthly student newsletter where youths can express their opinions and analysis, as well as demonstrate their writing skills. In order to maintain their  confidentiality, all articles — including this one — are anonymous.
Students writing these articles are part of the Milwaukee County Accountability Program, an alternative juvenile corrections program that offers young men a chance to change their self-destructive behavior before they end up in the adult prison system.
The full “Vel’s Voice” newsletter for Dec. 2020, including this article and more student work, can be read here.


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NNS Spotlight: ‘We’re saving lives’: A mentorship program for young boys in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 30, 2020
Damari Gholson Perkins, shown with executive director Lance Ambrose, says he enjoys being a part of the Saving Our Sons program. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Editor’s note: This story is part of an  occasional series that highlights groups and people worth knowing in Milwaukee. To nominate a person or a group, email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “Spotlight” in the subject line.
Damari Gholson Perkins’ father is missing from his life, but the Milwaukee boy is not without a father figure.
About a year ago, Damari, 10, joined Saving Our Sons Mentoring Movement, a nonprofit organization that provides mentors to youths in the greater Milwaukee area.
Although the coronavirus pandemic prevented Damari from meeting with his mentor during the first half of the year, he had the chance to reconnect over the summer.
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Damari’s mentor is Lance Ambrose, the founder and executive director of Saving Our Sons.
Ambrose, 37, began the organization in 2018. He felt compelled to start the mentorship program after reflecting on his own life. Ambrose’s father died when he was 16, and around the same time, he was involved in small-time robberies. Eventually, he turned his life around.
Ambrose’s goal was to provide youths with a mentor who would be transparent and supportive but who could also meet teens where they are. He knows firsthand what it is like not to have a solid father figure and how important dads are in shaping a young man’s life.
Mentors and mentees gather to meet each other and celebrate the new office space for Saving Our Sons. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
As in most mentoring programs, the mentors are encouraged to meet with their mentees a couple of times a month and establish connections with them.
Unlike other mentoring programs, Saving Our Sons is divided into three levels.
Saving Our Sons follows a military-based program. The youths, called privates, begin in the base program, which lasts six to 12 months, followed by an intermediate level.  Eventually, they are invited to join the Class S.A.V.E. Movement, which teaches CPR, the use of automated external defibrillators and first-aid training with the of the goal of the youths becoming certified first responders.
“We’re teaching the youth how to be first responders and good Samaritans,” Ambrose said. “We’re soldiers. We’re soldiers in the army of the Lord. We’re saving lives.”
So far, the program has about 10 mentees and about 12 mentors. Ambrose said about 30 people have gone through the program. Currently, he is working with group homes, schools and his church to spread the word.
Lance Ambrose, the founder and executive director of Saving Our Sons, says his program encourages youths to be first responders and good Samaritans. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Saidirick Walker, 47, works as a business development associate, but before that, he served in the military for over five years.
He first heard about the organization when he was grocery shopping near his house. Walker noticed Ambrose and his sons speaking about the program and was intrigued.
After talking with Ambrose and doing his own research, he decided to become a mentor.
Walker said the program is a life-saving endeavor, and he hopes to leave a positive impact on the youths he mentors.
“I think the biggest challenge is just making a connection with the youth I’m involved with,” he said. “One thing I’d like to leave the person I’m mentoring is that there is hope, that sense of hope.”
Monte Kirk, 46, is another mentor.
“I try to deal with a lot of youth and help them out with life in general,” said Kirk, a police officer in the Milwaukee Police Department. “The program drew me in.”
As for Damari, he’s enjoyed being a part of the program. His mother, Asia Gholson, said Ambrose has been an active participant in Damari’s life and encourages other parents to sign their children up.
“I just hope it gives him experience and a better understanding of life,” Gholson said. “It’s a great program. It really has your kids’ well-being at heart.”
To learn more about Saving Our Sons
Saving Our Sons recently relocated from Ambrose’s home to an office space at 11414 W. Park Place, Suite 202, on Milwaukee’s far Northwest Side.
To learn more about the Saving Our Sons Mentoring Movement and how to get involved, visit the Saving Our Sons website or email Lance Ambrose at sosmovement17@gmail.com.

created: December 30, 2020


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 29, 2020


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Wisconsin’s nonvoters could be a powerful bloc — but barriers, disillusionment stand in the way | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Nora Eckert, Wisconsin Watch
December 30, 2020
This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access.
When Angela Lang reflects on the thousands of conversations she and other members of her community organization, BLOC, have had with Milwaukee residents, one floats to the top of her mind.
It was with a 54-year-old Milwaukee resident who explained to Lang’s colleague that she wasn’t voting because she was a convicted felon. Unbeknownst to her, she had been eligible for about 12 years — since she completed her probation. A BLOC staffer was the first to tell her she could, in fact, vote.
“It’s bittersweet,” Lang said. “I think it’s incredibly powerful that we’re the ones to tell people when their voting rights have been restored. It’s also very frustrating that it took that long and people didn’t know until we had to talk to them.”
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There are a variety of reasons people don’t vote, including criminal convictions, antipathy about politics and government, confusion about which candidate is best, or not liking any of them.
Regardless of their rationale, people who don’t vote are potentially as powerful, or even more so, than any other bloc in the electorate. Although the November general election saw high turnout in Wisconsin and broke a record nationwide, 1.2 million eligible voters in the state and 79.6 million across the nation didn’t cast ballots. In a state where 20,682 votes propelled President-elect Joe Biden to a win, a small fraction of those nonvoters could have shifted the outcome.
Organizers fight to raise turnout
In Milwaukee, organizers said the already tough task of convincing people to vote was even more difficult this year because of the pandemic and concerns about potential voter intimidation or acts of violence at polling places.
While Wisconsin had the second highest statewide turnout on record, Milwaukee’s vote totals were nearly identical in 2020 to the 2016 election. The city, which was under a microscope during the partial recount instituted by President Donald Trump’s campaign, is where nearly 70 percent of Wisconsin’s Black residents live.
Jennifer Epps-Addison, network president of the progressive Center for Popular Democracy, considers it a victory that turnout in the city did not decrease in 2020. She credits community organizations that “filled in the gap.”
“Immense” barriers keep many people from voting, she said, especially people of color, who are disproportionately affected by strict voter ID laws. Even during the pandemic, when voters widely viewed absentee voting as a safer option than voting in person, Black people had reason to distrust this method. Their absentee ballots have historically been rejected at a higher rate than those of white voters.
Another barrier: Some groups, such as BLOC, transitioned to digital canvassing in light of a surge of coronavirus cases in the city. This meant face-to-face conversations weren’t happening.
Forgoing door-to-door canvassing was a difficult decision for Lang, but she felt it was necessary to protect her team members and those they serve.
“Everyone at our organization is Black; we’re targeting the North Side of Milwaukee. And we know that the Black, brown and indigenous communities are the most disproportionately impacted by COVID,” she said.
The city of Milwaukee has had 54,037 coronavirus cases and 488 deaths.. Nationwide, Black people are dying from COVID-19 at nearly two times the rate of white people.
Disillusionment leads to low turnout
The pandemic is not the only reason for depressed turnout, organizers say. One of the most common complaints that Lang and her team hear Milwaukee’s infrequent voters express is that politicians don’t stick to their promises.
“I think a lot of times, people just don’t feel that some elected officials are working in their interests, or we’ve seen sometimes that candidates will say whatever they need to say in order to get elected,” Lang said.
Epps-Addison said many voters in Milwaukee “just didn’t believe either of the candidates had their best interests at heart.”
She cited Biden’s authorship of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act — which is blamed for the current high incarceration rate of Black people in the United States — as a major deterrent for some Milwaukee residents of color, a city that votes overwhelmingly Democratic.
Convincing voters to choose a particular candidate is not her group’s goal, she added. “We are really organizing to build a system that is worthy of our people, that our people believe in because it actually works for them.”
A February 2020 study of 12,000 “chronic non-voters” by The Knight Foundation showed that 38% of respondents believed elections do not represent the will of the people.
While people who vote infrequently or never vote are labeled as lazy, apathetic or poorly educated, Lang said it’s essential to take their concerns seriously, because they’re often rooted in lived experiences.
“I think what’s really important is to acknowledge that all of that is legitimate,” she said, adding that it is essential to “show how people are able to intervene and interject in a political system that doesn’t always feel like it’s designed for us to participate in.”
That’s why BLOC emphasizes year-round engagement with residents, so they can start to see that participation in the political process can make a difference in local government decisions that affect their community, not just in general elections.
“I think that nobody has ever been shamed into voting or into supporting or changing their political beliefs,” said Epps-Addison. “Shame is not the thing that is going to motivate voters.”
Turnout down in communities of color
While the number of eligible voters who didn’t cast ballots in Milwaukee stayed steady from 2016 to 2020, turnout in predominantly Black wards decreased, a Wisconsin Watch and APM Reports analysis found.
Across the city of Milwaukee, 39% of eligible voters did not vote in 2020, virtually the same as in 2016. The number of nonvoters increased slightly from 158,035 nonvoters in 2016 to 159,051 this election year.
Of the 28 wards where turnout dropped by at least 10 percentage points, 17 of them were wards in which Black people made up at least 80% of the estimated citizen, voting-age population.
In Wisconsin, it’s most accurate to measure turnout based on the percentage of eligible voters, not registered voters, because same-day registration makes such comparisons inaccurate. In a typical year, 10% to 15% of Wisconsin voters register or update their registration on Election Day, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Same-day registration data for the 2020 general election won’t be available until January.
Reaching nonvoters through deep conversations
As David Fleischer sees it, those who typically don’t vote hold immense power. In fact, the director of the Los Angeles Leadership LAB dedicated his organization to engaging this bloc during door-to-door outreach this election cycle.
His team uses a technique called “deep canvassing” to try to convince nonvoters to cast a ballot. While traditional canvassing typically is a transactional exchange of information, deep canvassing shifts the emphasis to getting into a substantive and emotional conversation with the potential voter.
The group had members on the ground in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Ohio this year.
Fleischer’s strategy is simple: Center the conversation around love.
“For me, voting is political, of course, but it’s also personal,” Fleischer tells the person. “I think about the people I love. And today I’m thinking about my dad who died in January.”
By connecting the relationship with a loved one to the value of voting, Fleischer encourages folks to see their vote as meaningful. His organization’s goal wasn’t just to encourage people to vote — it was to get them to vote against Trump.
While many campaigns focused on digital interaction with voters during the pandemic — and reached millions online — Fleischer said personal interaction is more effective, even if it means reaching fewer people.
How effective was this strategy? The metrics, he said, are not in yet.
Nonvoters: from ‘pessimists’ to ‘doers’
Just like voters, nonvoters have different motivations. A 2012 study by Ellen Shearer, professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and co-author of “Nonvoters: America’s No-Shows,” identified six subgroups.
The largest group, “the pessimists,” are often conservative-leaning and have a general feeling that the country is going down the wrong track. The smallest subgroup, ”the doers,” are media savvy and educated but feel removed from Washington politics. Other groups include the “too busys” — working or retired women whose schedules make it difficult to find time to vote — and the “tuned outs” — young people who are apathetic toward politics.
Northwestern professor Jack Doppelt, co-author of “Nonvoters,” added that while nonvoters and voters are a lot alike, one factor that separates them is education.
Nonvoters are twice as likely to have a high school degree or less. Just over half of nonvoters have that level of education compared to about one-fourth of people who do vote, according to the recent NPR/Ipsos/Medill poll. Nonvoters also tend to be younger, less affluent, and if they were to vote, would split almost evenly Democratic and Republican.
“Generally speaking,” Doppelt said, “there’s very little difference in how voters and nonvoters are going to vote.”
For 38-year-old Alishia Abarca, it’s a question of money. She thinks with all of the lobbyists and corporations influencing politics, the system will ensnare any respectable person who enters it. She has never voted.
“With every good intention that anybody goes into politics with, they at the end of it will be corrupt,” Abarca told Wisconsin Watch.
Abarca is a personal care assistant from Superior, Wisconsin who struggles to feed her 19-year-old son, who is ill and has a child. She has considered moving to Canada because of her distrust of America’s government and frustration with its health care system. Still, she’s not certain she would vote there.
There is one thing that could change her mind: if candidates agreed to take a pay cut and make the salary she does. By walking in her shoes, she said, they then might understand the struggles of so many Americans.
On the whole, nonvoters appear to be a stubborn crowd. When NPR/Medill/Ipsos surveyed a selection of nonvoters and asked what could convince them to cast their ballot, there was one answer that reigned supreme: “Nothing.”
Geoff Hing of APM Reports, the investigative reporting unit of American Public Media,  contributed to this story. He’s on Twitter at @geoffhing. The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
Methodology for Wisconsin Watch and APM Reports analysis
Wisconsin Watch and APM Reports calculated turnout for each of Milwaukee’s 327 voting wards, using U.S. Census data to estimate the number of eligible voters, citizens age 18 and older. Turnout rates for small areas such as voting wards are difficult to measure because the boundaries rarely match census tracts. So, Wisconsin Watch and APM Reports used the number of voting-age citizens in these population tracts to estimate the number of eligible voters for each ward. We used 2016 population data to calculate 2016 turnout, and 2018 population data (the most recent available) to calculate 2020 turnout.

author: Nora Eckert, Wisconsin Watch


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Causey’s Career Corner: Resolve to remain resolute in 2021 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Damia S. Causey
December 31, 2020
A vision board is one way to keep your New Year’s resolutions and goals in front of you. (Photo by Damia Causey)
If 2020 taught us anything, it taught us to be flexible, and to adjust when things don’t go as planned.
Many of us may wonder what the point of setting goals at all during a time of such upending is. Is it worth planning anything, since it may change due to coronavirus? I, too, have experienced bouts of feeling paralyzed during this pandemic. Should I plan ahead for my future even though things are more uncertain than ever, or should I just stay in this indefinite holding pattern and live day to day? These are all valid feelings.
However, it’s important to still make plans for our lives and futures because some day things will be more normal than they are now and because routines make us feel grounded.
So what can we do as we approach the new year to spur us forward and out of the doldrums we’ve been in for the last 10 months and counting?
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We can make a plan.
Studies show that most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by the end of March, and because of the uncertainty of our current lives, resolutions may be even harder to keep. There are some ways to shore up our resolve and give us a better chance at being successful.
1. Understand your why. Why are you setting a particular goal? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want a new job? Go beyond the surface of your answer. Instead of just saying, “I want to lose 20 pounds,” list the why of your desire to lose the weight. Write down “I want to lose 20 pounds because I want to lower my blood pressure and be able to have my medication dialed back by my physician.” You are more likely to keep your resolution when you frame it this way. You must understand the true reason for a goal so that when things get challenging, you know why you are doing a particular thing. It will help keep you going.
2. Don’t get caught up in achieving a goal by a specific date. Inevitably life will happen, and we need to allow room for adjustments. The most important thing is to do something consistently to work toward a particular goal. Reframe your thinking. Don’t just focus on the end date, focus on the action. For example, I’m training to run the Milwaukee Marathon half marathon in April. I have a goal to run a nine-minute mile. I’m currently running a 10:23 mile. With a little over a hundred days left, I’m nervous about achieving my goal by race day. However, I know that logging 20 to 30 miles a week and staying consistent will get me much closer than if I did not train at all. Be flexible and allow yourself some grace.
3. Write it down and place goals where you can see them. Whether your method is more rudimentary, such as notebook paper, or more creative, like a vision board, place your goals where you can see them daily. I place my vision board above my mirror where I have to at least glance at it once throughout the day. Along with writing your goals down, break up your goals to get them down to size. Write down an estimated date for what you would like to accomplish, then break it down by the things you need to do to reach it. Say your goal is to apply for an upper-level position at your current employer, but there is a class or training you need to take before doing so. Your goal is to be able to apply in three months. In that three-month period, you may write your goals down like this:
•Month 1, April: Register for manager training class by April 10. Class is six weeks and begins first week of May.
•April, week 3: Secure all training materials needed for class. Set up home study space.
•Month 2, May: Start classes May 6
•Attend virtual study group every Thursday at 6 p.m.
•Month 3, June: Study for final exam.
•Final exam June 17
•Retool résumé  by June 25 to reflect new training
•Apply for new position June 30.
•Breaking larger goals down into digestible bits of information helps us to be more successful and we will feel less overwhelmed.
4. Find a trusted accountability partner. Pick someone you know will hold you to your resolutions. Send them a copy of your goals with check-in dates. Accountability partners may have to correct you at times. Don’t take it personally! Remember, when you slack, these accountability partners help you get back on track.
5. Allow room for adjustments. Now is not the time to be hard on yourself. We are all dealing with a lot, and some days, simply getting out of bed will be an accomplishment. Understand that there may be some slowdowns in reaching goals, but that doesn’t mean we won’t achieve them.
In the words of Indira Gandhi, “Have a bias towards action — let’s see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.”
As 2021 nears, go ahead and set your resolutions while allowing flexibility as things change going forward. May the new year be kinder to us all.
About this column: I will share stories of those who have taken a nontraditional approach to employment or an unusual career path. I will also list employment information such as job fairs, resource fairs and job training events. I encourage organizations to email me at damiacausey@milwaukeenns.org with career information

created: December 31, 2020

author: Damia S. Causey


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Adam Carr
December 30, 2020


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Memorable stories of 2020: Nowhere to go: Why some homeless youths ‘don’t want to be found’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 31, 2020
Homelessness and criminalization further disrupt the lives of an already-vulnerable young population. (Photo by Princess Safiya Byers)
Editor’s note: As the year comes to a close, NNS staff reflect on some of the stories we published that resonated with them.
I picked this article because it highlights an issue, youth houselessness, that has been exacerbated this year but has not been highlighted the same way that COVID-19, elections, or protests against police violence have.
PrincessSafiya Byers wrote this in January, but it remains just as relevant now.
Click here to read the story.
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Memorable stories of 2020: She started jumping rope for laughs. Now she has a Facebook group with nearly 30,000 members. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
December 31, 2020
LaDonna Telford never expected her Jump Rope Squad Facebook group to take off the way it did. (Photo provided by LaDonna Telford)
Editor’s note: As the year comes to a close, NNS staff reflect on some of the stories we published that resonated with them.
It’s goes without saying that 2020 did not go as planned. It was a turbulent year for everyone, but amid the hardships and the challenges, something began to happen. People found ways to connect, to reach out and to support one another. These relationships became a beacon of hope during a time when so many were feeling scared and alone.
One of these people was LaDonna Telford, who started a Facebook group called Jump Rope Squad – Jump for Joy. It began as a space for friends but amassed a following as people from around the world joined.
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While I’ve reported and written a lot of articles this year, the story of Jump Rope Squad is one of my favorites. It is a story about friendship and positivity and encouragement, and perhaps most important, it reminds us that it is easier to overcome moments of difficulty when we come together.
Click here to read the story.


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Memorable stories of 2020: 45,000 masks and counting: COVID-19 stopped the Mexican Fiesta. But it didn’t stop its organizers. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
January 1, 2021
Volunteer Susy George and her daughters work on assembling masks. (Photo provided by Laura Vasquez, WHSF)
Editor’s note: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service staff pick the stories that still resonate with them after a chaotic 2020.
I remember the collective sigh heard around the city when it was announced that Summerfest grounds were closing for the year.
If there was nothing else to look forward to in the dead of a Milwaukee winter, it was the summertime festivities happening there. Whether it was concerts or one of the many festivals held there throughout the summer, there was something for just about everyone.
One of those festivals was Mexican Fiesta, a celebration of Latinx heritage put on by the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation. Fiesta, like all the other events at Summerfest, was cancelled this year.
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But their organizers didn’t take the year off.
The foundation put its energy into manufacturing masks, creating over 45,000 by August to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
This story exemplifies what is, in my opinion, one of the year’s biggest developments: adaptability. If there is one thing all of us can relate to, it’s having to adapt to the circumstances of our “new normal” because of COVID-19. We’ve all had birthdays and celebrations and other life events put on hold, and we’ve all had to adapt to it.
What I find particularly heartening about this story is the dedication that the organizers showed to keeping the festival alive. They hosted modified events at the end of the summer, fundraising to give much-needed scholarships to Latinx youths in the city.
Like so many of our local organizations, they stepped up when the going got tough. When the community needed them. And that has been the story of 2020.
Read the story here.

created: January 1, 2021


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Adam Carr
December 31, 2020


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Adam Carr
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Memorable stories of 2020: Basketball coach demands his students score on and off the court | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
January 1, 2021
“We’re not just trying to make them better players, we’re trying to make them better people,” Pulaski/Carmen Southeast High School varsity basketball coach Melvin White says. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Editor’s note: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service staff pick the stories that still resonate with them after a chaotic 2020.
Unfortunately, because of  the COVID-19 pandemic, athletics have been put on hold in many schools.
Things couldn’t be much more different than last year, when players ran laps and pounded basketballs into the Pulaski/Carmen High School gymnasium, while boys varsity basketball coach Melvin White howled at them from the sideline.
“It’s tough love,” said White, who was a standout basketball player at Dominican High School and a scholarship athlete at Colby Community College in Kansas before deferring his hoop dreams.
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It was a decision he still regretted. Not wanting his players to go through what he did, he pushed them to persevere when things get tough. Coach White was grooming his players to be more prepared for basketball, and also the game of life.
The story about White and his players was the first story I wrote in 2020, and it also happens to be my favorite.
Click here to read the story.

author: Edgar Mendez


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Memorable stories of 2020: ‘Feeble Barriers’: How one Milwaukee artist is documenting the voices of health care workers who must care for COVID-19 patients | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Caroline White
January 1, 2021
Nirmal Raja, a Milwaukee-based artist, began embroidering the thoughts of health care workers onto homemade face masks in April as a way of documenting the pandemic through their eyes. (Photo provided by Nirmal Raja)
When the COVID-19 pandemic started getting real in Wisconsin back in the spring, none of us could predict what we were in for. Life as we knew it seemed to change overnight. Since the beginning, health care workers have bravely been on the frontline of it all, but sometimes their voices get lost in the noise.
Nirmal Raja, a Milwaukee-based artist, began embroidering the thoughts of health care workers onto homemade face masks in April as a way of documenting the pandemic through their eyes.
“I sent my kids away for three months to keep them safe,” said a nurse in Arizona. “I cry all day for them.”
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“Will I take this home?” a Milwaukee nurse said. “Will I be next?”
Her series, called “Feeble Barriers,” is paused, but Raja is still seeking submissions. Health care workers can contribute their reflections to Raja’s email address nirmalinbetween@gmail.com.
Read the original story here.

author: Caroline White


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Post from Community: BBB Tip: Five resolutions for a fraud-free new year | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Wisconsin Better Business Bureau
January 3, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Every year, millions of consumers fall prey to scams. Some lose money immediately, while others become the victims of identity theft that can lead to years of problems. Fortunately, there are practical resolutions you can make to help keep your wallet and identity safe in 2019.
Add these must-dos to your New Year’s resolutions list. By taking just a few practical measures, you can help make the upcoming year fraud-free for you and your family.
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I resolve to be cautious with email.  Be on guard if you receive unsolicited emails from a person or a company. Remember that scammers can make emails look like they are from a legitimate business, government agency, or reputable organization (even BBB!). Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails. You may unknowingly download malware onto your computer that allows the scammer to access your personal information.
I resolve to never send money to strangers. If you haven’t met a person face-to-face, don’t send them money. This is especially true if the person asks you to wire money or transfer funds using pre-paid debit cards. Money sent to strangers in this way is untraceable and once it is sent, there’s no getting it back. Likewise, do not handle money or make transfers for people you have met online; they could be using you as a “money mule” to facilitate a crime.
I resolve to do research before making online payments and purchases. When shopping online, or if you are asked to make a payment online, do your research before you send the funds. Ask yourself: Is this a person or business I know and trust? Do they have a working customer service number? Where is the company physically located? Would I be making payments through a secure server (https://….com)? Have I checked to see if others have complained about this entity?
I resolve to use my best judgment when sharing my personal information. Sensitive personal information includes your banking and credit card information, your birthdate, your address, your phone number, and your Social Security/Social Insurance number. Never share this information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited, and be cautious about sharing it at all
I resolve to be social media smart. Make use of privacy settings on social media and only connect with people you actually know. Be careful about including personal information in your profile and never post pictures of your home or ID cards that reveal your address and other sensitive information. Scammers may use this information to make themselves pass as a friend or relative and earn your trust.
For More Information
To learn more about scams, go to . For more about avoiding scams, check out BBB.org/AvoidScams.
If you’ve been targeted by this scam, help others avoid the same problem by reporting your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker. If you’ve been the victim of identity theft, go to identitytheft.gov for a personalized recovery plan.

created: January 3, 2021

author: Wisconsin Better Business Bureau


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Post from Community: Ignite potential this January | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee
January 3, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Did you know a little time can make a BIG difference in the life of a youth? There are HUNDREDS of Little Brothers and Sisters on our waiting list that could use a mentor just like YOU.
With our new normal, we’ve adjusted our recruitment, enrollment, screening, training, and matching process to go virtual, making it even easier to start making an impact. Are you ready to learn more about becoming a Big?
Join us for one of our National Mentoring Month virtual events on January 14, 21, or the 28 and learn what it means to be a Big, how to apply, and be entered to win prizes like an Amazon Gift Card just for participating!
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We are offering a morning (Coffee Break from 9:00-9:30 a.m.), afternoon (Lunch and Learn from 12 :00- 12:45 p.m.), and evening (Happy Hour from 6:00 – 6:45 p.m.) sessions to accommodate varying schedules.
Use this link to RSVP for this event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ignite-potential-this-january-tickets-132831928875


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December 31, 2020

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