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Low-cost car loan program helps parents get to work | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rick Brown
December 20, 2013
Program Manager Shelby Borchardt says YWCA’s Ways to Work program will help families avoid predatory lenders while building their self-sufficiency. (Photo by Rick Brown)
YWCA Southeast Wisconsin hopes to help families find reliable transportation through the Ways to Work car loan program.
YWCA, 1915 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, formally announced the program at a recent open house.
“Ways to Work provides access to affordable loans for reliable transportation that can help individuals keep both their work life and home life stable,” said Jennifer de Montmollin, chief program officer for economic empowerment at YWCA .
The program dovetails with many of the YWCA’s existing economic empowerment programs, according to Shelby Borchardt, who manages Ways to Work .
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“We had the opportunity to become a service provider,” said Borchardt, adding that the process took about a year. “We just knew that this would work perfectly with our mission.”
Ways to Work, a national community lending institution based in Milwaukee, operates in 22 states. Funding for the launch of the Milwaukee program was provided by Walmart Foundation, Caterpillar Foundation, Guaranty Bank, Helen Bader Foundation, State Farm Insurance Foundation, and United Way of Greater Milwaukee.
The program specifically targets families with credit or financial difficulties and dependent children. For families trying to become more self-sufficient, the loans can provide the “perfect next step” in repairing credit or gaining better employment, Borchardt said.
YWCA’s Ways to Work program offers loans of up to $8,000 to help families buy or repair a car. (Photo by Rick Brown)
The loans also help people avoid having to take prohibitively expensive loans from predatory lenders, which is a common situation faced by YWCA clients, according to Borchardt.
“It’s a very large issue,” Borchardt said. “With poor credit, some of our clients might otherwise receive loans at 25-30 percent. We loan at a blanket 8 percent rate.”
YWCA’s program has been in operation since July and has provided several loans for people to purchase new cars, according to Borchardt.
Miranda Vogelmann, 20, purchased a 2006 Saturn Ion with an $8,000 loan from the program. A single mom, she needed a car to get to school and to her job as an in-home certified nursing assistant for senior citizens. She also has to drive her 2-year-old daughter to day care.
Vogelmann met with Borchardt, who went over her finances to make sure she could afford the car payments. Before she purchased the vehicle from one of the recommended dealerships, Vogelmann took it to an independent mechanic for an inspection, a requirement of the loan program.
“[Ways to Work] made sure you were getting a safe reliable car that will start for you in the morning and not break down,” she said.
Vogelmann has been driving the car for about two months, and she is delighted with it. “I’ve had no problems at all,” she added.
Ways to Work has received approximately 300 applications from across the county so far.
The loans are intended for individuals who earn at or below 80 percent of median income for the county, or a maximum of about $35,000 per year. They need to have worked at least three months for more than 20 hours a week and meet other  specific criteria. Each applicant is carefully evaluated and is required to take a financial education class.
Education is a major component of the program, and many of the approximately 150 applicants currently in the classes found them as useful as the potential loan, Borchardt said.
“It opened me to things I didn’t need to spend money on, like trips to McDonald’s,” said Vogelmann.
After applicants go over their household budget with Borchardt, an anonymous loan committee decides whether to approve the loan, which can be up to $8,000 for a car purchase or $1,500 for a repair.
Borchardt believes the program could grow as demand increases. “There’s definitely the need,” Borchardt said. “We’ll do whatever we can to make sure it’s being met.”
For her part, Vogelmann said, “I would recommend the program to everyone. They didn’t just hand me a loan. I had to prove to them that I could do this. And once I got approved for it, they made sure I was in a safe car and I got something that would last.”

created: December 20, 2013


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 20, 2013

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Adam Carr


text:
Adults earn GED/HSED diplomas | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
December 22, 2013
More than 100 adult men and women walked across the stage to receive their GED/HSED diplomas in graduation ceremonies held in their honor.  The graduates from the Social Development Commission (SDC) program, in doing so, took a big step towards a new and brighter future.
103 adults who went back to the classroom at SDC to earn their high school diplomas were enthusiastically congratulated and cheered by family and friends. They overcame the demands of challenges like jobs, health and family to complete the coursework and testing to reach graduation day.
SDC CEO George Hinton told graduates he understood their struggles, noting that he himself had not finished high school but went back years later to earn his GED.  He continued on to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees and eventually became President of Aurora Sinai Medical Center. He asked the graduates if their achievement had been easy and was answered with a loud “No!” He then asked if it was worth it and the reply was an emphatic “Yes!” He encouraged them to continue their efforts to build a better life for themselves and their families.
For many of the graduates, the day was the realization of a big step in their plans to create a new future.  They shared hugs, smiles and tears with friends and relatives and walked away from the ceremony with optimism and hope for tomorrow.
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To learn more about the GED/HSED programs at SDC, visit the website www.cr-sdc.org/index/Programs–Services/Education–Training/Basic-Skills.htm.  To view photos of the graduation and celebration, visit www.cr-sdc.org/DefaultFilePile/NewsReleases/2012/NYCUGEDGraduationPhotoLook12-20-13w.pdf.

created: December 22, 2013

author: Social Development Commission


text:
Cooperative offers alternative to traditional insurance companies | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
December 24, 2013
(From left) Harry Moseley explains the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative to Joe Kender, the owner of Grūm, a Milwaukee barber shop, as fellow volunteer Michelle Mooney listens. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Michelle Mooney and Harry Moseley slush through the snow and ice, bundled up in heavy winter coats and boots, cold calling small businesses and residents on Milwaukee’s east side.
The 70-somethings, with clipboards and fliers in hand, are not lawn care salesmen or religious missionaries.
Rather, they are members of a volunteer foot army that has canvassed much of the city during the last several months, telling individuals and small business owners about the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative, a new nonprofit insurance company.
“It’s so exciting to be involved in something that is seeking justice for people and encouraging people to get for themselves what they need,” said Mooney before she and Moseley visited businesses along Downer Avenue.
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The Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative is a member-owned, member-governed insurance company with policies available to Milwaukee residents on the federal Affordable Care Act marketplace.
“We are not lining the pockets of fat cats in Minnesota as we make decisions that affect people’s lives,” said Moseley, noting that a board of governors composed of members makes decisions for the cooperative.
Michelle Mooney (left) tells Anne Finch-Nehring, owner of Nehring’s Sendik’s on Downer, about the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
The cooperative is an offshoot of Common Ground, a grassroots organization that spearheads narrowly focused issue campaigns. The organization is currently involved in efforts to revitalize foreclosed houses and improve public schools’ athletic facilities in Milwaukee.
The healthcare cooperative is focused on educating the public about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, said Daren Allen, vice president of business development.
“What people need to understand is the law is about them and, for the first time in this industry, the consumer has a voice and a say,” Allen said.
To compete with the larger insurance companies on the marketplace, the cooperative relies on strong customer service and easy-to-understand descriptions of its insurance products, according to Allen.
“When I get to talk about (the cooperative), I’m not selling health insurance, I am selling consumerism,” Allen said. “I believe in the consumer and their ability to choose and make decisions that are right for them.”
That soft-sell approach was on full display when Moseley and Mooney visited Joe Kender, the owner of Grūm, a small barber shop at the corner of Belleview Place and Downer Avenue.
“There’s so much misinformation out there [that] people need a starting point so this is good,” said Kender, who has insurance, but pays a high monthly premium and deductibles.
The Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative is one of 24 nonprofit health insurance companies throughout the country that are being funded through Affordable Care Act loans. It will receive $56.4 million in federal loans, Allen said.
The goal is to have 10,000 enrollees during each of the next five years, Allen said. As of the middle of December, the cooperative had about 3,500 enrollees, according to Moseley.
Anne Finch-Nehring, the owner of Nehring’s Sendik’s on Downer, welcomed the visit from Moseley and Mooney and planned to hang a few Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative fliers up in the employee area.
“It’s awesome, because everybody is going to be looking … we’re looking for any opportunity to find different ways for people to figure this out and to help our employees,” said Finch-Nehring, who added that she expects to be unable to continue to afford health insurance for her employees when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. Finch-Nehring noted that few employees take the insurance now.
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act say that it will increase insurance premiums, force insurance companies to drop policyholders and force businesses to stop offering health insurance to their employees.
The federal marketplace website Healthcare.gov experienced a myriad of problems in October and November. As of the beginning of December, many of the technical issues had been resolved, according to the Obama administration.
Despite the political and technical challenges the Affordable Care Act has faced, Allen is optimistic that Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative and the federal marketplace will be a popular option, especially for young people.
“They love the whole cooperative message (because) they are growing up in a society that has shown them that corporate America is not very fair at times,” Allen said.

created: December 24, 2013

author: Brendan O’Brien


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 22, 2013


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 24, 2013


text:
Merry Christmas! | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
December 25, 2013
Christmas lights twinkle at a home in the Agape neighborhood. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
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created: December 25, 2013

author: Sharon McGowan


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Nia Imani provides women temporary shelter, permanent skills | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
December 26, 2013
Pamela Maxwell’s life has swerved between crises since she was a young teen. At 15, she was placed in juvenile detention for truancy and lost custody of her 2-year-old son to her home state of Arkansas. She never saw him again. At 21, she was incarcerated for armed robbery after being arrested in the company of the actual robber.
A crack cocaine user since she was 28, Maxwell was later jailed several times on drug charges. In 2010, she suffered a debilitating on-the-job shoulder injury and was evicted from her home for not paying rent. After that she became homeless.
Finally, because of Nia Imani Family Inc., Maxwell, now 52, has a chance to turn her life around. She is beating her addiction, furthering her education and contributing to her community as chair of Women of Hope, a fundraising and events committee at the shelter.
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“Everything is not always peaches and cream but I’m living. And I’m living in a way that I didn’t allow myself in the past to live,” Maxwell said.
Nia Imani Family, the city’s only long-term transitional housing center for women and children, requires residents to participate in a demanding program designed to teach them to live independently.
“It’s volunteer. I only take residents who are willing to come into a program,” said Executive Director Belinda Pittman-McGee, who founded Nia Imani in 1994. Nia and Imani are Swahili words meaning purpose and faith—two of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
There are 12 private apartments where families can live for up to two years. The ultimate goal is to prevent them from returning to homelessness and transiency, according to Pittman-McGee.
Like Maxwell, who was accepted into the program 15 months ago, most Nia Imani participants have struggled with homelessness, substance abuse, unemployment and educational deficiencies. Some also have mental health issues.
After one to two years, 70 to 75 percent of participants meet their goals, according to Pittman-McGee.
She attributes the program’s success to the curriculum she created, and to selecting women who are ready to work hard. She built the program on what some of her earliest participants told her they needed and on her knowledge of adult learning, acquired while working in outreach at UW Milwaukee.
“It works because the needs of the women, the things that they have to deal with in life on a day-to-day basis, are being addressed directly,” Pittman-McGee said.
Resident Breanna Davis moved into Nia Imani about two months ago. Twenty years old and pregnant with her third child, Davis had been moving from house to house with her children after the building she lived in was sold. The state took her 3-year-old daughter, Maya, when doctors diagnosed her with “failure to thrive.”
It turned out that Maya’s condition was caused by an intestinal defect she had at birth. After six months, a court battle and surgery for Maya, Davis regained custody. In the process, Maya’s social worker recommended Nia Imani to give the family more stability, Davis said.
Davis suffers from narcolepsy, a neurological sleep disorder, and has had difficulty getting a job. But she graduated from high school and would like to train as a certified nursing assistant. She hopes to find employment in the future.
“I like that Nia Imani is a family setting. If you need some help you’re not just on your own. They provide assistance but they also push you to be more independent,” Davis said.
The program acknowledges that some women will not be able to increase their income beyond the $673 monthly average provided by Wisconsin Works (W-2) to low-income parents of minor children. A fundamental part of Nia Imani’s program is teaching participants the nuts and bolts of how to live on such a limited income.
The women practice the skills they are taught. Participants must pay rent and utilities and buy food and other necessities. They learn to budget and shop, and if they fall short they must figure out where to cut expenses. They are required to set goals and create a schedule to meet them. They take their children to the school bus and meet them after school.
In addition to cooking, cleaning and maintaining their apartments, residents must participate in the upkeep of the building. In the evenings, they attend support groups and training classes in budgeting, nutrition, parenting, home maintenance and other problem-solving skills. Staff members design individual training for residents based on their specific needs.
Pittman-McGee emphasizes that Nia Imani is distinct from other programs that many of the women have been through repeatedly. It is a home and a place of practice, she explained. Partly to avoid an institutional atmosphere, the women are referred to outside agencies for counseling.
According to Pittman-McGee, “[Our participants] have never been in a program that holds them accountable for their actions; does not allow them to manipulate the system and get away with it; does not allow them to use this program as a crutch and make it a revolving door.”
Nia Imani, located at 1353 N. 25 St., is currently refurbishing its apartments. It is also developing an ambitious new program for first-time mothers ages 18 to 24. That program and an associated resource center are slated to open in February.
As for Maxwell, the thought of finishing the program next October is “kind of scary in a lot of ways” because she feels safe at Nia Imani, she said.
“I like the structure. I love the program. It has a lot of heart-filled meaning to me. This is like my home and family that I’ve grown to love and respect and I like being around,” she added.
Maxwell recently earned a High School Equivalency Diploma. She would like to pursue further study at a Bible college. In addition to setting a positive example for her six grandchildren, she hopes to assist others who are less fortunate.
“I want to be able to help people,” she said. “I want people to know that they’re not alone in the world even when they feel like they don’t have anybody or anything, and don’t feel as though they are adequate or worthy.”

created: December 26, 2013

author: Andrea Waxman


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 25, 2013


text:
Favorite of 2013: ‘Wisdom Walk’ leads away from violence, toward change | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
December 30, 2013
The Alma Center was not seeking publicity, so I had to persuade Executive Director Terri Strodtoff to let me write a story about the unique and powerful work done by the center’s Wisdom Walk program to address domestic violence. Alma Center’s approach — uncovering the trauma at the root of violent behavior and treating perpetrators with a mix of traditional and scientific methods — enables clients to heal. That healing also positively affects the women and children in their lives. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to tell the community about this valuable resource.
Two of the three men sitting around the table are still on parole. Charged with domestic violence, they are participants at different stages of the “Wisdom Walk to Self-Mastery. ” Today, after 19 weeks of rigorous self-examination, reflection and a great deal of learning, one of them, Willie Boyd, is “graduating.”
“I’ve come to accept the fact that I need to be forgiving no matter what the situation is. When I came here, I had a lot of retaliation thoughts … but throughout this course I’ve learned that there’s no point in that because all you can do is get yourself into deeper trouble,” Boyd said.
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The Wisdom Walk is a program of Alma Center, a nonprofit that provides services to men charged with perpetrating violence or abuse toward their intimate partners. The program is rooted in the knowledge that many of the men who come to the center have extensive histories of exposure to violence and victimization in their own pasts and still suffer the effects of the resulting trauma.
Rodney Collins participates in the Wisdom Walk healing circle. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Based on the belief that violent behavior is learned, not inherent, the program seeks to help men who behave violently unlearn lessons they learned as children, primarily from their parents or guardians.
“Trauma is a hurt, an injury, a pain to your soul that really does have to be healed [for you] to be functional,” said Terri Strodthoff, founder and executive director of The Alma Center Inc., 3628 W. Wright St.
The Wisdom Walk is “a healing circle,” said Jojopah Maria Nsoroma, Wisdom Walk creator and facilitator. The men learn specific tools for self-control, such as meditation, and study “a collection of wisdom, philosophy and teachings to help them become conscious of their pain and to learn how to transform it,” she added.
Nsoroma noted that the Wisdom Walk’s motto is “Any pain that is not transformed will be transferred.”
In addition to relying on proven group therapy strategies and scientific discoveries from quantum and theoretical physics and neuroscience, she incorporates cultural anthropology and ancient spiritual teachings from the indigenous cultures of China, West Africa and Native America. Though she says she is not connected to any organized religion, symbols, ritual and ancient practices bring strong spiritual and cultural components to the program.
Percentages refer to applicants for Alma Center programs (Men Ending Violence, Restorative Fatherhood, Finding Work and Wisdom Walk). Source: Alma Center.
Nsoroma, a self-described “wisdom keeper,” studied the ancient wisdom and practices of the West African Dagara tribe under the elder, Malidoma Somé.
Nsoroma guides the men through a five-step process designed to help them uncover their pain, feel their pain, express their desire for change, open themselves to awareness of what will help them change, and finally, achieve the change they seek.
The insights, self-control strategies, emotional unburdening, and forays into feelings of love and trust all help the group members learn to overcome negative thinking and behavior that are rooted in pain. Ritual is important, Nsoroma explained, because it offers an “opportunity to connect with the part of ourselves [our emotional, right-brain side] that knows the truth, that has the answer to solve our problems and our conflicts.”
Most of the Wisdom Walk participants are referred to the Alma Center as a condition of parole. According to Willie Boyd and the other two participants attending his graduation meeting, none of them knew what to expect or felt much optimism about the program. Group members Boyd and Rodney Collins teased Donald Triggs, the newest and youngest among them, who they said fell asleep at most of his first meetings.
But Nsoroma is herself intriguing, according to Wisdom Walk graduate and co-facilitator Floyd Rowell II. “You can just see the aura around her.”
She quickly inspires group members to see the power of the 18 two-hour, twice-weekly sessions. Participants take one week off toward the end to try out life without the support of the program.
“The men get interested in these teachings because what I’m doing is unheard of. I start off with the [Dagara] medicine wheel and right away they are being comforted and validated. The medicine wheel tells you that you carry something within you that your community needs, so you are not disposable. It’s hard for them to hear at first but at the same time they long to hear it,” she said.
Jojopah Maria Nsoroma, Wisdom Walk creator and facilitator (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Nsoroma noted that most of the men are African American and that trauma resolution for them is not just about individuals, but also about what happened to their community and their people.
“If I only used the teachings of the Western culture … there would be something missing. At first, we thought [healing people] was only about food, shelter, clothing and jobs. But we learned that a person can have all those things but if they still believe they are disposal beings, the trauma isn’t healed. The Wisdom Walk gives them a way to know themselves.”
After almost five months of intensive work with Nsoroma and the group, the middle-aged Boyd says the Wisdom Walk has unquestionably changed his life for the better. “Now, I think about not retaliating and I try to focus on love rather than hate,” he said.
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Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service covered a wide range of stories focused on central city neighborhoods during 2013. Reporters Andrea Waxman, Edgar Mendez and Brendan O’Brien explain why the story republished below is their favorite of the year.
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As for Triggs, thanks to Nsoroma and the men in his group, he’s all in now. “[The Wisdom Walk] is one of the best things that happened to me,” he said at Boyd’s last meeting. “Willie’s patience with me made it easier to come to class.” Turning to Boyd, he added, “I’m going to miss you, man.”

created: December 30, 2013


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 30, 2013


text:
Favorite of 2013: Long-awaited Packers field opens in Mitchell Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
December 31, 2013
Dignitaries including Mayor Tom Barrett and County Supervisor Peggy Romo-West (front) prepare for the ceremonial first pass. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
I’ve been a Packer fan since childhood. I’ve cringed and cheered while watching quarterbacks such as Don Majkowski, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers sling footballs across a field with the iconic Green Bay Packers “G” in the center. In 2013, a new football field, emblazoned with the same historic “G,” opened in Mitchell Park, in the heart of the neighborhood where I grew up. The youth and community of Clarke Square now have a piece of the Packers in their own backyard.
On a gloomy Wisconsin day, a youth band plays as a crowd sits in the bleachers overlooking a football field adorned with the unmistakable and iconic Green Bay Packers “G.” It’s not game day at Lambeau Field, but it is a new day for Mitchell Park and Clarke Square. The Journey House Packers Field is now open.
With dignitaries such as Gov. Scott Walker, Mayor Tom Barrett, Packers’ President Mark Murphy and Packers Hall of Famer Willie Buchanan on hand, the field was celebrated as a place where youth will play football and learn life lessons such as teamwork, dedication, commitment and leadership.
“Those lessons will radiate from the field to their homes to their schools and communities,” said Charles Brown, director of youth programs at Journey House.
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Susan Lloyd, executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation, accepts an award from Charles Brown, Journey House director of youth programs and Dr. Michele Bria, Journey House executive director. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
It was Brown who got the call from the Packers in 2009, asking whether he’d like a field once used by the team for practice, but now stored away in 30 huge rolls.
“We had a field and we never used it,” Murphy said.
Brown’s first youth football team at Journey House won no games and didn’t score a touchdown until the second to last game. The team spent that year practicing on a field with no goal posts or painted lines in a section of Mitchell Park that used to hold the sunken gardens. He couldn’t say no.
Brown called the field a dream come true and credited nearby residents who had  asked for more playing fields during the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative planning process, funded by the Zilber Family Foundation.
“The residents said they’d like to live in a neighborhood with football and soccer fields,” Brown said.
Now, according to Murphy, the neighborhood is the only one in the U.S. that has an NFL field not located at an NFL facility.
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“Finally, we found a home here,” Murphy said.
Installing, constructing and preparing a site to house the field, which Brown calls an outdoor classroom, cost $1.4 million. The NFL contributed a $200,000 matching grant, and the Charles E. Benidt Foundation made gifts totaling more than $1 million for the field. The final $1.6 million to cover the cost of a new parking lot and other finishing touches is still being raised.
The project’s main partners are Journey House, Marquette University High School  and Milwaukee County Parks. The real winners, according to Barrett, are ”the kids who will play on this field.”
The high school’s freshman and sophomore football teams will play their home games on the new field, as will the lacrosse team. Journey House youth football league and cheerleading teams also will call the field home.
“They’re playing on the same field that Brett Favre and Donald Driver once played on,” Walker noted.
What do kids think about that?
“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Vance Rehak, who plays linebacker and wide receiver for the Journey House Packers, shortly after catching a touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone.

created: December 31, 2013

author: Edgar Mendez


text:
2014 IMR Data Brief & Graphs 20150502 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
May 6, 2015
2014 IMR Data Brief & Graphs 20150502


text:
2014 MANDI Awards | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
MANDIs celebrate ‘better future’ for Milwaukee neighborhoods
Winners of the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDIs), awarded to organizations working to improve impoverished neighborhoods, were announced at a sold-out dinner.
Westlawn Gardens, which replaced half of the old Westlawn public housing complex, is a MANDI finalist for its unique design and environmental features. Though it’s been open less than a year, the project is changing how people view the city’s northwest side.
MANDI nominee United Methodist Children’s Services finds its calling working with low-income families.
Activist Jan Christensen says building a community is a long-term project. She is the community organizer in the Riverwest neighborhood.
Nearly a dozen renters have moved into foreclosed homes that are part of the Rent to Own Homes program in the Layton Boulevard West neighborhood. The project is a finalist for a MANDI.
Just One More Ministry, which “rescues” food from groceries and caterers, is moving into the city to be able to serve more meals to Milwaukee’s hungry.
Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and animal tracking are just a few of the activities for students on winter field trips at the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum, a MANDI finalist.
IndependenceFirst Mobility Store, which provides medical equipment for people with disabilities, is a finalist for a 2014 MANDI.
Finalists for the 2014 Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innnovation, known as the “MANDIs,” were announced Wednesday evening to a crowded room of nominees, community leaders and corporate sponsors.
The “Northern Trust Navigator Award”
• Charles Brown, Journey House
• Jan Christenson, YMCA of Metro Milwaukee
• Howard Snyder, Northwest Side Community Development Corp.


text:
Happy New Year! | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
January 1, 2014
Photo by Jim McGowan

created: January 1, 2014


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
December 31, 2013


text:
23rd Annual MLK Memorial Prayer Service | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Capuchin Community Services
January 2, 2014
23rd Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Prayer Service will be held Saturday, January 18, 1:30 PM at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 2 and Burleigh, Milwaukee. This year’s theme is Who is your God?
The event is sponsored by Black Catholic Ministry Commission-Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the 2014 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Prayer Service Planning Committee.
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created: January 2, 2014

author: Capuchin Community Services


text:
FACT youth leaders celebrate tobacco prevention successes with Rep. Evan Goyke | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance
January 2, 2014
On December 20, Representative Evan Goyke from Wisconsin’s 18 state assembly district met with youth leaders from the Mary Ryan Boys and Girls Club, who were celebrating a successful year of FACT tobacco prevention programming and activities. The youth leaders have gained great leadership experiences this year–in particular, through planning and implementing the FACTivisms they did with their peers at the club. The FACT youth leaders thank Rep. Goyke for his support, as he has been an instrumental partner to the City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, its programs, and its partners.

author: City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 2, 2014


text:
Favorite of 2013: Volunteers dispatched to count Milwaukee homeless | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
January 2, 2014
In my opinion, homelessness is one of the most important issues facing the city. The story was fascinating to cover, given the variety of people, including police officers and volunteers, who worked tirelessly to conduct the count. It also was interesting to hear directly from people who were homeless, many of whom said they did not want anyone to feel sorry for them. Lastly, the story resonated with me because of the complexity of the issue, both in terms of obtaining the count and solving the problem of homelessness in Milwaukee.
David Marble held a cardboard sign, pleading for money from motorists whizzing by him as he stood on the median dividing a busy street, a few blocks west of Potawatomi Bingo Casino.
“It’s so humiliating, you have no idea,” said Marble, who has been homeless since three back surgeries and a neck surgery left him unable to work.
“The same people get off of work and they see you night after night and it’s so disheartening when they give you nothin’,” he said. “You can’t blame these people. Are you going to give every night? You ain’t going to do that. I wouldn’t do that.”
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David Marble, a homeless man, holds a sign asking for help from motorists. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Marble, 56, is one of the individuals surveyed during Milwaukee’s “You Count” effort, intended to get a statistical snapshot of all of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in the city.
The effort involved dispatching volunteers throughout the city throughout a 24-hour period to find and survey people who live in parks, under viaducts, along the river and in alleyways.
Volunteers also visited meal sites and the Milwaukee Public Library, where homeless people tend to gather, especially when it is cold.
“We are trying; we do our best and that is why we have such an expansive effort, but we are never going to be able to find everybody,” said Evan O’Brien of the Hope House of Milwaukee, who helped oversee the count.
“It’s never going to be a flawless system. The difficult thing is the unsheltered population, just pinpointing where they are,” O’Brien said.
In addition to asking the homeless person his or her name and date of birth, the survey consisted of questions regarding living situation, employment and reasons for homelessness. The survey also asked whether the respondent is a victim of domestic violence or disabled.
Homeless people were also invited to Hillside Family Resource Center, 1452 N. 7th St., where they were surveyed. At the center, they were able to connect with services and receive much-needed items such as coats, sleeping bags and hygiene products.
“This is a big helping hand … a little here and a little there helps out,” said Dwayne, who has lived on the street for about two years, as he enjoyed a hot cup of coffee.
The final tally of unsheltered homeless individuals will be added to a head count of homeless people who checked into any of the shelters in Milwaukee on Jan. 30.
The count of sheltered homeless is kept in the Homeless Management Information System, a database run by the Milwaukee Continuum of Care and coordinated by O’Brien.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mandates an annual count by organizations that serve the homeless and receive funding from the agency.
In Milwaukee, the count is done twice a year. About 1,400 homeless people were counted in January 2012. In July 2012, about 1,500 were counted.
A sign greets individuals to the “You Count” event at the Hillside Family Resource Center. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
“We have no idea what we will get tonight. Winter is a tough time because it’s so hard to get a good unsheltered count,” O’Brien said.
According to volunteer Nicki Wooters, a social worker at St. Catherine Residence for Women, “It’s a whole other culture that I wasn’t even aware of. They (homeless people) have their own hierarchy.”
Trust and loyalty are currency within the homeless hierarchy. Many people are part of small bands that claim spots under viaducts, trade clothing such as coats and gloves, and watch one another’s backs.
To protect themselves, many sleep with makeshift weapons nearby, while other just don’t sleep, Wooters said.
The Milwaukee Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team also was part of “You Count.” Their job during the night was to help find the city’s chronically homeless people, who sleep in abandoned warehouses and under viaducts throughout the dark, cold city.
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Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service covered a wide range of stories focused on central city neighborhoods during 2013. Reporters Andrea Waxman, Edgar Mendez and Brendan O’Brien explain why the story republished below is their favorite of the year.
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After searching for about an hour with no luck, a pair of MPD team members cautiously walked down an icy concrete staircase and under a viaduct near the Mitchell Park Conservatory domes.
A ray from one of the officer’s flashlights pierced through the darkness, and the pile of blankets on the concrete slab began to move. Jimmy, a homeless veteran dressed in a Packers sweatshirt with several layers of clothing beneath, rose up and politely greeted the officers.
“It’s not safe. Got to carry something like that,” said Jimmy, 59, pointing to his left shoe near his transistor radio.
In the shoe was a silver box cutter.
One of the officers quickly took it away while they chatted with Jimmy, making sure he was not sick, injured or too cold.
Jimmy said he has been homeless on and off for about six months after losing his job and getting kicked out of his home.
He also said he earns a small bit of cash by helping out at a homeless shelter and has family that he can stay with when it gets bitter cold. But for now, pride gets in the way.
“I don’t ask nobody for a damn thing,” he said, his eyes overflowing with tears as he laid back down.


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23rd Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Prayer Service | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Capuchin Community Services
January 6, 2014
This Memorial Prayer Service will be held Saturday, January 18, 1:30 PM at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 2nd and Burleigh, Milwaukee. This year’s theme is Who is your God? The event is sponsored by Black Catholic Ministry Commission-Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the 2014 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Prayer Service Planning Committee.
http://www.thecapuchins.org/events/23rd-annual-rev.-dr.-martin-luther-king-jr.-memorial-prayer-service

created: January 6, 2014


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Milwaukee Public Library will be open during frigid temperatures | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Library
January 6, 2014
The Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) will remain open on Monday, January 6th and Tuesday, January 7th during the extreme cold weather conditions.
Below is a list of the changes in hours for each location on Monday and Tuesday:
Regularly Scheduled Hours:
Central Library
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Monday 12-8 pm, Tuesday 9 am-6 pm
Atkinson, Capitol, Forest Home, Martin Luther King, Mill Road and Tippecanoe Libraries Monday and Tuesday 12-8 pm
Bay View, East, Villard Square, Washington Park and Zablocki Libraries Monday 10 am-8 pm, Tuesday 12-8 pm
Center Street Library
Monday 9 am-8 pm , Tuesday 12-8 pm
Library hours are subject to change based on the extremity of weather conditions. Library employees and patrons can find complete information on MPL locations, hours and closings during winter weather on www.mpl.org or via MPL’s Facebook page or Twitter account at @MilwaukeePubLib.

author: Milwaukee Public Library


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Milwaukee Public Library will be open tomorrow | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Library
January 6, 2014
The Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) will remain open on Tuesday, January 7th during the extreme cold weather conditions. All 13 locations will have a modified schedule and will be open from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Books due today or tomorrow? MPL is offering a fine grace period until Wednesday. Library employees and patrons can find complete information on MPL locations, hours and closings during winter weather on www.mpl.org or via MPL’s Facebook page or Twitter account at @MilwaukeePubLib.


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Three more neighborhoods eligible for city loans under TIN program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
January 6, 2014
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett shares a laugh with homeowner Marisela Martin, 12th District Alderman José Pérez and Maritza Martin after a press conference on the 1800 block of West Arthur Avenue. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Marisela Martin wants her in-laws to eventually move into her modest Pulaski Park home. But before that can happen, she needs to install insulation and create a livable space in her attic.
“It’s too cold up here right now; it’s freezing,” said Martin, who has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years, as she stood among boxes, clothes and household items in the drafty, dark attic.
Like many homeowners, however, Martin, 43, does not have the money to make the necessary upgrades to her three-bedroom duplex in the 1800 block of West Arthur Avenue on the city’s South Side.
That’s where the City of Milwaukee enters the picture. The city recently announced it is adding the Pulaski Park, St. Joseph’s and Martin Drive neighborhoods to its Targeted Investment Neighborhood program, intended to increase property values and owner occupancy while improving the physical appearance and quality of life in the designated areas. The last neighborhood to become a TIN, Borchert Field, was selected in April 2012.
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Marisela Martin points to the ceiling where she plans to install insulation with the help of a loan from Milwaukee’s Target Investment Neighborhood program. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
The program makes loans up to $30,000 available to homeowners who want to make exterior improvements or energy efficiency upgrades to their houses. Homeowners who stay in their homes for five years will have half of the loan forgiven.
“What bank is going to do that for you?” Martin said on the stairs leading to the attic, adding that she looks forward to applying for the program.
The program also makes available forgivable loans for landlords for rehabilitation projects on rental properties. The city will match funds from the landlord up to $15,000 per rental unit.
To qualify for a loan through the program, property owners must complete an application process that includes a credit check. They also must meet maximum income limits, which depend on the number of members in their family. For example, a household of four must make less than $56,150 a year to be eligible.
In addition to home-improvement loans, matching grants are available to TIN neighborhoods to pay for community development projects such as community gardens, signage, lighting and art projects.
“The TIN program has worked all across the city – promoting investment by homeowners and boosting the collective power of residents and their neighborhood,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “This is an effort in which the city becomes a partner, adding to the inherent strength of the targeted neighborhoods.”
The program, spearheaded by the city’s Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation, depends on partner organizations within each of the TIN neighborhoods. Partner organizations are expected to promote the program and assist with community development projects.
The Martin Drive Neighborhood Association and the Sherman Park Community Association (in the St. Joseph’s area) will work with the city. The Sixteenth Street Health Clinic will help facilitate the program in the Pulaski Park neighborhood.
“We know that health starts in the home,” said Iris Gonzalez of the Sixteenth Street clinic. The TIN program will help families “make important improvements to the aging housing stock in this neighborhood that impacts their health and well being,” Gonzalez added. “We’re really excited for the opportunity to connect residents with these valuable resources and are eager to get to work.”
More than 600 homeowners have taken advantage of the program since it began in 2004. During the last decade, the city has invested more than $10 million through the TIN program.
In 2014, more than $800,000 will be available to fund home rehabilitation projects in TIN neighborhoods. Funding for the program comes from the federal HOME program and from money taken in from TIN loan repayments.
In addition to Borchert Field and the three new TIN neighborhoods, Burnham-Layton, Century City, Merrill Park, Mitchell-Kosciuszko and the Woodlands neighborhoods participate in the program. TINs are generally six to 12 city blocks, and last for three years.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 5, 2014

created: January 5, 2014


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MPS’ Golda Meir School is expanding into high school | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
January 8, 2014
Milwaukee Public Schools’ top-rated Golda Meir School, a gifted and talented school graded ‘Exceeds Expectations’ by the state of Wisconsin, is expanding to serve high school students.
“We’re excited to be offering another high-performing high school option for Milwaukee families – something they’ve been asking for,” MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton said.
“Our rigorous high school is built upon the Golda Meir legacy of success – all in a small school setting,” Principal Michelle Morris Carter said.
Limited seats are available for the school’s 150-student 9th-grade class for 2014-15. Many seats have already been claimed by 8th-grade students at the school and others accepted through the school’s testing process. Offerings at the high school include:
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– A formal partnership with the College Board, Advanced Placement coursework for students in every grade and the opportunity to earn an AP diploma. AP coursework helps students earn college credit.
– Dual-credit coursework at nearby colleges and universities
– Accelerated opportunities for advanced learners
– A second language requirement
– Partnerships with downtown businesses, museums and cultural associations allowing for internship and externship experiences
– And athletic opportunities through a partnership with MPS’ Riverside University High School
The high school will grow by one grade each year thereafter until it serves grades 3-12 in two buildings: one for grades 3-5 and the other for 6-12.
The space being used for the high school is available because MPS has been strategic about using once-vacant school facilities: a former middle school immediately next door to Golda Meir now serves as the school’s grade 6-8 campus and will also serve its high school students. The high school has been in development since 2011 as the district sought to increase high-quality high school options.
(414) 212-3205
The high school will add to MPS’ portfolio of high-performing high school options, including Rufus King International School, Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School, Milwaukee School of Languages and Carmen High School of Science and Technology, all of which have been rated as among the best high schools in the Milwaukee region and the state of Wisconsin by The Washington Post and U.S. News and World Report.

created: January 8, 2014

author: Milwaukee Public Schools


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Newly-created residency connects the arts with Menomonee Valley | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Menomonee Valley Partners
January 8, 2014
Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc. and Zimmerman Architectural Studios announce the launch of a newly created Menomonee Valley Artist in Residency Pilot Program for 2014. The residency will focus attention on interconnections between culture, community and ecology in the Valley. As the inaugural Artist in Residence, photographer Eddee Daniel brings to the role a vision of the Menomonee Valley as a dynamic and vital part of the fabric of Milwaukee, where economic and community development is integrated with parks and natural areas. Daniel will be working out of the offices of Zimmerman Architectural Studios. The residency opens to the public on gallery night, January 17, when a display of Daniel’s work will be exhibited at Zimmerman, 2122 W. Mount Vernon Ave., Milwaukee, WI.
Menomonee Valley Partners, Inc., a non-profit organization, has been a leader in the Valley revitalization efforts since 1999. Zimmerman Architectural Studios is one of the oldest and most successful architectural firms in Wisconsin. Together they are piloting the residency program throughout 2014 to emphasize the role of the arts in envisioning Valley redevelopment and to stimulate an exchange of ideas about the Menomonee Valley, its geography, culture, history and future. Once the industrial as well as geographical center of Milwaukee and later a victim of post-industrial decay, the Valley has seen a dramatic turnaround in the past 15 years. There are new businesses, new and expanding recreational opportunities, and a cleaner, healthier river and environment. The Valley’s redevelopment includes the Hank Aaron State Trail and the new Three Bridges Park, which opened in 2013 as Milwaukee’s newest park and natural area.
Eddee Daniel is a fine art photographer and writer with well-established ties to the Menomonee Valley. He is the author of Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed (2008, Center for American Places), a book that examines the Menomonee River in photography and prose. His photography has twice won awards in the Milwaukee Artists Resource Network’s Menomonee Valley plein air event, Beyond the Canvas. As Artist in Resident, Daniel will be available by appointment throughout 2014. Contact information: 414-771-8857 or 262-385-3755 (cell) or eddee@eddeedaniel.com.
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author: Menomonee Valley Partners


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City planning manager role model for women architects, managers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Peter Setter
January 9, 2014
This is one in an occasional series of profiles on the people behind the scenes who make Milwaukee work.
A quick glance at the list of past City of Milwaukee planning managers makes clear what many already know: architecture and engineering are predominantly men’s clubs.
Vanessa Koster is planning manager at Milwaukee’s Department of City Development. Koster has been with the department for 15 years, the last five in her current role. DCD is responsible for business development, real estate development, planning, permitting and public housing.
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The city’s only other female planning manager held the position in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “When I first started 15 years ago, I very much felt like a woman living in a man’s world. Often, I would be the only female in the room. It’s improved a little bit since the time that I have been here, but more could be done,” Koster said.
In fact, Koster is working to improve gender diversity in her office by making sure there is a female intern each summer.
“I think about it as, ‘How can I encourage women to be in more of a management role?’ That’s important to me and I believe strongly in mentoring. I work with them to encourage them to go into professional management careers,” Koster said.
Koster was born and raised in Waukesha, 20 miles west of Milwaukee. Her mother was an alderwoman in the suburb for almost 10 years, and also served as mayor for a term. Her mother’s leadership positions in local government inspired Koster to become involved in the public sector and to encourage other females to strive for similar positions. “It’s in my blood, I think, because I grew up in that environment.”
Koster has lived in Milwaukee for about 20 years, since she began her education at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There, she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture and a certificate in urban planning.
“About halfway through, I determined I really wanted to focus on planning as opposed to just building design,” Koster said. “I was interested in looking at the full, physical environment.”
Her dream of working in the public sector was fulfilled after a two-year wait. She got an entry-level planning job at a time when women rarely worked in the profession. Now, as planning manager, a senior-level management position, she is on the third management rung from the top of the department leadership ladder.
A Day in the Life
Koster arrives at the office each morning between 7:30 and 8:00. She manages a full-time staff of nine employees and up to four graduate interns. When she is not assigning projects and checking their progress, she’s either in meetings or out in the city working with developers, landowners and architects on various projects.
Her recent projects include the IVY on 14th apartment building on Marquette’s campus, and a new Beerline B residential development.
“A typical day is very untypical because it’s never the same, and I think that’s what’s so exciting about my job,” Koster said.
According to Lori Lutzka, development projects manager in the Department of City Development, “She is very dependable and is a strong contributor [to] getting projects done.” She added, “For Vanessa, serving the client in the most responsive and honest manner is most important.”
However, working with clients can be challenging. Often, projects come with controversy.
“I work with my staff to make sure we are very respectful of people’s opinions. We always listen first, and I think that is very important,” Koster said. “Once we understand their concerns, we try to address them point by point.”
Rana Altenburg, vice president of public affairs at Marquette University, has worked with Koster for a number of years on Marquette-related projects. She believes Koster is successful at managing the problems that arise.
“She has outstanding interpersonal skills that help facilitate collaboration between the city and the development community,” said Altenburg. “Vanessa is sensitive to stakeholder concerns and excels at problem solving. She is motivated to find solutions that advance the city’s goals while meetings the community’s concerns.”
As a single mom, Koster said she’svery lucky to have a great network of family and friends in the area. ”We all help out each other in taking care of the kids,” she said.
Her friend and neighbor, Shannon O’Neill, observed that Koster is very good at “following her instincts and parenting from the heart. That said, she’s no pushover as a parent. She expects her daughter to be respectful and polite with everyone.”
Koster hopes she has instilled a desire to reach for a management career in her 10-year-old daughter, Mady.
“I can’t imagine not being a single mom and having a full-time job,” Koster said. “And I try to instill that in my daughter as well. I want her to succeed and have the same successes I have had in any career field she chooses.”

created: January 9, 2014

author: Peter Setter


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 8, 2014


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Appointment of New Executive Director, Walker’s Point Center for the Arts | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Walker's Point Center for the Arts
January 12, 2014
The Walker’s Point Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Bradley as Executive Director effective January 1, 2014. Ms. Bradley will succeed Gary Tuma, who has stepped down as of December 31, 2013 after leading the Center for the last 8 years. Gary will continue his relationship with the Center, spending the next few years in part-time service as the WPCA’s first Growth and Development Officer.
These changes conclude a comprehensive succession and strategic plan based on the current needs and future growth of WPCA with input from many stakeholders.
Board President, Lona Long Velasco, said: “Gary has been working in a professional non-profit capacity for 35 years for a variety of organizations from employment equality to disability rights to youth development. The last eight years we have been fortunate to benefit from his tireless efforts to advance the mission of the WPCA. Under Gary Tuma we have purchased a new building, seen membership numbers double, and been voted best gallery in Milwaukee. His commitment to this organization and passion for people will leave a lasting impact on the community.”
“Kate Bradley is an ideal successor to Gary.” Said Ms. Long Velasco, “She has been the Education Director at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts for the last seven years. Kate led the effort to expand WPCA’s SO/HO (Site-On/Hand’s-On) Artist Residency program. Within one year the numbers of underserved youth doubled to over 4,000 students reached through WPCA’s award winning cultural arts curriculum. Last year that number exceeded 10,000 people of all ages served in classes, workshops and performances.”
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“With her background in Arts Education, leadership abilities and progressive vision for our Gallery and Education programs, the Board is excited to support Kate as we continue the legacy begun 26 years ago promoting emerging arts and learning in an urban, multicultural environment.”
The Board thanks Gary for his service and is pleased to continue working with him as Growth and Development Officer for the next few years. The WPCA looks forward to Kate’s contributions in 2014 and beyond, and asks members and donors to welcome her to her new role.

created: January 12, 2014

author: Walker's Point Center for the Arts


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Volunteer adult volleyball referees needed! | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Journey House
January 12, 2014
Journey House is looking for Volunteer Adult Volleyball League Referees.  Our referees promote sportsmanship and character development above all else.  Will you help our community along in their journey?
We are looking for Head Referees and Line Referees!
Referees must be available Tuesdays between
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6-8pm for our Adult Volleyball League Games. Games will be played at Journey House Gymnasium (2110 W. Scott Street).
The first games will take place at the end of January and continue to March 2014.
For more information about volunteering, please e-mail jnelson@journeyhouse.org or call (414) 647-0548 ext.132.

author: Journey House


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Local testing centers prepare to administer new GED test | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
January 13, 2014
Volunteer math tutor Elizear Hurtado (right), helped Josefina Mendoza prepare for her GED math test in December. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Though uncertainty remains as to how the doubled price of the new GED test will affect local students, local testing centers are all nearly set to begin administering the computer-based exam.
Testing centers ceased offering the old version of the exam in mid-December, and those who weren’t able to complete all five tests needed for GED certification will have to start over. The change affected thousands of local students, though a hard push by adult education centers across the city resulted in hundreds earning their GEDs before the deadline. All testing centers in the city will be administering tests by Feb. 1 or earlier.
“All systems are go at MATC,” said Carol Spain, manager of Student Accommodation Services at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), which houses the largest local testing center at its downtown campus, 700 W. State St.
Spain said the school, which offers GED testing at all four locations, is prepared for new students to register for the set of tests, though no one has yet. The tests now cost $135, while the previous exams cost $65.
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Though the beginning of the year is a slow period for testing, Gloria Pitchford-Nicholas, dean of the School of Pre-College Education at MATC, said any significant increase in cost is a cause for concern.
Jennifer Brown (left), celebrated earning her high school equivalency diploma with children Giannie and Lonnie at a Journey House Family Learning Center graduation event. (Photo by Edgar Mendez).
MATC does not offer programs to help students cover the cost, Pitchford-Nicholas said, “but perhaps some of our partner agencies will in the near future.”
Spain said that in the past various community organizations provided vouchers to help cover some or the entire cost of the tests.
Jake Gorges, education coordinator at the Social Development Corporation (SDC), 4041 N. Richards St., said no students have signed up to take the test there. In the past, SDC has provided some subsidies for students to help cover the cost of testing materials, but as of now, most of the organization’s GED funding has gone toward setting up for the new test, according to Gorges.
“Some portion of the population is certainly going to be impacted by the price,” said Gorges, adding that there are initiatives in the works that could help.
For example, he mentioned that students will soon be able to have tests “gifted to them.” In other words, donors will have the opportunity to pay online for individual tests or the entire set for a student.
The new GED test will include four exams instead of five, and test-takers will need to do more high-order thinking to pass, said Westmore Holmes, instructional chair for the High School Education/GED program at MATC, in an earlier interview with NNS. The test will continue to assess whether students have achieved the equivalent of a high school education, but will comply with state and national standards as well, Holmes said.
Pitchford-Nicolas added that the new test will better assess whether students are able to meet employer needs in a computer-based society and also better prepare them for further educational endeavors.
Many educational leaders have described the test as more difficult, but Michele Bria, CEO of Journey House, said she’s not worried about students adjusting to the new test. Journey House offers GED prep courses in Spanish and English,
“Critical thinking is still critical thinking,” Bria said.
As to how the new price will impact students at Journey House, Bria said that perhaps working with students on financial planning and other cost-saving measures is in order.
“There is a fee even to take the practice tests so it will be difficult to ration those vouchers so people can practice,” Bria said.
Below is a listing of Milwaukee GED testing centers and dates in which tests will be offered.

created: January 13, 2014


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 12, 2014


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 13, 2014


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TRUE Skool prepares for grand opening at Grand Avenue mall | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 14, 2014
TRUE Skool participants Jasmin Quezada and Daleshontai Jene Tate hang paintings in the gallery at the organization’s new location in the Grand Avenue mall’s Plankinton Building. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
TRUE Skool founder and executive director Sarah Dollhausen sits in the gallery at the new location. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Energy was running high in the gallery at TRUE Skool’s new home in the Grand Avenue mall’s Plankinton Building on a recent Saturday. Teens from around the city hung paintings, painted walls, removed packing materials, ate pizza and joked with each other and their teaching artists as they helped ready the space for a grand opening on Milwaukee’s Gallery Night, Friday, Jan. 17.
“We moved (from 4850 W. Fond Du Lac Ave.) because we were on top of each other. We had run out of space,” said Sarah Dollhausen, TRUE Skool founder and executive director. The arts program had been located on the North Side since 2006.
TRUE Skool is an after-school and summer program for high school students ages 14 to 19. Rooted in Hip Hop culture, it engages teens in arts that originated in the urban experience.
When Dollhausen began teaching computer skills to teens at the Milwaukee Christian Center in the 1990s, she saw that they did not want to continue sitting in a classroom after a whole day of school.
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“So I began to think of ways to engage them in education that were outside of the box and I started to use music and art as tools,” Dollhausen said.
She grew up in Hip Hop culture with friends who were involved in break dancing, graffiti art and emcee-ing. “For us, back in the ‘80s this provided a sense of community; it was about supporting each other,” Dollhausen added. With that frame of reference, what is now TRUE Skool’s arts program began to evolve.
Dollhausen continued to engage young people through Hip Hop culture at the Latino Community Center and she and graffiti artist Eliot Patterson launched TRUE Skool in 2004 with a block party. That year, the celebration of urban art and music focused on graffiti art.
“We wanted to help bring back the art form of graffiti, not vandalizing, but promoting this as an art form because we were working with young people who saw this as an outlet. They saw an art form that was attractive to them and it gave them a chance to explore something they already were interested in,” Dollhausen said.
Today, TRUE Skool’s program includes visual art, dance, music and DJ training. Except for an advanced painting program, students are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. Recently TRUE Skool has served 30-35 teens per session and has had a waiting list for the last year and a half. The larger space will allow the group to increase participation to 50 students, Dollhausen said.
Volunteer Karl Reeves helps paint the lobby at TRUE Skool’s new home in the Grand Avenue Mall. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Milwaukee High School of the Arts senior Jasmin Quezada appreciates the teaching artists, who she said “are very knowledgeable and easy to talk to.” She has been attending since her freshman year and enjoys collaborating on projects with other students, meeting new people and talking with Gallery Night visitors about her artwork.
Escuela Verde senior Daleshontai Jene Tate visited TRUE Skool last year with a friend who learned about it from a Violence Free Zone officer at Bradley Technology and Trade School, 700 S 4th St.
“We walked around and as soon as I got there I knew ‘this is the place to be,” said Tate, adding, “I have always been interested in music so as soon as I found an outlet where I can express myself in music, I took that opportunity.”
The program is free but participants must “pay” by putting in 10 hours of community service per session. There are 10-week sessions in spring and fall and a 6-week session in summer. The social justice component is integrated into the arts programming. Partners including the ACLU, Reproductive Justice Collective, Urban Underground and YWCA present topics that often become the content of the students’ art and music projects. The Reproductive Justice Collective, shares TRUE Skool’s new space.
Teens can sign up for the spring session on Gallery Night, which will feature student art, live DJs and guided tours of the new space by students.
TRUE is an acronym for ‘truth and reality in urban education. “It’s a play on words, which is why you see school spelled ‘skool,’” Dollhausen said.
“The idea is about schooling young people on what’s really going on in urban communities and getting them to be part of the solution instead of always being blamed as the problem.”

created: January 14, 2014


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Blessing of the Sick | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Capuchin Community Services
January 19, 2014
A monthly Blessing of the Sick will be offered at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on the first Friday of each month in commemoration of Venerable Solanus Casey. A beloved Capuchin friar, Fr. Solanus Casey is credited with miracles and healings. He was humbly raised on a farm in Wisconsin and Pope John Paul II named him Venerable in 1995. The Blessing will incorporate Scripture, prayers of intercession and thanksgiving, a blessing with a relic of the True Cross, and Communion. Confession will be available beforehand at 1:30 PM. For more information call 414.374.5750, ext. 10 or email stfrancismil@gmail.com.
First Friday Every Month: 2 PM
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 1927 N. Fourth Street, Milwaukee WI, 53212
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created: January 19, 2014


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 19, 2014


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Zilber Family Foundation awards $25,000 to Ronald Reagan IB High School music department | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
January 19, 2014
The Board of Directors of the Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation has awarded a five-year, $25,000 grant to continue its support of Ronald Reagan International Baccalaureate (IB) High School’s music program. The award comes just before Reagan’s performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls” the last weekend of January.
A previous Zilber grant helped to establish international baccalaureate vocal and instrumental music programs at Reagan, 4965 S. 20th St. Since 2008, funds have been used to support scores of musical productions, competitions and extra-curricular activities. Since 2008, enrollment in the music program has grown from only a dozen students to approximately 500.
The Vera J. Zilber Music Department at Reagan delivers a rigorous college-level curriculum for young people interested in performing, composing and studying music. Reagan is the only school in Wisconsin to teach a full four-year International Baccalaureate music curriculum. IB music students develop solo performance, composition and musical analysis skills and may be eligible for college course credits. Extracurricular activities open to all students include drum line, DJ club, solo and ensemble clubs, piano club, pit orchestra club, jazz band, musical theater and Radio Reagan.
The latest Zilber grant will continue to support these programs, along with community partnerships with the Florentine Opera and Milwaukee Symphony and student performance opportunities locally and nationally.
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Reagan music department leaders are also beginning to meet with leaders from North Division High School— located in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood—to share best practices and strategies for building a successful music program, especially for those young people who may not have had prior exposure or experience with music lessons.
“Our music program unites teens from diverse backgrounds around the universal language of music,” said Erica Breitbarth, music department chair, choir director and IB music teacher at Reagan. “We look forward to sharing our experience with others in the community and providing our students with both academic and hands-on musical opportunities to develop their artistic expression.”
Reagan will demonstrate students’ artistic abilities in its production of the musical “Guys and Dolls,” with performances Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place at the Reagan IB Auditorium, 4965 S. 20th St. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.


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Scrappers brave the elements trying to make ends meet | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
January 20, 2014
This is the first in an ongoing series of articles that put a face on the poor in Milwaukee, 50 years after President Lyndon Johnson declared a “war on poverty.”
A wobbly stroller filled with a plastic bag of aluminum cans rolled into a deep shadow underneath a dank viaduct.
A lanky man with leathery skin pushed the stroller as traffic whizzed through the nondescript corridor of warehouses and abandoned buildings.
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“I’m doing this today because my little grandbaby’s birthday is Tuesday and we are going to have a surprise birthday party,” said Pete, who would not give his last name, as his voice faded and tears pooled in his eyes.
He wept. For that moment, the gravity of his poverty along with the love he felt for his granddaughter was too much to take.
But the 64-year-old pushed on, expecting to earn about $8.50 from recycling the bag of cans in the stroller. He hoped to use the money to chip in for a cake or a small gift for the little girl who would turn 4 a few days later.
Three white plastic garbage bags stuffed with cans hung from the handle bar of a rickety 10-speed bicycle as it silently glided past Pete when he entered the scrap yard.
The bike rider squeezed the hand brake with his right hand for a moment, slowing the bicycle to a halt next to a rusty trash can swarming with hungry bees waiting for his sweet cargo.
Soon after disposing of the hundreds of cans in the bags, Jason Stevens, 32, was handed about $15 and a pile of change at the service window of United Milwaukee Scrap, 3232 W. Fond Du Lac Ave.
“That’s why I’m collecting cans. It’s hard to find a job out here,” said Stevens, proudly lifting up and displaying his pay.
“Some have hit rock bottom”
A scrapper uses a hammer to take apart cable containing copper, which he found in a Dumpster downtown. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Stevens and Pete are just some of the men and women who collect cans and discarded metal throughout the city and bring it to scraps yards, where they are paid 55 to 60 cents per pound for cans and about $2.90 per pound for bare copper.
“We know the situation that they’re in and we want to make sure that they are treated no differently than anybody else,” said Art Arnstein, one of the owners of United Milwaukee Scrap. “Some of them have hit rock bottom and we want to make sure that they are treated like they are very special.”
The company attempts to create a welcoming atmosphere for the scrappers by handing out pieces of candy and calling them by their names.
The scrap yard also holds a cash raffle each week for the scrappers. Each time a scrapper drops off metal, he gets a printed receipt with a number on it. A drawing is held each Thursday and the winners get a cash prize of $150, $75 or $25.
“That’s a little extra that we do for them to give them a chance to earn a little extra money,” Arnstein said.
Many of the regular scrappers around the city have territories and times they like to work. Some scavengers work the bar scene, searching for cans in alleys late at night or early in the morning after taverns make their last call.
Others work construction sites where they search for metal scraps that have been thrown away in Dumpsters. Some also walk some of the hundreds of miles of city alleys, searching in and around garbage cans for any metal they can find and haul away.
They employ anything with wheels—from strollers to grocery carts—to transport their cargo to one of the several scrap yards in the city. More enterprising scrappers use trucks, loading up the flat bed with bulky items such as old dryers, televisions and swing sets.
Grueling work
This is not a job for the faint of heart. The work is physically grueling, at times requiring the scrapper to pull or push pounds of awkwardly shaped scrap metal and bags of cans for miles in the snow, rain or the summer’s stifling heat to the nearest scrap yard.
But the more metal they gather and deliver, the more money they make. Daily earnings can range from a few dollars to more than $100, depending on amount and type of metal they gather.
Scrapper Jerry Miller collects cans on Fond Du Lac Avenue. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
“Man, it’s a lot of work. A lot of work,” said Germaine, who was pushing a cartload of cans and metal into United Scrap, as a blustery wind and snow flurries whipped around him. The amount of money scrappers bring in depends on the person, said the 33-year-old man, who declined to give his last name.
Jerry Miller’s situation is typical. Each month, Miller gets about $500 from Supplemental Security Income and $119 from FoodShare, the state’s food stamp program. But he has only $100 a month left after paying rent and sharing his FoodShare with the rooming house where he lives. That goes to pay for any used clothes and hygiene items such as toothpaste or Band-Aids that he may need.
“You would never catch me on the street begging for anything,” said the 54-year-old laid-off car mechanic.
Miller swung a stuffed black garbage bag full of cans over his shoulder as he traveled by foot along Fond Du Lac Avenue. He was bundled up with layers of clothing and his eyes peered out from underneath the brim of a New York Yankees baseball cap.
“I don’t do drugs and I drink a little beer here and there. I just don’t have the money,” he said, as an agitated German shepherd barked at him from behind a chain-link fence while he made his way to United Scrap.
Scrappers need a license
The endeavor is fraught with risk.
Scrappers have to avoid the police if they lack the required two-year city junk collector license, which costs $50 for those working on foot and $150 for those with a vehicle.
Muggings, dog bites and deep cuts from sharp metal are all part of the job.
“I’ve been shot. I’ve been stabbed. Been robbed. It’s about surviving, that’s all it’s about. It’s trying to make ends meet, trying to make some money to feed myself,” said Michael, a 29-year-old who did not give his last name, as he picked through garbage cans and alleys near Capitol Drive and 27th Street.
“No one wants to hire a two-time felon. I’m so screwed it’s pathetic,” he added.
Willy Whitehorn, 53, who has been collecting scrap since 1995, pointed to a stab wound on his neck, suffered on the same day he acquired various bumps and bruises when he was hit by a car. He also tells of a weed-smoking thug who stole a day‘s worth of cans from him.
“You have to be careful out here,” said Whitehorn while he reached into a garbage can outside of a gas station on 27th Street and grabbed a torn beer can.
“I’m not hurting anybody. I’m working. I’m not doing robberies. This is a job,” he said as he returned to his double stroller.
The day before, he earned $9 by collecting cans for about four hours. It was a rough day, by his standards. Typically, he takes advantage of the lucrative East Side, where he earns about $30 daily from collecting cans tossed out by beer-swilling college kids. But on this day, Whitehorn opted to work near his 76-year-old mother, who is being cared for at a nearby nursing home.
Whitehorn said he sees a brighter future for himself. But on this damp, cool Saturday morning, his sights were set on collecting enough cans to eat lunch and dinner.
“I have a goal to become a minister,” said Whitehorn, before he began to belt out a gospel hymn over the buzz of the early morning street traffic.

created: January 20, 2014


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College Possible Milwaukee welcomes new leadership team members | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
College Possible
January 27, 2014
College Possible is welcoming Amanda Leigh Albert and Suzie Considine into leadership roles as high school program coordinators. In their new roles, Albert and Considine will coordinate the organization’s work with low-income students in Milwaukee high schools. Both will supervise eight AmeriCorps members serving as high school coaches for College Possible Milwaukee students.
College Possible works to make college admission and success possible for low-income students in Milwaukee by providing after-school college access programming to nearly 600 juniors and seniors at 10 high schools. The organization also serves more than 800 students through its college program, as they work to complete their degrees.
A native of South Milwaukee, Albert received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and history from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Maryland, specializing in management & leadership and public sector financial management. She joins the College Possible team after serving for two years with Teach for America in Kansas City as a middle school English teacher.
“I wanted the opportunity to continue impacting academic achievement in underserved communities, outside of the traditional classroom setting,” said Albert. “I want to build on the successes that College Possible Milwaukee, our coaches and our students are seeing already.”
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“Amanda’s experience as a classroom teacher with Teach for America is invaluable,” said Edie Turnbull, executive director of College Possible Milwaukee. “Pair that with her love of data, and it’s a winning combination for our team.”
Considine, a native of Portage, Wisconsin, received her bachelor’s degree in life sciences communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Following her graduation, she completed two terms of service with College Possible Milwaukee as an AmeriCorps college coach. Considine went on to work as a Youth Employment Specialist and Youth Programs Specialist at Commonwealth, Inc, a nonprofit community development organization in Madison, where she mentored low-income high school students.
“I enjoy the challenges and rewards of making success in higher education a reality for all students, and I am excited to return to College Possible to do that work,” said Considine. “I look forward to being a part of the organization as it continues to grow.”
“It’s exciting to welcome Suzie back as a member of our leadership team,” said Turnbull. “She was an outstanding AmeriCorps coach with us, and she brings a wonderful energy and knowledge of our culture that is key in helping our students achieve success.”
The previous experience of both new high school program coordinators in service and leadership positions will support College Possible Milwaukee’s goal of making college graduation a reality for Milwaukee’s low-income students.
Biographies and photos for Albert and Considine are available at http://www.collegepossible.org/leadershipteammilwaukee.

created: January 27, 2014

author: College Possible


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Foundation grant to help St. Ann Center replicate intergenerational center on Milwaukee’s north side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
January 27, 2014
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care will bring its award-winning and nationally renowned intergenerational programming to Milwaukee’s north side, thanks in part to a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
The Foundation awarded $100,000 to the nonprofit during the fourth quarter in support of its capital campaign for a new 80,000-square-foot facility. St. Ann Center plans to begin construction in March 2014 at a 7.5 acre site between North 24th and 25th streets and North and Meinecke Avenues. The new center will be larger than its existing campus in St. Francis and will be able to serve nearly twice as many children. The new building also will have new services – such as a medical and dental clinic – not available at its south side site.
“The Foundation is pleased to provide capital support to these important projects,” said Kathryn Dunn, vice president of community investment.
The project is one of 10 new construction and renovation projects the Foundation supported during the fourth quarter through a total of $736,790 in special capital grants funding. The Foundation has not made significant capital grants through its competitive grants process since 2011.
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For a full list of capital grants made during the fourth quarter, visit
http://www.greatermilwaukeefoundation.org/newsroom/recent-news/foundation-grant- help-st-ann-center-replicate-intergenerational-center-milwaukees-north-side.

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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‘Replicable’ matching grant programs inspire residents to improve their homes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
January 27, 2014
Julia Nokovic says that without the matching grant, she would have continued to put off much-needed repairs on her Silver City home. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Julia Nokovic, an 18-year resident of the Silver City neighborhood, had been putting off fixing her roof for years.
“But I knew the small leaks could become big ones soon,” Nokovic said.
While handing out fliers this summer for Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN), a non-profit serving her area, she noticed an announcement for a small matching grants program available to residents for home improvement projects. Knowing she would be partially reimbursed for improving her home was all the impetus she needed to go through with repairs she’d been dreading for years.
“They got it done in three days and the work was great,” said Nokovic of the $3,000 project.
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The best part of it all, according to Nokovic, was receiving a $500 check.
Melinda Rodriguez’s bungalow before and after home improvements. (Photo courtesy of LBWN)
The $500 matching grant Nokovic received is the result of the School Model Block initiative, which funded matching grants for home improvement projects to residents in the four-block area surrounding Doerfler School, 3014 W. Scott. The initiative is one of 11 catalytic projects created as part of the Quality of Life Plan for the neighborhood, unveiled in 2011.
Three separate matching grant programs are available in the LBWN neighborhood. A $1,000 grant for similar projects, funded by the Zilber Family Foundation, is also available to residents in neighboring Clarke Square, according to Ofelia Mondragon, home improvement coordinator for both neighborhoods. There are no income restrictions for eligibility for that grant, but it’s first come first serve, Mondragon added.
In total, grants of about $29,000 leveraged more than $154,000, a five to one return on investment. Funding for the grants also came from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council.
Mondragon calls the grants a motivator.
“We’ve had people buy a door for $100 and get back $50,” said Mondragon, adding that many of those repairs would have gone undone, affecting the look of the neighborhood.
Melinda Rodriguez, who lives in Layton Park, stained her porch, painted the trim on the exterior of her home and put in new flowerboxes.
She said if not for the grants, “I would’ve totally put it off.”
Rodriguez calls the grants an incentive for people in the neighborhood to make repairs they’d been holding off on due to the cost. Seeing so many people in her neighborhood fixing up their homes disproves what Rodriguez said many people think about Milwaukee neighborhoods.
“You hear so many negative things about the city and that people don’t care, but there’s so many people who do care and value where they live,” Rodriguez said.
The area is full of beautiful housing stock, but throughout the years a lot of it has been damaged or destroyed, said Brianna Sas-Perez, community outreach manager for LBWN. But, she said, the houses are coming back to life as a result of new homeowners and others taking advantage of small matching grants to save money on larger projects. Typical improvements included new roofs, porches, new windows and foundation work.
“A small home improvement matching grant program is an easily replicated model that is relatively low-cost and high return,” Perez added.
Nokovic couldn’t be happier that she took advantage of the program. She said once her roof was done she felt so grateful she went to her room, dropped to her knees and thanked the Lord, adding.
“I helped the neighborhood; I helped myself.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 26, 2014

created: January 26, 2014


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Managing diabetes requires taking control of lifestyle choices, speaker says | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
January 30, 2014
Drummers (from left) Dale Kindness, Nigel Peltier and Nicholas Maiorano beat the drum, signifying the human heart, to bring audience members together. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Jesse Torres is struggling to figure out which path to take. Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the Viet Nam veteran has access to two medical providers offering different treatments. Torres is also dealing with the challenges of hypertension (high blood pressure) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), an anxiety disorder suffered by many war veterans and other trauma victims.
“I have the double whammy of a family history of diabetes and two tours in Viet Nam where I was sprayed with Agent Orange,” Torres said.
He was one of about 15 people who came to the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, 1711 S. 11 St., recently to hear a presentation on controlling diabetes. The speaker, Frank Atherton, is a Native American diabetes patient who is managing his disease successfully.
Torres grew up in the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, just west of Green Bay. For the past three years he has seen a doctor at the Oneida Community Health Center. But now, having recently moved back to southeast Wisconsin, he is considering changing to the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee for his primary care.
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Frank Atherton, a member of the Lakota tribe, travels around the U.S. speaking about how he manages his diabetes. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“I came to (to the presentation) to educate myself and see if I could find any more options as far as dealing with the diabetes. I’m caught between. It’s hard because I have to make up my mind as to which to make my primary,” Torres said.
“Tonight I learned a couple of methods for portion control,” Torres said.
Shendola Duke, the community health project assistant and technical coordinator at the Ignace center, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes right after she graduated from high school. She came to hear the speaker, she said, “because it’s nice to get information and it’s nice to have a support system.” She pointed out that other staff members also struggle with diabetes.
A tribal member of the Oneida Nation, Duke said both of her grandmothers have diabetes and her mother is borderline diabetic. “She’s trying to figure out how to control it and keep it from turning into full-blown diabetes,” Duke said.
Only a few of the audience members raised their hands when the speaker asked who has diabetes.  One was Patsy Delgado, who said she comes to all of the diabetes programs at the center. She has been participating in the center’s WOLFE group for 10 years. The WOLFE group (Work Out, Low Fat for Elders) is a weekly wellness program for American Indian elders. It is a collaboration between the health center and the Indian Council of the Elderly.
Winifred Nahwauquah, of the Menominee tribe said she doesn’t have diabetes, but she came in support of others, including her brothers, who do. “I’m glad I stayed,” she said, adding that she has some eating habits she wants to improve.
The center’s medical clinic offers health checks, a diabetes program, lab tests, immunizations, family planning services, obstetrics and gynecology services, pre- and post-natal care, podiatry, specialty referrals, nutritional counseling, prescriptions, transportation and health insurance assistance. The center currently has four Affordable Care Act navigators.
The All Nations Wellness Center, on the second floor of Ignace Indian Health Center, offers mental health counseling, social services, Talking Circles, spiritual counseling, alcohol and other drug abuse programs and support, drumming, cultural educational activities and materials, case management and material assistance.
The center’s mission is “to improve the health, peace, and welfare of Milwaukee’s urban Indian community” but it accepts people of all tribes, races and ethnicities, according to Desiree Schocko, R.N. and data entry coordinator. It is partially funded by the Federally Qualified Health Care Look-Alike program, which provides resources to centers that meet the requirements but don’t receive grants from the federal Health Services and Resource Administration.
Atherton emphasized the importance of taking control for people with diabetes. “The doctor can’t control your lifestyle choices. You have to do it yourself,” he said. Both Torres and Duke admitted that this is their biggest challenge.
“My biggest barrier is me. I have all the resources; (the challenge) is just coming out of denial,” Duke said.

created: January 30, 2014


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
January 30, 2014


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More Teens to Benefit from ArtWorks for Milwaukee’s Programs Thanks to $90,000 Grant from the Helen Bader Foundation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
ArtWorks for Milwaukee
January 30, 2014
ArtWorks for Milwaukee has received a two-year, $90,000 grant from the Helen Bader Foundation. This grant will increase the number of teens benefiting from the nonprofit’s internships that combine art and workforce development.
With support from the Helen Bader Foundation, ArtWorks is building its organizational capacity so it can roll out an expanded program model. This effort will eventually quadruple the number of interns the nonprofit serves. Since 2001, ArtWorks has offered high school students paid internships that help them develop life and career skills through art projects.The expanded program model also offers the opportunity for a longer period of time to engage the students. In addition to the existing eight-week paid internship, ArtWorks will offer a four-week unpaid internship for teens to learn basic art and job-related skills, with a chance to be hired on for the paid internship. The model also includes a new leadership opportunity for selected interns to further develop their job and leadership skills as assistants to the program’s adult Lead Artists.“The economy is placing a higher and higher value on creative thinking when it comes to job seekers, no matter the field,” said Jerry Roberts, Foundation program officer. “We want to ensure that our city’s youth have exposure to career opportunities that develop and share their creative talents, so we are pleased to help Artworks for Milwaukee expand its reach.”
“ArtWorks typically receives 450 applications for the 48 internship positions we have been able to offer. The Helen Bader Foundation’s support will allow us to reach even more of these students who are interested in learning basic job skills through our arts internships,” said Terry Murphy, ArtWorks’ executive director. “We are incredibly grateful to the Foundation for this grant, which is significant for a small and growing organization like ours.”
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author: ArtWorks for Milwaukee