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Mayor Barrett releases 2016 teen birth rate data | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
October 31, 2017
Mayor Tom Barrett and the city’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, led by United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, released the city’s 2016 teen birth rates, showing progress toward the city’s goal to reduce teen births by another 50 percent by 2023 and calling for continued attention to driving down rates further and to closing gaps between racial and ethnic groups.
According to data from the City of Milwaukee Health Department, the total number of births to teens age 15 to 17 in Milwaukee once again declined. Milwaukee’s overall teen birth rate slightly declined to 18.0 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17 from 18.1 per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17 in 2015. While only a slight decline, this rate is now the lowest rate on record for the city. Compared to 2006 baseline data, Milwaukee’s teen birth rate has seen a 65 percent decrease since establishing a communitywide effort around the issue.
In 2016, the African-American rate saw a significant decline, reaching a historic low of 18.6 births per 1,000 females age 15 to 17, while the rate for Hispanic teens increased to 21.4 and the rate for White teens increased to 8.5.
“In 2014, we set a bold new goal to reduce teen births by another 50 percent by 2023,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “This new data shows we are seeing progress in some areas but calls for every partner to continue to dedicate themselves to supporting further work and addressing our challenges. Our children and families in Milwaukee deserve nothing but our very best work.”
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Milwaukee’s citywide goal seeks to reduce the overall teen birth rate by another 50 percent, while also decreasing the non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic rates by 50 percent, lowering the overall rate as well as the rate for each racial and ethnic group to below 15 per 1,000 for 15- to 17-year-old girls by 2023. The goal was set after the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative announced it had surpassed its original goal to reduce births to 15- to 17-year-old girls by 46 percent three years early.
“We are tremendously proud of the community agencies, schools, and, in particular, young people, who continue to drive these numbers down,” said Nicole Angresano, Vice President, Community Impact for United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. “We know, though, that we have more work to do, more youth to reach, and so we must get back to work to ensure that tomorrows teens have the same opportunities to make healthy, safe choices.”
The goal is supported by the continuation of an all-hands-on-deck approach adopted by the Milwaukee community since 2008. The effort is led by United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, which brought together a diverse collaborative of community stakeholders that included local businesses, media outlets, health care providers, schools, and community and faith-based organizations.
“Through this community-wide effort, we are making progress,” said Commissioner of Health Bevan K. Baker, who serves as co-chair of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Oversight Committee at United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. “We must continue our focus on lowering our overall rate, but we also must not lose sight of closing the gap between racial and ethnic groups. All of our children are essential to our city’s future, and we will not leave anyone behind.”
Along with education efforts and coordinated resource and program interventions, a nationally renowned public awareness strategy has reached both teens and parents with information, resources, and attention-grabbing messages.
“Credit for our steady progress in reducing teen births since 2006 belongs to all of Milwaukee,” said Betsy Brenner, co-chair of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Oversight Committee at United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. “We want to acknowledge the boys and girls who have chosen safer, healthier lifestyles; their parents who support these choices; the educators who teach teens that they have options; the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County committee members who have been part of this effort from the outset, and the entire community which has embraced and celebrated the progress made.”


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On the Block: ‘Slow down’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elliot Hughes
October 31, 2017
Ellis McCoy, 64, said these days people are “rushing” too much and not carefully considering or planning their lives. McCoy, who lives in Washington Park, believes that kind of behavior can lead to things such as depression, unwanted pregnancies or incarceration. People need to slow down and realize it takes “a lifetime” to achieve everything they want, he said.

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: October 31, 2017

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

author: Elliot Hughes


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 30, 2017

created: October 30, 2017

author: Adam Carr


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Developer buys Reader’s Choice building to house nonprofits | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
November 1, 2017
This rendering shows how the Kindred building will look after it is redeveloped. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Goins)
CUPED Corp., a nonprofit real estate and economic development company founded by Melissa Goins, has purchased the Reader’s Choice building, located on the southeast corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Brown Street.
The building has been vacant since early July when owner Carla Allison closed her store after 28 years and retired. It was the last African-American owned bookstore in Wisconsin.
CUPED will redevelop the building for tenants Jazale’s Art Studio and Grateful Girls, both nonprofits working to improve the lives of Milwaukee youth.
The redeveloped building will be named “Kindred” after a novel by one of developer Joanne Sabir’s favorite authors, Octavia Butler. The science fiction work includes time travel back to the era of slavery and is about “how, over time and space, we are all connected,” Sabir said in a video about the project. She is an entrepreneur and CUPED Corp. board member.
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The purchase came about when Vedale Hill, Jazale’s co-founder and art director, asked Goins to help find a larger and more stable home for the nonprofit, “a multi-function community art hub,” which offers free after-school art and education programming and mentoring for city youth.
(From left) Vedale and Darren Hill, co-founders of Jazale’s Art Studio, stand outside the building that will become Kindred. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Founded in 2012, Jazale’s moved from its original space at 711 E. Center St., in 2014. The Hill brothers stored their furnishings and equipment, and took Jazale’s to the city’s Painting with Purpose project, while it searched for a new location. Jazale’s relocated to the Halyard Building, 2201 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, in spring 2015. Initially, Goins and the Hill brothers considered purchasing that building but when negotiations stalled, they expanded their search.
This will be Jazale’s third location, not because the Hill brothers wanted to move but because their landlords haven’t been supportive of their organization, Vedale Hill said. “We’re trying to create a situation so Jazale’s can have longevity, so we can think about the future.”
“Melissa Goins has been a huge force” in helping the Hill brothers think about  the future and also about partnerships between the tenants and developers, he added.
Vedale Hill said that the arrangement “could be the catalyst for our sustainability.” The organization’s mission is “to give kids a great place to be and to give artists great opportunities to work with youth and grow as artists,” he added.
One of Jazale’s long-term goals for Kindred is ownership, said Darren Hill, Vedale’s older brother and Jazale’s co-founder and executive director. “Joanne and Melissa know that and they always speak about legacy, about ownership. They see this as a stepping-stone and … if that becomes a viable step for the organization, they would be willing to sell. That’s when we (would) have real security as a program,” he said.
The Reader’s Choice building at 1950 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive will be redeveloped and rented to Jazale’s Art Studio and Grateful Girls. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Darren Hill said he expects to move to Kindred in spring 2018. Jazale’s will occupy about two-thirds of the building, including the first floor, the basement and a large second-floor balcony.
Grateful Girls, which helps at-risk and formerly trafficked girls ages 12 to 24, will rent the second floor of Kindred to expand its program. Already operating a safe haven group home and a community resource center at other locations, it will add Work It Girl, an employment training program, in the new location, according to Chandra Cooper, Grateful Girls executive director.
In fall 2018, Grateful Girls plans to open a retail store, The Queens Closet, selling consigned and new clothing and accessories for young women in the Sherman Phoenix building planned for the former BMO Harris Bank Building at 3536 W. Fond Du Lac Ave.
“We’re hoping once our youth go through our training program, we will be able to guarantee them jobs through that retail store,” Cooper said, adding, “It’s very important that our youth are able to get real jobs.”
Grateful Girls also plans to start a catering business at Kindred. There is a small kitchen on the second floor. Cooper said the girls will also use catering clients’ kitchens for food preparation. The training for catering also will be open to boys.
Art plays a large role in the healing process for the girls Cooper’s organization serves and she plans to collaborate with Jazale’s Art Studio program.
The retail job training program, which will include resume building, professionalism, customer service and on-site job interviews, is open to all girls in the community.
In the video Goins explained that CUPED stands for Cultivating Urban Plan and Economic Development. Its goal is to bring pride and hope to people and allow them to leverage CUPED to make things happen.
“To me, CUPED stands for a sense of opportunity that we all can determine what our communities look like and how we grow them together,” Sabir said. “It’s critically important for our tenants to have a home that is a true reflection of the greatness of their work.”
Goins added, “The most important thing about this building is the fact that this word, (Kindred), will be written across the building and it will send symbolic, unconscious meaning to all those who drive past it.”

created: November 1, 2017

author: Andrea Waxman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 31, 2017


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How to feed the hungry | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Martha Cannon, Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee
November 1, 2017
The following opportunities are great for people of all ages, families, school groups, faith communities, business groups/coworkers, retirees, etc.
Capuchin Community Services
Serve beverages and condiments, hand out trays and clean tables and chairs. Sunday – Friday, 5:15-6:30 p.m.
Contact Shirelle Jenkins at sjenkins@thecapuchins.org or 414-933-1300 ext. 1123
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Food Sorting to Solve Hunger – Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
Box products and sort fresh produce from local farmers. Weekday hours; 9 a.m.-noon and/or 1-4 p.m.
Contact David Berka at dberka@feedingamericawi.org  or 414-831-6326.
Food Pantry Assistance – Friedens Community Ministries
Greet and assist families with choosing food and/or sort and stock shelves at Zion Rock food pantry on Milwaukee’s northwest side. Tuesday, Nov. 21; 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.  Additional dates available.
Contact Sandy Yang at volunteer@FriedensPantry.org or 414-289-6030.
Guest House of Milwaukee
Help feed our hungry guests by making and donating 50, 100 or 200 sandwiches.
Contact Emily Firlinger at emilyfirlinger@guesthouseofmilwaukee.org or 414-316-2012.
Meta House
Bring and serve bag or hot lunches for 40 women undergoing outpatient substance abuse treatment.  Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.  Perfect opportunity for groups of five to eight people.
Contact Laura Jacobson at ljacobson@metahouse.org or 414-977-5823.
Milwaukee Christian Center
Help prepare, serve and clean up an Asian meal with Hmong, Laotian, Caucasian and Latino seniors. Weekdays 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Contact Bernadette Arellano at barellano@mccwi.org or 414-645-5350 Ext. 119
Milwaukee Women’s Center
Prepare and serve dinner for about 20 women and their children any day of the week; ideal for small groups.
Contact Jeri Kavanaugh at jkavanaugh@communityadvocates.net or 414-270-2984.
Pathfinders
Prepare a weekday dinner at home or in our kitchen for homeless youth and young adultsat the Drop-In Center; stay to enjoy the 5:30 p.m. dinner if you wish.
Contact Susan Raines at sraines@pathfindersmke.org or 414-988-6870.
Meal Servers – Repairers of the Breach
Serve a breakfast and/or lunch meal to homeless individuals at daytime shelter. Meals are served Mondays-Saturdays; breakfast, 7-9:30 a.m. and lunch 11:30-1:30 p.m.
Contact Ralpheal Gordon at centermanager@repairers.org or 414-342-9323.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Milwaukee
Assist in food preparation, service, clean up and provide hospitality to north and/or south side meal program guests. Weekdays and weekends; 3:30-7 p.m.
Contact Peggy West at pwest@svdpmilw.org or 414-915-3353.
The Gathering Of Southeast WI
Individuals/small groups are needed to prepare, serve and clean up weekday breakfast, 7-10 a.m. at St. James’ Episcopal Church or small groups only on Monday and Wednesday dinner, 3:45-6 p.m. at Christian Faith Fellowship Church.
Contact Angela Wright at angela@thegatheringwis.org or 414-272-4122
Triangle of Hope
Unload truck, sort and pack food and assist clients in selecting food. Hours are Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Contact Rheatra Daniels Hubbard at triangleofhopeinc@gmail.com or 414-871-0350.


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Neighborhood residents to offer perspective and opinions as City continues transit planning in Both Walker’s Point and Bronzeville | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee
November 1, 2017
The conversation continues on Saturday, November 4 as residents share their perspectives on the future of their neighborhoods and tell planners how the Milwaukee Streetcar could improve their communities.
An ongoing study is asking the question, how can the Milwaukee Streetcar positively impact neighborhoods when it extends beyond downtown?  Four community workshops this coming Saturday will add to the dialogue on that topic.  Each of those sessions will include a presentation, a discussion, and neighborhood tours.
The Milwaukee Streetcar is now under construction with track installation work downtown.  The initial 2.5-mile route is likely to be extended in the future with connections both north along King Drive to Bronzeville and south to Walker’s Point.  This planning effort – focused on transit oriented development – is directed toward those two neighborhoods.
With funding from the Federal Transportation Administration, City government is partnering with the Historic King Drive BID, the Walker’s Point Association, and Harbor District Inc. to advance the study.  An internationally respected leader in transit oriented development planning, Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill is engaged to facilitate the study, and local firms are working to support the effort.
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The goal of the year-long project is to develop strategies that maximize positive commercial and residential development while respecting and maintaining the character of affected neighborhoods.
In addition to the input from neighborhood residents and businesses, the planning efforts will incorporate in-depth market analysis to determine how best to attract economic activity and expanded housing options. Planners will also identify strategies to avoid displacement of existing residents and businesses by future development.
Recommendations could include modifications to the City’s zoning code, new policies to set appropriate density and intensity of development, consistent plans for streetscaping, signage, and infrastructure, or new financing strategies to promote investment.
Over the next year, planners will develop additional opportunities for public engagement.  Ideas and perspectives offered during that engagement will be incorporated in the strategies presented to policymakers.   A website has been launched with information about the study, movingmkeforward.com, where public comments can be shared.
Focus on Transit Oriented Development
Date:    Saturday, November 4, 2017
Locations and Times:  Cielito Lindo, 739 South 2nd Street
10:00 to 11:15am AND 11:15 to 12:30pm
On the Bayou, 2053 N. Martin Luther King Drive
1:30 to 2:45pm AND 2:45 to 4:00pm

author: City of Milwaukee


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Annual Dia de los Muertos celebration invites people to remember loved ones | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lydia Slattery
November 2, 2017
Four women whose faces were painted as skulls sang in unison in the middle of Walker Square Park surrounded by a crowd on a cold Saturday afternoon. Dressed brightly colored dresses and flower crowns, they burned copal (a type of incense) meant to cleanse and invite spirits into the space.
The women — members of the Strawberry Moon Women Singers, a Wisconsin-based hand drum group — were performing for the traditional Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The songs were passed down to them from their ancestors.
Every year Milwaukee hosts a large celebration of the holiday. Hundreds of people braved the nearly freezing temperatures to attend Día de los Muertos Milwaukee. The annual festival included a 5K race, a Vigil for Peace and a parade, in addition to food and art vendors.
Celeste Contreras explained that she and her family began with a small Dia de los Muertos parade eight years ago to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have died, and it slowly evolved into the large festival that it is today, with music, art, dance and food.
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“We’re not dwelling on the death; we’re celebrating the life of the people that have passed,” Contreras said.
The holiday is traditionally Latin American, but has ancient roots from pre-Colombian times, Contreras added. Dia de los Muertos officially begins on Oct. 31 and lasts until Nov. 2, but celebrations can take place the whole week. Celebrants will paint their faces as skulls, gather in cemeteries, create memorials and throw parties to remember the lives of dead loved ones.
“We welcome everyone to unite today with all of our ancestors and all of our death rituals, and Milwaukee is so segregated that one thing we can unite in is death,” Contreras said.
People remembered their loved ones by writing their names on the sidewalk in chalk. Families commemorated the act by taking pictures next to the names.
The Vigil for Peace began with members of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin holding signs with photos of young people who died by suicide over the past year due to bullying. Students from Milwaukee area high schools painted cardboard coffins.
“I just want to ask us to remember how important it is for us to be community, to look past, to acknowledge, to accept our differences and protect one another,” said Emilio de Torre, director of Youth and Programs at the ACLU of Wisconsin.
Approximately 30 people participated in the short parade around Walker’s Point. ACLU members walked with the coffins and signs, while Contreras led the group. A saxophonist played throughout the parade.
After the parade people could watch Aztec dancers perform in traditional costumes, listen to live music and visit vendors, including Lopez Bakery and Restaurant, Artery Ink and Jamaican Kitchen Food Truck.
Local artist Ceci Tejada was selling papier-mâché crafts that included jewelry and calaveras, a representation of a human skull used as a symbol of Dia de los Muertos.
“I am a papier-mâché sculptor, but I also work with plaster,” said Tejada. “I made all the artwork here. As you can see, I really love calaveras.”
Contreras said she was pleased with the turnout and plans to continue Dia de los Muertos Milwaukee for years to come.
“We’ll be dancing to keep warm because it’s really cold today, but it’s amazing people really show up even if it’s cold or raining,” she said.

created: November 2, 2017

author: Lydia Slattery


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24151297848_f7042ad274_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 1, 2017


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Adam Carr
November 1, 2017


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Adam Carr
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Adam Carr
November 1, 2017


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Adam Carr
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Adam Carr
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Adam Carr
November 1, 2017


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Adam Carr
November 1, 2017


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37972604152_2038cb5f5b_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 1, 2017


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Adam Carr
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Adam Carr
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My Father’s House helps fathers engage in children’s lives | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Leah Harris
November 3, 2017
Pamela Davis, director of programs, works to help men become better fathers. (Photo by Leah Harris)
Albert Holmes grew up without either of his parents.  His mother and father both died when he was young, forcing Holmes to take care of himself and get a job when he was a teenager.
Holmes eventually married and had seven children, but later divorced. “Even though I didn’t stay with their mother, I didn’t divorce the children,” he said. It was important for him to be present in his children’s lives, he said.
As president and CEO of My Father’s House Inc., Holmes helps other men engage in their children’s lives. The nonprofit, founded in 1999 as part of a statewide fatherhood initiative, works with mostly with non-custodial parents — the parent without primary custody of their child. My Father’s House serves mostly African-American men, but single parents of all backgrounds can participate in programming.
“Non-custodial parents still want to have communication with their children,” said Holmes, who previously worked in law enforcement at prisons. My Father’s House, at 6115 N. Teutonia Ave., equips men with the skills needed to be better fathers.
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Mark Bogan doesn’t have primary custody of any of his five children. He is divorced but said he makes time see his children and be active in their lives. “Understanding your kids’ wants and needs is the most important part of being a father,” he said.
(Photo by Leah Harris)
Bogan lives near My Father’s House and often passes it when he shops at the Silver Mill Court Shopping Center on Teutonia Avenue. Although Bogan doesn’t participate in the programs offered by the organization, he said it is important for the community and helps uplift other dads. Bogan said being a father is a rewarding experience.
“Seeing them grow up and define themselves helps me define myself,” he said.
My Father’s House hosts weekly classes on topics related to job readiness, anger management and economic stability. It also assists men in skills such as resume building and dressing for success. The classes offered are meant to prepare participants to be responsible and positive role models for their children.
The organization helps men fight for visitation rights in court. In cases of high tension between parents, staff members also oversee supervised visitation at the agency, providing a safe environment for the children.
Director of Programs Pamela Davis noted that the lack of father figures in the men’s own lives and limited visitation hinder their ability to form healthy bonds with their children.
“Often times they don’t know how to be in their children’s lives,” said Davis. “Some come just for the job assistance and some come because they have to, but the majority come because they want to be in their children’s lives and they don’t know how.”
Davis is the mother of three biological sons and two stepsons. She said there’s a misconception that men don’t want to support their families, citing the struggles her husband endured as a single father. She said it was hard for him to get the help he needed, such as finding healthcare for his children.
“These young guys and girls who get in trouble come from single-parent households,” Davis said. “Not all, but a lot, because single parents are busy working so hard just to keep a roof over their families’ heads.”
Davis said that kids without fathers grow up with something missing in their lives. “They’re looking for that father figure and when they find it, it’s often false love.”
Boys and girls who grow up without fathers are more likely to turn to drugs, end up in foster care and be victims of sex trafficking, Holmes said.
He added that fatherlessness is one of the biggest issues facing the country. “Babies are being denied a right,” he said. “If it takes two people to make a baby, it should take two people to raise a baby.”

created: November 3, 2017

author: Leah Harris


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 2, 2017


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Large, colorful 88Nine Radio Milwaukee mural celebrating diversity completed in Walker’s Point neighborhood | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
88Nine RadioMilwaukee
November 4, 2017
(Photo courtesy of 88Nine RadioMilwaukee)
A large, colorful mural celebrating diversity has been completed on a building wall in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, the second artist-created mural 88Nine Radio Milwaukee commissioned this year.
The new mural, 32’ wide x 16’ high, was painted on the north exterior wall of Var Gallery & Studios, 643 S 2nd St.
The mural starts with the word “ignore” crossed out and replaced with the word “honor,” following by the word “difference.”
“As we were painting it, we heard so many passersby contemplate its meaning,” said the artists, Katie Mullen and Jordan Pintar. “That was our favorite part of the process. So instead of putting up an artist statement explaining it, like we’d originally planned to, we decided to continue to leave it up to the viewer.”
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Radio Milwaukee selected and commissioned artists this year for two murals through a Mary L. Nohl Fund grant and with support from the Greater
Milwaukee Foundation. The murals are part of 88Nine’s activities recognizing the non-profit station’s 10th anniversary this year on air and in the community.
“We designed our mural program to create a long-lasting message from 88Nine to our community to celebrate our 10th anniversary,” Marketing Director Alyssa Feuerer said. “We are so happy to have this new work in our studio’s Walker’s Point neighborhood to encourage people to be more accepting and empathetic with their neighbors.”
Earlier this fall, the first mural was completed on an outside wall of the Penfield Children’s Center, 833 N 26th St., in Milwaukee’s Near West Side neighborhood. Artist Stacey Williams- Ng designed the 122’ x 27’ mural, which plays on themes of rhythm, community and cohesion.
Sherwin Williams and Empire Painting WI donated the paint for the murals.

created: November 4, 2017

author: 88Nine RadioMilwaukee


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 4, 2017


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McKinley Health Center expands access to health services in heart of city | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin
November 4, 2017
(Photo courtesy of Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin )
On November 16, the new Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin McKinley Health Center will open its doors at 1271 North 6 Street, bringing more health care services to people who live and work in downtown Milwaukee and surrounding neighborhoods.
Conveniently located at North 6 Street and McKinley Avenue, the new health center will offer primary care, walk-in care with extended hours, podiatry, orthopedics, sports medicine, physical therapy and rehabilitation services. Radiology and laboratory services also will be offered.
“The Froedtert & MCW McKinley Health Center is our first in the heart of the city,” said Cathy Jacobson, president and chief executive officer of Froedtert Health. “Making a significant, sustainable difference in the health and quality of life of Milwaukeeans is central to our mission as a health care organization and a corporate citizen. With this health center, we improve access to care right where people live and work, and we help connect them to the deep expertise of the Froedtert & MCW academic medical center if advanced care is needed.”
A community open house from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, November 11, will feature tours, refreshments and opportunities to meet and schedule appointments with doctors who will work at the health center. Six physicians will staff the McKinley Health Center in addition to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and others. Approximately 30 people are expected to work at the location when it opens.
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Built into a hillside, the three-level McKinley Health Center’s first floor is dedicated to primary care, with 10 exam rooms and two virtual visit rooms. The second level houses orthopedics, sports medicine, physical therapy, podiatry and radiology services. It has eight exam rooms, four treatment and procedure rooms, and includes a large, fully equipped physical rehabilitation area. Both levels have space to add rooms if needed. The lower level houses a Froedtert & MCW FastCare walk-in clinic, which will offer extended weekday and Saturday hours.
The design of the new health center responds to the trend toward digital health care, offering designated rooms with technology for virtual consults and e-visits. The 37,000-square-foot building includes shelled space for future growth.
Located just north of the new Milwaukee Bucks arena and entertainment district, the McKinley Health Center occupies land owned by the Bucks. Froedtert Health will lease the health center building from the Bucks.
The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma Center at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes four community hospital campuses, more than 1,600 physicians and nearly 40 health centers and clinics, draws patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. In our most recent fiscal year, outpatient visits exceeded 1.1 million, inpatient admissions to our hospitals were 49,250 and visits to our network physicians totaled 932,000. For more information, visit froedtert.com.


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McKinleyHealthCenter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 4, 2017


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Income Insecurity Panel w/ The Financial Diaries’ Rachel Schneider, Steve Holt & Maudwella Kirkendoll | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Community Advocates
November 5, 2017
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute is pleased to welcome author Rachel Schneider, Earned Income Tax Credit expert Steve Holt, and Community Advocates’ COO Maudwella Kirkendoll on Wednesday, November 15. They’ll comprise a panel on income insecurity inspired by Schenider’s recent book with Jonathan Morduch,
The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty.
We’ll provide light refreshments at 11:30 a.m. before our expert panel discussion begins at noon, which will run through 1:30 p.m.
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created: November 5, 2017

author: Community Advocates


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 3, 2017

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St. Ann Center clinic wins award | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care
November 6, 2017
(Photo courtesy of St. Ann Center)
St. Ann Center Bucyrus Campus Medical Clinic has been awarded the Bronze Seal of Excellence from the Wisconsin Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (WAFCC). The Milwaukee clinic, located at 2450 W. North Ave., is one of eight clinics to be awarded the designation.
The WAFCC Standards of Excellence are designed to promote best practices that maximize access to health care and improve the overall quality of care for uninsured, underserved, economically and socially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. There are 91 free and charitable clinics across the state, serving more than 60 counties.
The mission of the Bucyrus Campus Medical Clinic, opened in fall 2016, is to become a health care home for the north side neighborhood, with an emphasis on education, wellness and preventative medicine. Providing primary care for all ages, services range from treatment of illnesses and injuries, annual physicals and health education classes to neurological services, vaccinations and chronic disease management.
St. Ann Center Bucyrus Campus Medical Clinic is a charitable clinic that accepts all forms of Medicaid and most insurance. Clinic fees are set at $35 per visit for those uninsured or under insured. The clinic is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Appointments are required and same-day appointments are available. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (414) 210-2430.
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The other seven clinics honored are: Muslim Community Health Clinic, Milwaukee (Gold Seal);  InHealth Community Clinic, Boscobel (Silver Seal); Community Outreach Clinic, Menomonee Falls; Lake Area Free Clinic, Oconomowoc; St. Joseph’s Medical Clinic, Waukesha;  Community Connection Free Clinic, Dodgeville and HealthNet of Rock County, Janesville (all Bronze Seals).
The WAFCC was founded in 2014 to support, strengthen and advocate for the uniqueness of Wisconsin free and charitable clinics, the patients they serve and the communities with whom they partner.

created: November 6, 2017


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 6, 2017


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UMOS awarded $634,000 human trafficking grant | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
UMOS
November 6, 2017
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/ACF Office on Trafficking in Persons, has awarded UMOS a $634,000 grant over a 3-year period. Only 9 awards were granted nation-wide.
Funds will be utilized state-wide through the Wisconsin Regional Anti-Trafficking Program (WRAP). “The issue of human trafficking exists not only in Milwaukee, but in many communities around the state,” says, Lupe Martinez, President/CEO, UMOS. “We are privileged to have the opportunity to expand our efforts by working with service providers and law enforcement around the state, as well as with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Justice to help survivors heal and seek justice.”
“UMOS has been a steadfast and reliable partner in fighting human trafficking, and a tireless advocate for survivors,” said Attorney General Schimel. “The Wisconsin Department of Justice and the state’s anti-human trafficking task force is more effective with the support of organizations like UMOS and I look forward to seeing the outcome of the new programs and resources this grant will provide.”
UMOS will implement the grant with a strategic focus on key metro areas and “hotspots” located along major interstate highway corridors and agricultural communities in central Wisconsin. Funds will be used to establish, support and expand capacity of Wisconsin communities to prevent labor and sex trafficking and protect both domestic and foreign-born victims of trafficking.
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These goals and objectivities will be achieved through increasing the identification and referral of labor and sex-trafficked victims through direct outreach, developing and conducting public awareness through training, technical assistance and distribution of Health and Human Services’ anti-trafficking materials.
“Individuals who endure this painful experience often have complex needs that require trauma-informed programing,” said DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson. “Through strong partnerships, like the one with UMOS, we can continue to ensure these individuals are receiving the support they need during the healing process.”
UMOS staff will be located in two offices: the UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee and the UMOS regional office in Oshkosh. For more information on program implementation, contact Mariana Rodriguez at 414-389-6508 in Milwaukee, or Vivian Gutierrez, 920-232-9611 in Oshkosh, or toll free at 866-413-8667.
UMOS is a non-profit, advocacy organization that provides programs and services which improve the employment, educational, health and housing opportunities of under-served populations

author: UMOS


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Shoe drive helps empower local women and families overseas | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Milele A. Coggs
November 7, 2017
Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs is inviting the public to donate men’s, women’s, and children’s shoes that are in good condition. You can drop-off your shoe donations at Milwaukee City Hall’s first floor rotunda at 200 E. Wells Street.
My Sista’s KeepHer is conducting the shoe drive through November 16. The goal is to raise funds for incentives that will benefit the F.I.R.E. Awards–Females in Recognition of Excellence. The F.I.R.E. Awards is a way to recognize young women making an impact on the Milwaukee community. My Sista’s KeepHer will earn funds from Funds2Orgs based on the total weight of the pairs of gently worn, used, and new shoes collected.
Funds2Orgs works with micro-entrepreneurs by helping them create, maintain, and grow small businesses in developing countries where economic opportunity and jobs are limited. Proceeds from the sales of the shoes are used to feed, dress, and house their families.
Alderwoman Coggs says, “This is a wonderful opportunity to support not only programs that recognize young women making positive changes in our community, it also helps families overseas. It is a win-win, and I urge residents to drop off their gently used or new shoes at City Hall.”
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Additional drop-off sites include Voluptuous Secrets at 1740 N. Martin Luther King Drive, Phat Cutz at 6206 West Capitol Drive, and Luci Boutique at 706 N. Milwaukee Street. For more information contact: Shelly Conley, VP of Operations at My Sista’s KeepHer at (414)-301-3291.

created: November 7, 2017

author: Ald. Milele A. Coggs


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Streetcar expansion sparks worries over gentrification | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elliot Hughes
November 7, 2017
Officials presented this vacant lot along Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in Bronzeville as an example of an underutilized space that could be developed with the arrival of the streetcar. (Photo by Elliot Hughes).
Walker’s Point and Bronzeville residents like the sound of the Milwaukee Streetcar one day extending into their neighborhoods, but it’s hard for some to ignore the threat of gentrification.
The city of Milwaukee held another round of public meetings Saturday to gather feedback from residents on how they want the streetcar to shape their neighborhoods. After construction for the initial two-and-a-half mile route connecting downtown and the lakefront is completed (the earliest segments will be finished in fall 2018), work and fundraising will turn south toward Walker’s Point and north toward Bronzeville.
A range of issues came up during four separate meetings, which attracted 120 people. Since city officials are hoping the streetcar — which is now being branded as The Hop — will not only deliver workers to jobs but spur new residential and commercial development along its tracks, some are worried about the rising cost of living that would bring and who might get pushed out.
“There are many people in [Bronzeville] who invest in tax properties, but I don’t see them engaging with a [streetcar],” said Mary Glass, the founder of the Milwaukee Professionals Association. “They see it as a displacement and gentrification.”
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Deshea Agee, executive director of the Historic King Drive Business Improvement District, said the streetcar provides an important opportunity for growth in Bronzeville. (Photo by Elliot Hughes).
She argued that the vision of the streetcar taking workers from the north and south to jobs downtown is flawed because many opportunities downtown do not pay livable wages or offer full-time employment.
“I think the regular stakeholder does not see it as beneficial as those who are pushing it,” Glass said.
The initial downtown-lakefront streetcar routes will cost $128.1 million. Federal dollars supply $69.1 million, while three tax increment financing districts will cover the rest. Route extensions to Walker’s Point and Bronzeville are still in planning stages and funding mechanisms have not yet been identified.
Saturday’s meetings — held at Cielito Lindo, 739 S 2nd St., and On the Bayou, 2053 N. Martin Luther King Drive — were intended to capture resident’s concerns before the expected wave of development comes. The events’ presenters also had gentrification in mind. They said there are ways the city can help mitigate gentrification by setting aside vacant or underused properties for affordable housing.
“In Walker’s Point we heard a lot about maintaining affordability for commercial space and… in Bronzeville we’ve been hearing more about a site on Meinecke [Avenue] and Fourth [Street] that people really want to see either be a park or perhaps some kind of housing development,” said Monica Wauck Smith, a senior planner with the city.
Bronzeville residents said they wanted to have more family-oriented restaurants, retail options and more walkable streets. They also said it’s important to protect the area’s history and character.
Christopher Hall, an urban strategy leader at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, which is helping the city collect feedback, said preserving Bronzeville’s historic character would be a challenge, because the neighborhood has traditionally been low density. Bringing the streetcar and more businesses would appear to conflict with that, he said.
Increased foot traffic in Walker’s Point seems to be more of a welcome change. Attendees there said they wanted to see more late-night dining options, convenience stores, pharmacies and green space.
“I think if this is going to encourage someone to come to the neighborhood, that’s a good thing,” said Joel Van Haren, a filmmaker who lives and works in Walker’s Point.
The city held its first round of meetings for the two neighborhoods in September. Three more are planned, with the next set probably coming in January, Wauck Smith said. Feedback can also be submitted online.


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On the Block: Word painting | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elizabeth Baker
November 8, 2017
Thanks to her lifelong passions for music, dancing, drawing and fashion, Under5ive creates not only original songs, but T-shirts, socks and backpacks to match. She brings the themes and stories of her rap lyrics to life through custom graphic designs. “I paint pictures with my words,” she said.

created: November 8, 2017

author: Elizabeth Baker


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 7, 2017


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Special Report: Opioid crisis hits city hard | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
November 8, 2017
The burial of Thomas “TJ” Rivas, one of 260 individuals to die of opioid overdoses in Milwaukee County in 2017, was posted on the MKE Heroin Diaries Facebook page. (Screenshot from Facebook)
If the opioid epidemic is a suburban problem, someone forgot to tell Gidget DeLaTorre, 51. She’s lost two close friends to overdoses in the past 10 months and her son sits in prison, after his life spun out of control due to an opioid addiction. All of them grew up on Milwaukee’s South Side.
In August DeLaTorre attended the funeral of Kaela Bradley, a mother of three who spent her last days in a coma at St. Luke’s Hospital as doctors unsuccessfully attempted to save the four-month-old fetus she was carrying. Just a few days before she overdosed, DeLaTorre said, Bradley was sober as they spent the day cooking, laughing and talking about life.
“It (opioid addiction) can happen anywhere and it can be anybody. We’re not talking about homeless people or junkies on the streets. Kaela was a sweet, caring person who lit up the room,” DeLaTorre said.
Kaela Bradley (Photo from Facebook)
Bradley was 31 years old when she took a fatal dose of fentanyl, an extremely potent synthetic opioid commonly sold as — or added to — heroin. Fentanyl can be 50 times more potent than heroin and users are often unaware they’re taking it, experts say. Bradley was one of 260 residents in Milwaukee County to die of an opioid overdose, more than 100 of which involved fentanyl, from Jan. 1 through Oct. 15 of this year, according to data from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
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Opioid overdoses account for 84 percent of the 309 drug-induced deaths recorded in the county during that time period.  Seventeen individuals lost their lives during a one-week period in June, and 34 died as recently as September.
Bradley’s residence was listed on North Palmer Street, in the 53212 ZIP code that encompasses the Northeast Side, including Riverwest. Sixteen residents in 53212 have died from opioid overdoses so far in 2017. Twenty-four residents of the 53204 ZIP code, where Bradley’s fatal overdose occurred, died from opioids, and the adjoining 53215 ZIP code lost 19 people. Those three neighborhoods, along with the 53209 Zip code, have the highest number of residents who died from overdoses and account for nearly 30 percent of opioid deaths in the county in 2017.
Sixty-eight percent of individuals who died were white, 20 percent were black and 10 percent were Hispanic (see graphic, below); 70 percent lived in the City of Milwaukee while the remainder resided in the suburbs or other cities.
That significant numbers of central city residents and minorities die of opioid overdoses is no surprise to Rafael Mercado, who helped create the Facebook page MKE Heroin Diaries after losing four cousins to opioids within a year. Mercado posted video of the burial of his cousin, Thomas “TJ” Rivas, on the MKE Heroin Diaries page as a tragic example of the damage that opioids cause, he said.
“We’re doing whatever we can to help people become more aware. We need to unite if we’re going to deal with this crisis and get people the help they need,” Mercado said.
The page also features news articles, personal stories and information about upcoming events, including trainings about Narcan, a prescription drug that reverses the effects of opioids. According to Rivas, for every death that has resulted from opioid abuse, another eight people were saved by Narcan.
The Facebook page also facilitates what Mercado calls “warm handovers,” in which opioid addicts are accompanied to a treatment facility.
“We don’t just drop them off at the door; we hold their hand and walk them through,” said Mercado, who also helps organize bi-weekly needle clean-ups, many of which occur on the South Side. Unfortunately, said Mercado, treatment options in the city are limited, as most rehabilitation centers are in the suburbs.
There aren’t enough treatment facilities available in Milwaukee to deal with the enormity of the addiction crisis, said Sarah Pollack, communications manager at Meta House. Founded in 1963 primarily to treat alcoholism, Meta House is a drug and alcohol treatment facility for women from alcoholics anonymous located at 2625 N. Weil St. The program houses 35 women and 15 children in a former rectory located behind the main offices. It also has 25 off-site apartments for women, and provides outpatient services.
Still, the number of women Meta House serves, 80 percent of whom complete treatment and have successful recoveries, is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addressing addiction among women in the city, according to Pollack. She said that 28,000 women are struggling with addiction in Milwaukee and only one in 10 are receiving treatment. Women have accounted for one-third of the opioid deaths in Milwaukee County so far in 2017 (see graphic, below). There has also been a stark increase in the number of women struggling with heroin or other opioid addictions in recent years, she said.
“It’s progressively gotten worse, and the stakes higher as we see increased loss of life in our community, Pollack said.
According to data provided by the Medical Examiner’s Office to the Milwaukee Community Database, the number of drug deaths in the county has increased from 110 in 2002 to 342 in 2016 (see graphic, below).
Most of the women who arrive at Meta House for treatment are survivors of past trauma, and are caught in a cycle of poverty, Pollack said. The two-generation treatment approach addresses addiction and additional challenges women face such as lack of childcare, housing or employment. Children of patients are offered counseling and other services meant to help them overcome trauma and understand how addiction functions, in hopes that they will avoid the disease down the road. But the biggest challenge is getting women to come through the doors, Pollack said.
“Nothing about getting treatment is easy, but reaching out for help and facing your challenges head-on is a brave thing to do,” added Pollack, who cautioned against stereotypes often associated with drug users. Many of their addictions began quite innocently, she said, a result of legal prescription medication usage.
“I had one woman who was at a bonfire and was accidentally burned from head to toe. To manage the pain she was prescribed opioids and became addicted,” Pollack said.
The prescriptions run out, but addiction remains, forcing many to turn to the streets for prescription pills such as Vicodin, Percocet or Oxycodone, she said. Once the prescription pills become too expensive, people with addictions resort to buying $10 hits of heroin on the streets of Milwaukee, she added.
The growing epidemic has garnered increased attention nationwide, following President Donald Trump’s declaration on Oct. 26 that opioid addiction is a “public health emergency,” and his pledge of federal resources to combat the problem. Though the declaration was a “step forward,” wrote Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and 18 other senators in an open letter to Trump, it only made available $57,000, “which fails to adequately address this epidemic.”
“More action must be taken in order to craft a timely and effective national strategy that will achieve long term solutions to this crisis. Specifically, we are concerned that your declaration does not yet include any additional funding resources for key programs and initiatives that will help our patients, providers, first responders and researchers who desperately need more assistance,” said the letter.
Since Trump’s announcement, the city, county and state have beefed up their efforts to address the opioid crisis. Last week the Milwaukee County Board of  Supervisors voted 18-0 to allow county lawyers to hire outside counsel to take legal action against pharmaceutical manufacturers. The companies are contributing to opioid deaths and creating millions in unexpected costs for first responders, hospitals and law enforcement, among others, said County Supervisor Peggy West, adding that 80 percent of heroin users started on prescription painkillers.
West said the Medical Examiner’s office has seen such a large increase in opioid overdoses that the 2018 Milwaukee County budget includes funds for a $380,000 machine that speeds up toxicology processing.
“The loss of life has been so dramatic that it’s very difficult to find someone who doesn’t know someone who has died from an overdose,” West said.
Rafael Mercado holds a container of syringes collected during a recent needle clean-up on the South Side. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
The county’s 2018 budget also includes $1.1 million in funding to target the opioid crisis. Those efforts are a start, but not nearly enough, said West, who is pushing the county and state to think outside the box to stem the epidemic.
“We need to look at why people use drugs and try to assist them,” West said. She was the author of an amendment adopted Monday, which would create a workgroup to explore the creation of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) treatment pods at the County’s House of Corrections in Franklin.
Earlier this year,  a City-County Heroin, Opioid and Cocaine task force was created in response to the crisis. The task force hosted two listening sessions in late October seeking public input as it crafts a comprehensive plan to fight opioid addiction. Ald Michael Murphy, a member of the task force, said coordination among different entities is crucial, as the city currently lacks financial resources to deal with the epidemic. Only $25,000 in funding to deal specifically with opioids was allocated this year, according to Murphy, who said he has personally helped raise more than $100,000 to combat the problem. He said the city will increase funding to $75,000 in 2018.
“It’s unfortunate, but not a lot of city resources are going into dealing with the opioid issue. There’s still this stigma of people viewing it as an individual problem and one where people can quit if they want,” Murphy said.
The loss of life has been most devastating, said Murphy, but the impact of opioid abuse can also be felt across the city through increased property crime, rolling drug houses, violence related to battles over drug turf and the economic loss from the people who died or are unable to work due to addiction.
“Then you think about the children who are suffering from abuse or neglect due to addictions and even the young people who are gaining access to opiates and dying,” Murphy said.  Since 2002, 15 children age five and under have died from opioid overdoses. Three deaths occurred this year and nine since 2012.
According to Murphy, the task force’s short-term goal is a targeted social media campaign directed towards at-risk demographic groups. It also plans to work with the Medical College of Wisconsin to identify and implement best practices in reducing opioid addiction. The five-year goal, said Murphy, is to greatly reduce the number of addicts and deaths locally. The city is also considering whether to join the county in its effort to bring a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies or even file a lawsuit of its own, he noted.
“The only silver lining in all of this is an increased public discourse and a changing attitude in addressing opioid addiction and the stigma attached to it,” which didn’t occur during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, acknowledged Murphy.
Sarah Pollack, communications manager at Meta House, stands next to a board filled with slogans for women in treatment. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“I wasn’t around for that debate, but certainly the discourse and discussion has changed dramatically since this epidemic hits mainly the white person,” he added. Still, he said, the loss of life due to drugs is dramatically higher than ever before and deaths cut across all races.
The state is also getting into the act, recently announcing the renewal of a federal grant of $7.6 million for 2018, to be used to boost opioid prevention, treatment and recovery efforts. Plans for the federal funds, according to a statement from Gov. Scott Walker, include expanding access to opioid-disorder treatment; hiring and training recovery coaches; and creating at least three new opioid treatment centers in the hardest-hit areas of the state. The state is also providing additional resources in its biennial budget for county child welfare services, which have had a significant increase in caseloads due to the opioid crisis, according to the 2016 state report, “Combating Opioid Abuse.”
Walker, who recently announced that he will seek a third term as governor, also signed a bill last week that allows law enforcement officials to charge those who manufacture and sell variations of fentanyl. Those variations, commonly referred to as “fentanyl analogs,” hadn’t previously been listed as illegal substances, and are being created legally in labs, according to experts. Assembly Bill 335 makes possessing, dealing or manufacturing all variations of fentanyl a felony.
All these efforts are too late for Kaela Bradley, the 259 others who’ve died of opioid overdoses this year in Milwaukee County and the hundreds before them. Bradley’s Facebook page is now a memorial, filled with posts from friends and photos, including many of her with her children and one in which she’s proudly holding the medallion she received for reaching the 60-day mark of sobriety.
In the “About Me” section of her Facebook page, Bradley wrote, “A great mother fighting and recovering the disease of addiction and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I am putting my life and my family back together. I will suceed (sic).”
And though Bradley lost her battle with addiction, DeLaTorre said she doesn’t want that to be what she is remembered for. “She was a mother, a daughter, and a great friend. Kaela was a beautiful person.”

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 9, 2017

created: November 9, 2017


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Alverno College First in Wisconsin to be Named Hispanic-Serving Institution | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kelly Fay
November 9, 2017
(Photo courtesy of Alverno College)
Alverno College met the enrollment criteria to be considered a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) by the U.S. Department of Education, a national designation that provides access to federal grants and scholarships to not-for-profit institutions of higher learning that serve a significant population of Hispanic students. Alverno is the first HSI-designated institution in Wisconsin, one of only 14 in the Midwest and one of only 276 in the United States.
To be designated an HSI member, which is part of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), 25 percent of an institution’s total undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment must be Hispanic. Alverno’s fall 2017 total enrollment of Hispanic students was 27 percent.
“This federal designation validates all that we celebrate most about Alverno College – the richness of our diverse student body and the intentional way in which we seek to build and support our campus community so that it may authentically reflect the world in which we live,” said Dr. Andrea Lee, IHM, president of Alverno. “Alverno’s Latina students and other students of color are among the future leaders of Milwaukee, our region and beyond. As we recognize and embrace our designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, we celebrate in a special way the contributions of Latina students to our vibrant college and look forward to collaboration with other Hispanic-Serving Institutions to support the continued success and educational outcomes of all our students. Most important, we commit to remaining one of Wisconsin’s most ethnically diverse colleges.”
The designation aligns with Alverno’s mission of and commitment to educating an ethnically diverse population of undergraduate women, integral to the college’s success for 130 years. In fall 2013, the percentage of Alverno’s full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate Hispanic students was 19 percent. In fall 2011, it was 16 percent.
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According to data from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, 10.2 percent of metropolitan Milwaukee’s population in 2014 was Latino, an increase of 213.3 percent from 3.6 percent of the population in 1990.
The designation not only allows the college to apply for new federal grants, but it benefits all Alverno students. A student does not need to be Latina/o to apply for a HACU scholarship. HACU scholarships are for all students attending a HACU institution. Federal agencies that provide grants and scholarships to students at HACU institutions include the departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Students can use these funds for scholarly opportunities like student travel, study abroad and internships.
“This designation greatly enhances our ability to carry out our mission of preparing women for personal and professional distinction and meaningful engagement with the world,” said Jennifer Flamboe, Ph.D., chair of Alverno’s World Languages department, director of the college’s Healthcare Interpretation Program and a nationally certified healthcare interpreter. “Knowing the Milwaukee Latino community well and having worked closely with Hispanic youth and adults for many years, I am proud to be affiliated with an institution that has such an inclusive infrastructure for supporting these and all of our students.”
Ruth Lopez de Arenas will serve as Alverno’s coordinator of Hispanic outreach and success. An Alverno alumna, she will work to strengthen partnerships with community organizations and prospective students and their families, as well as lead efforts to ensure the academic success of current students. Lopez de Arenas has served as an undergraduate admissions counselor for the college since 2016.
In addition to Alverno’s Hispanic student population, 14 percent identify as Black or African American, 5 percent identify as Asian and 4 percent identify as two or more races. Sixty-eight percent of undergraduate students who started at the college in the fall 2017 semester are first-generation college students.
About Alverno College
Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business are open to women and men.
A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The College has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education and for the past eight years has been ranked one of the top five schools in the Midwest doing “the best job of educating undergrads” by U.S. News & World Report.
Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.

author: Kelly Fay


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 9, 2017


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College Possible students show gratitude by giving back | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Liz Smith
November 9, 2017
(Photo courtesy of College Possible)
On a wet Saturday morning more than 100 College Possible students braved the cold to collect non-perishable food items as part of Make a Difference Day. The national day of service, celebrated on October 28, involved students from 13 area high schools who went door-to-door collecting non-perishable goods for Milwaukee-based Hunger Task Force.
The students and their College Possible coaches canvased four different Milwaukee neighborhoods and collected 4,312 pounds of food, 200 more pounds than the previous year.
“It was fun doing to something to benefit others and knowing that people care,” said Da’lin, a senior at Riverside University High School.
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Establishing service opportunities for students is central to College Possible, a college access program for low-income Milwaukee students. For many students, Make a Difference Day was their first experience in community service.
“A lot of us were shaky at first,” said Marissa, a junior at Hamilton High School. “But you started to realize you were around good people and it was really nice to know that we could make a difference in our community.”
The students’ hard work paid off and they were able to make a significant contribution to benefit hungry populations in Milwaukee.
“The students at College Possible Milwaukee continue to raise the bar during Make a Difference Day,” said Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force. “Over the past four years, these students raised nearly 15,000 pounds of food for Hunger Task Force. They are definitely making an ongoing impact for plenty of hungry Milwaukee families.”
Aside from the dreary weather conditions and several barking dogs, students had a great time collecting items for the Hunger Task Force.
“We met a lot of nice people,” said Vincent High School junior Jasmine. “One house had ten boxes of food to donate and that was amazing.”
College Possible has participated in Make a Difference Day for nearly 10 years and each year it provides students an opportunity to give back to the community that supports them.
“My favorite part was helping out in the community and contributing in any way I can,” said Neyde, a senior at St. Thomas More High School. “People were really nice.”
About College Possible: College Possible is a nationally-growing nonprofit organization making college admission and success possible for low-income students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. College Possible Milwaukee was established in 2008 and was recently named one of Milwaukee’s ‘Best Places to Work.’ College Possible Milwaukee serves 4,000 students each year through programming in 15 partner high schools and partnerships with numerous local colleges. Last year, 98% of College Possible students earned admission to college. Findings of a Harvard University study show that College Possible’s approach to unlocking the potential of low-income students is effective and that students served are significantly more likely to enroll in a four-year college.

author: Liz Smith


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Researcher spreads word on effects of tobacco advertising on youth, minorities | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lydia Slattery / Wisconsin Watch
November 9, 2017
Christal West, outreach coordinator for Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network, works to educate people about the dangers of smoking. (Photo by Lydia Slattery)
A study analyzing tobacco sales and advertising in city ZIP codes found that black and Latino communities are more likely to be exposed to tobacco marketing than white communities.
Linnea Laestadius, who helped design the study, presented her findings at a “community conversation” Saturday attended by about 75 people, including young people from FACT, a state anti-tobacco youth organization, and State Rep. David Crowley, who said he recently attended the funeral for one of his best friends who died from lung cancer related to smoking.
The Milwaukee Tobacco Retail Assessments Project analyzed three clusters of ZIP codes that were predominantly African-American, Latino or white to determine whether there were differences in sales and advertising for tobacco products. It also focused on places such as corner and liquor stores where children could easily access tobacco advertising and products.
“In Milwaukee County alone, there [are] over 1,000 licensed tobacco retailers and that is a lot, said Laestadius, an assistant professor at UW-Milwaukee Zilber School of Public Health.
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Black and Latino neighborhoods are three times more likely to have a retailer within 500 feet of a school than neighborhoods that are mostly white. (Graphic courtesy of the Milwaukee Collaborative Project)
The study involved local and statewide tobacco prevention groups including Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Coalition, Wisconsin Department of Public Health and researchers from Zilber School of Public Health.
The study looked at three different clusters of ZIP codes that were predominantly black (Cluster A: 53209, 53206, 53205), Latino (Cluster B: 53204, 53215) and white (Cluster C: 53217, 53211, 53220, 53110). The research showed that there are 1.7 tobacco retailers for every 1,000 people in black neighborhoods, compared to 1.3 sellers in Latino neighborhoods and less than one retailer per 1,000 people in white neighborhoods.
“The tobacco industry spends over eight billion on tobacco advertising, and no one spends eight billion on anything unless they expect something in return for that,” Laestadius said.
The smoking rate is Milwaukee County is 20 percent, while in Waukesha County it is 14 percent. Statewide the rate is 17 percent, Laestadius said. She added that marketing has an effect on why people choose to start smoking.
“The evidence is increasingly clear that children who are exposed to tobacco marketing in stores are more likely to start smoking,” Laestadius noted.
Black and Latino neighborhoods in the study were three times more likely to have retailers within 500 feet of a school than white neighborhoods.
“If we have a ton of retailers in a fairly small area, they’re going to be closer to schools,” Laestadius said.
Nia Kamara, a 10th grader at Shorewood High School and board member of FACT, attended the event to learn more about the study. FACT hosts meetings and events for students in grades seven through 12 to educate them about the dangers of smoking.
“We have our own meetings to discuss what we can improve on. We spread the truth about tobacco,” said Kamara. She added that she would like to see more young people join the organization.
“So many tobacco products are geared toward our younger children, and the tobacco companies know that,” said Christal West, outreach coordinator for the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network. “What they’re doing is using subliminal messaging for our children. They go into the store and see tobacco products looking like candy,” she added.
Crowley said he attended the event to be part of the solution in decreasing smoking in Milwaukee. “We need to make sure we’re focusing on the advertising of tobacco products in our neighborhood and local stores.
“We know that we have a big issue when it comes down to advertising tobacco products, not only with young people, but also people of color,” he added. “This is an opportunity to have real-world discussions at the local level, but also to inform our state officials.”

author: Lydia Slattery / Wisconsin Watch


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 8, 2017


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United Way hiring Administrative Assistant | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Michelle Gutknecht
November 9, 2017
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County (UWGMWC) has a great opportunity to join the Resource Development department as an Administrative Assistant!
United Way is the largest privately-funded nonprofit in the world! Funds raised through UWGMWC remain local and are invested in nearly 220-plus programs at over 110 local nonprofit program partners.   POSITION OVERVIEW This is not just any Administrative Assistant position! In this role you’ll use your expert-level detail-orientation and accuracy to lead our Major Gifts administrative efforts, frequently coordinating with peers in local companies. You’ll provide administrative support to the Vice President of Resource Development and the Major Gifts team, with back-up support to the Chief Executive Officer. You’ll also provide administrative support to annual Community Campaign Co-chairs and the Campaign Cabinet. In this position it’s critical to recognize and maintain the confidentiality and sensitive nature of division matters, anticipate potential problems, and develop solutions.
KEY JOB FUNCTIONS
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR VICE PRESIDENT OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND MAJOR GIFTS TEAM
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RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR & CABINET ORGANIZATION
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR OTHER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
ADMINISTRATIVE BACKUP SUPPORT
RECEPTION AREA COVERAGE
OTHER DUTIES
Actively participate in special work-groups and projects as assigned.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES
TO APPLY:
For further job criteria and complete details, click on: https://www.milwaukeejobs.com/j/28717794. If you meet or exceed job requirements, please apply directly at this web address today. Please indicate salary requirements.
Equal Opportunity Employer
M/F/Disability/Vet

author: Michelle Gutknecht


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Revitalize Milwaukee spruces up eight homes in Near West Side neighborhood | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Leah Harris
November 10, 2017
Gloria Lee helps with landscaping as Revitalize Milwaukee volunteers repair her home. (Photo by Leah Harris)
Deirdre Kozlowski has lived in her home for 47 years. She moved in with her father in 1970 and they purchased the home in 1980.
Kozlowski said she loves her house in the quiet Miller Valley neighborhood. “It’s never been a bad neighborhood,” Kozlowski said. “People already have a lot of pride in it. They own their houses and take good care of them. No one is wealthy here, but they all care.”
Two years ago Kozlowski broke her pelvis in six places after a bad fall, and she now uses a wheelchair.
Last Saturday, Revitalize Milwaukee installed a small ramp to help Kozlowski move easily from her car to her house. The nonprofit provides free home repairs primarily for elderly, disabled and low-income residents, with the goal of keeping them in their homes and stabilizing neighborhoods.
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Volunteers in rain gear install a new porch during Block Build—Near West Side. (Photo by Leah Harris)
More than 100 volunteers gathered on a rainy day to complete home repairs and beautification work on eight homes in the Miller Valley neighborhood. Two homes received new front porches and several homes received new ADA-compliant toilets and grab bars. Block Build is part of a year-round program that aims to repair one house every day of the year.
Sam Szukalski, a volunteer from MillerCoors, helped clean and sweep around Kozlowski’s house. “It’s so important to be present in the community,” she said. “This is a great way to give back.” Szukalski said the renovations and cleanup help make life easier for people who need assistance.
Block Build–Near West Side is sponsored by MillerCoors, AT&T, WE Energies, the City of Milwaukee and Near West Side Partners.
“The partnership and teamwork to bring about this mammoth endeavor from area organizations, businesses and sponsors has been incredible and will leave a lasting impact on this tremendous neighborhood,” said Lynnea Katz-Petted, CEO of Revitalize Milwaukee.
Gloria Lee, who has lived in her home for 18 years, has been in contact with Revitalize Milwaukee for over a year. When the organization first stuck a big, pink envelope in her mailbox, Lee said she almost ignored it. But soon after, a representative contacted her and walked through the home as Lee pointed out needed repairs.
Lee raked leaves while volunteers repainted her porch, fixed unstable banisters and filled cracks in the side walkway of her house. Inside, broken electrical outlets and water leakage from the bathroom were repaired.
Lee said that the neighborhood is a great place to live. “They (Revitalize Milwaukee) can only make it look better than it already is.”
Since 2000, Revitalize Milwaukee has completed critical home repairs on more than 3,000 homes with the help of more than 7,500 volunteers and invested $14.5 million into Milwaukee-area housing. Revitalize Milwaukee receives more than 280 requests for help each month.
“I talk about them all the time because it’s a great program,” Lee said. “You don’t have to pay for anything; you just have to participate.”

created: November 10, 2017


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Federal ReCAST grant supports growth of local anti-violence programs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
November 13, 2017
Young men play basketball at Running Rebels, one of five direct service nonprofits that received a federal grant through the city’s Office of Violence Prevention. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a three-day series about violence prevention efforts in Milwaukee.
When Muhibb Dyer saw a girl labeled “the toughest kid in school,” tell about watching her father get shot in the head as part of a writing exercise about truth, he knew she felt safe enough in that classroom to reveal her tragic story.
She had been sitting next to her father in his car. His head fell into her lap, she wrote. The perpetrators told her they weren’t going to kill her because murdering her father “was just business.” At the time, she was 9 years old.
To Dyer, co-founder of Flood the Hood With Dreams/I Will Not Die Young, telling the story is “the beginning of the process of change.” The nonprofit works with teens by leading large group presentations and smaller group writing sessions. Its goal is to allow teens who live in poverty in sometimes-violent urban neighborhoods to begin healing from their trauma by confronting their pain.
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Trauma rooted in systemic poverty, racism and inequality is at the heart of much of the violence happening in Milwaukee, experts believe. One way the city is combating violence, which spiked in 2015, is by building the capacity of organizations operating violence prevention programs “focused on elevating non-traditional healing and mental health,” according to Reggie Moore, director of the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) in the Milwaukee Heath Department.
The department was awarded a $5 million Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) grant in September 2016 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Flood the Hood with Dreams/I Will Not Die Young was one of the organizations selected to receive a grant through the program. It was awarded $12,500 in the first year.
Due to administrative delays, Flood the Hood With Dreams/I Will Not Die Young is still working with OVP to procure its grant. Funds are transferred to the organizations after their work is complete.
The other direct service grantees are Employ Milwaukee ($170,000), Running Rebels ($100,000), The Parenting Network ($50,000) and My Sista’s KeepHer ($12,500). Moore said these organizations have also been approved for funding in the second year of the five-year grant, though he did not disclose the amounts they will receive.
Other partners included in the award are UW-Milwaukee, which is providing evaluation services, and Community Advocates, which is assisting with trauma-informed care and “mental health first aid” expertise and training.
Milwaukee is one of eight cities to be awarded the ReCAST grant. The others are Oakland, Chicago, Baltimore, Flint, Minneapolis, St. Louis and San Antonio. All ReCAST cities must be approved annually based on performance, impact and federal priorities. “SAMSHA has praised our progress in year one and we were successfully approved for year two,” Moore wrote in an email.
The purpose of the program is to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience in communities that have recently faced civil unrest. Strategies include implementing evidence-based violence prevention and youth engagement programs, as well as linking youth and families to trauma-informed behavioral health services, according to the SAMHSA website.
Sumaiyah Clark was hired to manage the ReCAST program in July. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Most of the anti-violence work funded through the grant is being carried out through established programs, which have scaled up their efforts. Progress in the first year included hiring a ReCAST program manager and disbursing the bulk of the initial funds.
Milwaukee native Sumaiyah Clark was hired in July to manage the ReCAST project. A graduate of UW-Whitewater in psychology, Clark also studied organizational leadership at Concordia University and earned an advanced certificate in urban anthropology at Marquette University.
In her first job, Clark worked as a teen mentor for pregnancy and violence prevention at Rosalie Manor. Her most recent position was senior director of strategy measurement and analysis at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
Her ReCAST responsibilities include insuring that partners communicate among themselves and have the resources they need, providing technical assistance, helping with the strategic plan and making sure the groups use the trauma-informed care approach.
Staff members working with youth at the ReCAST grantee agencies will be trained in “mental health first aid,” which will help them distinguish between normal teen behavior and indications that a youth may need to see a mental health provider, explained Jeremy Triblett, resource coordinator at Community Advocates.
To choose the programs included in the grant proposal, Moore said that OVP consulted with “a wide range of partners working with youth and families regarding healing, trauma and mental health.” Among those consulted were representatives from Community Advocates, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division, Wraparound Milwaukee, I Will Not Die Young, My Sista’s KeepHer, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Beyond the Bell Milwaukee, independent therapists, cultural healers, Employ Milwaukee, Running Rebels, and others,” Moore said.
He added that his office was committed to “ensuring that the majority of the funds for this project were allocated to project partners with a strong track record for reaching the priority populations that we’ve identified for ReCAST—12-24 year olds and their immediate families.”
OVP will issue a Request for Proposals for additional project partners and services early in 2018, according to Moore.
was founded in 2005 by Muhibb Dyer and Kwabena Antoine Nixon to do anti- violence work with middle- and high school students and incarcerated youth.
They incorporate dramatic elements in their presentations and bring in speakers to illustrate the aftermath of violence in the real world.
“We hold assemblies in schools and bring in caskets and funeral directors to talk about their personal experiences with mothers of those who are killed and other indirect victims of violence,” Dyer said. They also use poetry and present real-life images “so that (the students) really and truly see” what happens after young people lose their lives in violent circumstances, Dyer said. The program served an estimated 1,200 students in 25 MPS schools in 2016.
The grant funds are allowing them to take the program to more students in more schools, he said. Their efforts help counter popular images that sensationalize and romanticize death, and keep youth away from dangerous activities such as dealing drugs and stealing cars, he added.
In addition, Dyer and Nixon meet with students in smaller group sessions where they create “a cathartic writing piece about what they have endured with violence,” Dyer said. The goal is to allow them to express and confront their pain so they can begin to heal.
, the workforce development board serving Milwaukee County, launched “Career Plus” in the first year of the ReCAST grant. The program teaches workforce skills, financial literacy, trauma training and conflict resolution to junior and senior boys at four MPS high schools. It worked with 200 boys in year one, according to Robert Cherry, Employ Milwaukee’s director of the office of career exploration.
Be The Change participants meet weekly at Running Rebels East, 225 W. Capitol Drive. (Photo courtesy of Running Rebels)
Employ Milwaukee also subsidizes jobs at local businesses for boys participating in Career Plus and Running Rebels’ “Be The Change” program, and connects them to the city’s Earn & Learn summer youth employment program.
The organization works with 50 employers including McDonalds, The Juice Kitchen, Walnut Way and West Care, Cherry said. The employers work to create a supportive environment and “teach them the right way,” Cherry explained.
Career Plus teaches such skills as how to take criticism. Cherry said he’s seen that some teens are unsuccessful in jobs because they come from environments where there’s a lot of trauma and violence. “They tend to over-react when someone gives them criticism. They take it as disrespect.”
Cherry said Employ Milwaukee plans to expand to eight MPS high schools next year. Though it has not yet identified the schools, he expects to more than double the number of students “Career Plus” serves.
“Be The Change” program was started in 2010 to address the black male academic achievement gap, according to the organization’s co-director, Dawn Barnett. Until it received the ReCAST grant, the educational support initiative for high school boys was only offered in summer. This fall the nonprofit launched its first year-round program with a cohort of 32 boys.
“When it was just a summer program, we struggled to stay in contact with these boys all year and keep them engaged,” said Ptosha Davis, program director.
Be The Change focuses on academic support and character and leadership development as well as building relationships with adult mentors. Beginning last summer, 64 participants worked at Earn & Learn jobs through Employ Milwaukee in the mornings. The program also includes recreational, cultural and enrichment activities.
Davis said Be The Change has worked with more than 350 boys over the seven-plus years of the program, with a 98 percent retention rate. The goal for next summer is 100 boys.
Parent Café program facilitates conversations with parents to help them learn how to foster healthy families and children, said Joyce Felker, executive director.
Using a framework developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, a parent leader builds a conversation around one of five factors that research shows protect against child abuse and neglect: parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children.
Staff members go door to door in the Metcalfe Park, Muskego Way and Harambee neighborhoods and invite residents to attend the cafés, which are held three times each month. Parent leaders are trained to plan and facilitate Parent Café conversations, for which they receive stipends.
With the ReCAST grant, the organization has increased the number of parent leaders it has trained from five to 26, said Eyleen Lopez, Parent Café coordinator.
, founded by Tina (Ms Jazzi) Nixon 20 years ago, teaches positive expression to teen girls and young women.
“We create a platform of trust where … we share our stories through (speaking), writing exercises and poetry,” she said. Staff poets teach the young women how to express themselves in a way that helps them heal themselves and others.
“We tackle subjects like healthy relationships, self-esteem, sisterhood, community involvement, bullying and social media,” Nixon said.
My Sista’s KeepHer meets with middle- and high school girls during the day and after school, and with young women ages 19-25 at local businesses. Activities include workshops, a “spa day” that focuses on self-esteem; a mother-daughter pajama party; a poetry contest and an awards event that honors students and women in the community.
The grant is allowing My Sista’s KeepHer to expand, Nixon said. The program has been offered to 120 – 200 girls each school semester, but so far this year it is on track to work with 700 – 800 girls, in seven schools.
My Sista’s KeepHer and the other ReCAST grantees work both to heal trauma and to recognize and build resiliency. “Most people in the world have experienced trauma,” Triblett noted. The difference is whether they have adequate resources to bounce back.
“Healing from historical and persistent community trauma is the core premise of ReCAST,” Moore said, “and building the resilience of youth and families to not only heal but engage in self- and community advocacy is what ReCAST is truly about.”

created: November 13, 2017


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 12, 2017

created: November 12, 2017


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 13, 2017


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Spread the Warmth Drive | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Phillip Gardner
November 13, 2017
Capuchin Community Services is kicking off its annual Spread the Warmth drive. Businesses, organizations, parishes, mosques, and synagogues are encouraged to participate.
As the temperatures begin to drop, we encourage our neighbors to remember those who are unable to purchase adequate warm winter gear for themselves or their children.
Every day we have families asking for assistance with warm winter clothing. How can we turn these good people away? We can’t. The Capuchins have been serving the poor and hungry since 1968; all without government assistance. We depend on donations.
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The Capuchin Friars are requesting gently used or new winter clothing for women, men, and children. Hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, jackets, coats, blankets are all needed.
To find out how your group can help Milwaukee’s central city families this winter season, go to http://www.capuchincommunityservices.org/ways-to-help/special-drives/capuchins-warm-winter-drive or call 414.374.8841, ext. 41.

author: Phillip Gardner


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BrDavid-Anonymous | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
November 13, 2017


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Young adults get paid for construction job training and to earn HSED or GED | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
November 13, 2017
Who would want to be paid to gain national certification for the construction industry and earn their HSED (High School Equivalency Diploma) or GED (General Education Development) diploma? The Social Development Commission (SDC) is offering YouthBuild, a new program that allows 18 – 24 year old low-income residents of Milwaukee County to do just that. SDC was awarded a nearly $1 million grant by the U.S. Department of Labor to operate YouthBuild.
Job training and proper education are a continual challenge for members of the low-income community. Without both, finding a job that pays sustainable income to support oneself or one’s family is a nearly insurmountable challenge. YouthBuild is an opportunity to change that and help fulfill the shortfall of certified workers in the construction industry.
In addition to paid training for the construction trade and enrollment in education programs, SDC will provide YouthBuild participants case management to identify any obstacles participants may have in their lives and provide additional services to eliminate the barriers. Assistance with employment placement is also guaranteed. All of these resources are provided free of charge.
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Those interested in taking part must be 18 – 24 years of age, live in Milwaukee County, need their GED or HSED, and be considered low-income. Potential students must register online at cr-sdc.org in the careers services section of the programs area, and are required to attend one of the mandatory orientation sessions offered Tuesday, November 14 – Thursday, November 16 and Monday, November 27 – Thursday, November 30, 2017. All orientations are from 1:00 – 3:00 PM at SDC’s office located at 1730 W. North Avenue, Milwaukee.
The YouthBuild program is in conjunction with Ezekiel Community Development Corporation. Ezekiel will provide hands-on experience at their construction project sites.
“Witnessing the pride of students in graduating from our job training and education programs, and our ability to place them in good paying jobs, proves SDC is delivering on providing pathways from poverty to success,” says George Hinton, CEO of the Social Development Commission. “Combining training and education, and paying students to grow their skills, is powerful way to continue moving people out of poverty, and that is the mission of SDC.”
For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission has operated as the largest Community Action Agency in Wisconsin and for Milwaukee County. SDC serves as a planner, coordinator, and provider of human service programs for low-income individuals and families residing in Milwaukee County. The agency provides pathways from poverty to success for thousands of individuals and families each year. For more information on SDC’s programs and services, visit cr-sdc.org. Connect with us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/SDCMilwaukee and Twitter www.twitter.com/CRSDC.

author: Social Development Commission


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Artwork by Bruce Guadalupe students featured at Marquette School of Dentistry | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lydia Slattery
November 14, 2017
The Pediatric Department at Marquette School of Dentistry, 1801 W. Wisconsin Ave., now features artwork from students in different grades at Bruce Guadalupe Community School. Seventeen students’ artwork was chosen to hang in the pediatric department to brighten up the clinic.
The artwork replaced posters by some of the “masters” on the walls in the pediatric area; administrators thought art by children would be more suitable.
A ceremony for students and their parents was held recently at the dental school. The children were able to showcase their work to friends and family. They also received certificates for their accomplishments.
Last year, 11,396 people in Milwaukee County received care at one of the School of Dentistry’s three locations.
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created: November 14, 2017