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On the Block: Need for street repair | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alexandria Bursiek
April 11, 2017
Tyrice Baskin, a Concordia resident, is concerned about the condition of the roads in Milwaukee, especially those in his neighborhood. Baskin has lived in Milwaukee all his life and attended Alexander Hamilton High School. He said he has to replace tires on his car a few times a year. Despite his concerns about the streets, Baskin still considers Milwaukee to be his “real home,” and said he enjoys living in the city.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 10, 2017

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Adam Carr


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Washington High School chess team takes 11th at state, looks to improve | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dean Bibens
April 11, 2017
Davontae Franklin (right), a junior at Washington High School, plays against his head coach, Micheal Moore, in a friendly game of chess. (Photo by Dean Bibens)
Washington High School senior Nhia-Kou Xiong never saw himself playing chess until he met head coach Micheal Moore. “Mr. Moore and I connected right away and he taught me everything I know about chess.”
In his first year on the team, Xiong had the opportunity to play in the state tournament. The last time Washington High School of Information Technology made the tournament was almost 15 years ago.
Said Kassem, a former French teacher at the school, rebooted the chess team in 2016, serving as its coach. He recruited Moore, a first-year algebra teacher, as assistant coach.
“I didn’t know how much of a time commitment this was going to be so I wanted to start out in a smaller role,” Moore said. “When Said took a job at another school, I knew that I had to step up and take the head coach position.”
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The chess team consists of 10 players. To qualify for the state tournament, the 10 students competed in city tournaments on Thursdays and weekends to determine where the team would be seeded. Washington High was seeded fourth out of 13 teams and finished 11 overall.
The Washington High School chess team placed 11th in the state tournament. (Photo courtesy of Micheal Moore)
Ethan Littel, assistant coach, said he was proud that his team made it to state. “Obviously we didn’t finish as well as we would have liked but I think we all learned a lot and will look to build upon that going forward,” he said. Student Allan Ward took home an individual trophy. “We were incredibly proud of him for that,” Littel noted.
“I felt a great sense of pride in myself and my team,” Ward said. The senior said that he wants to continue playing chess once he graduates. “I wish I could be here next year because I know this team is going to do big things.”
Littel and the players rave about Moore’s skill and how he has made a tremendous impact on all of them.
“This year was a great experience for the entire team. I’d like to have more people join next year and it would be incredible if we could win state my senior year,” said junior Davontae Franklin. “Without Mr. Moore, I don’t know where our team would be. His passion has made us all better players and he has made playing chess a lot of fun,” he added.
Marquette University graduate Moore started playing the game at age 12. “My mom’s boyfriend taught me how to play chess and I would get so frustrated because I never won,” Moore said. “I ended up not playing at all in high school or college but my passion for the game rekindled when I started teaching at Vincent High School.”
The algebra teacher’s inability to beat two Vincent students motivated him to become a better player. “These kids would kick my butt every day and I just knew I had to dig into the books and improve,” Moore said. “You only get better by practicing and doing your research.”
Moore has high expectations for his team going forward. “I’m not stopping until we win a championship,” he said. “These kids want it just as bad as I do and I’m excited to see where we go next.”

author: Dean Bibens


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How to avoid door-to-door scammers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lisa Schiller, Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin
April 12, 2017
Knowing what to look out for is the first step in protecting yourself from getting ripped off by scammers at your doorstep. While many of the scams are not new, consumers can lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Common scams include:
Asphalt paving scams – Spring and summer is prime time for paving scammers. If someone knocks on your door with a super deal, let them know you are going to shop around and check their company with the BBB. Get their full company name, address, phone number, website and insurance information. Ask for a business card and a written estimate. Ask for and check local references. Legitimate firms will have no issues with these requests.
Magazine sales – A young person may appear at your door selling magazine subscriptions. They will lead you to believe it’s a great deal but the prices can be as much as three times the regular price. Whether you pay with cash, check or credit, you may receive nothing in return. Check with the BBB before making a purchase from an unknown seller at your door.
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Utility slam – Companies hire salespeople to knock on your door and tell you they can save you money on your electricity or gas bill. They’ll ask to see your bill so they can point out all the ways they can help you save. Their goal is to switch your service provider. In many cases, they’ll offer a low introductory rate, then jack up the price months later. Even if you don’t to agree to anything, if they see your account number they can switch you to a different company without your permission.
Home repair scams – Someone offers to do yardwork or make repairs in or around your home. They take a cash payment up front … and never return. Always take time to make decisions, get information in writing, obtain several estimates and check with the BBB.
Alarm system scams – Scam artists comb neighborhoods looking for signs posted in yards warning that the home has a security system. They knock on the door and tell you your system needs to be upgraded. Once inside they give you the bad news that the system cannot protect you against today’s modern theft techniques and offer to “upgrade” your system. They then disconnect your service provider, install a system from their company and lock you into a multi-year contract.
Storm chasers – Severe spring weather can leave behind hail-damaged roofs. Fraudsters known as “storm chasers” follow the storms and represent themselves as roofing contractors. They go town-to-town, door-to door, taking money for work, underperforming or not performing at all, and then moving on to the next town before the homeowners can get their money back.
To protect your money, property and personal safety follow these tips:


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 11, 2017


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Irie Zulu serves up African and Jamaican food and culture | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Mitchell Mittelstedt
April 13, 2017
Irie Zulu, an 18-month old restaurant in Wauwatosa offers a unique fusion of African, Jamaican and American food, according to its founder, Yollande Tchouapi Deacon.
The restaurant, at 7237 W. North Ave., is one of 16 eateries participating in Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week, from April 17 to April 23. The event is sponsored by BlankSpace MKE, an urban art cooperative whose mission is to serve as a “conduit for cooperative economics.”
Deacon, a native Bantu from the Bamileke tribe of Cameroon in West Africa, moved to Milwaukee in 2001 and started Afro Fusion Cuisine, an African and Jamaican sauce company that sells a variety of food products.
Though the concept of Irie Zulu came to her in 2006 she didn’t open the restaurant until November 2015 with the goal of exposing the community “to something unique, a distinct point of view on ethnic cuisine,” Deacon said. Irie is a Bantu word meaning “stress-free, cultured, real, connected to mother earth.” Zulu refers to the iconic Zulu tribe and culture of South Africa.
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The menu rotates during the week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, East, South and West African food is on the menu. On Thursday and Friday, Jamaican cuisine is served. On Saturday, the “best of the week” is featured, a combination of customers’ favorite African and Jamaican dishes. The restaurant is closed on Monday.
Deacon described her restaurant’s food as a fusion of “grandma’s cooking and a passionate rendition of our culture.”
Among its best sellers are homemade rum punch, sausage canape and Irie Zulu’s own take on sangria. The ingredients at Irie Zulu are typically from local farms and gardens, and the majority are organic.
Deacon said she wanted to represent the food of her ancestors with intellectual honesty and passion for what the food means to people.
“Here we cook with the heart,” she added. “It’s not just about food. It’s about creating a community, it’s about sharing something beautiful that comes from people of Africa and Jamaica, something honest about those people, to the greater community, and participating in a greater dialogue around food, inclusiveness and culture.”
Irie Zulu also has a mentoring program for high school students looking for work. While championing African and Jamaican culture, Deacon and her staff are active in social causes related to African-American and minority women, and LGBT causes.
“We put our money where our mouth is, so you see us around town donating to these various causes,” said Deacon.

author: Mitchell Mittelstedt


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 12, 2017


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Making the Case for Restorative Justice | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kelly Fay
April 13, 2017
Former state Supreme Court Justice and Marquette University distinguished law professor Janine Geske will lead a discussion on restorative justice at Alverno College on April 25. Geske is a mediator in conflict resolution and an internationally renowned speaker about the modern day development of restorative justice. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Bucyrus Conference Center, and is free and open to the public.
Restorative justice holds people accountable for the harm caused by their criminal activity. The approach personalizes the crime by involving both the victims and the offenders in mediating a restitution agreement.
Geske served as a distinguished professor of law at Marquette University Law School and as director of the Law School’s Restorative Justice Initiative. In the fall of 2011, she served as a visiting professor of law at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in restorative justice as its Institute of Criminology. From 1993-1998 Geske served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and she was a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge from 1981-1993.
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About Alverno College
Alverno College, a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college for women, exists to promote the personal and professional development of its students. The college has earned accolades and respect internationally for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, and has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education. For the last seven years, Alverno College 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. Educators from throughout the world visit Alverno to learn about its proven, student-centered teaching methods.
Alverno offers more than 60 major areas of study, including graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business that are open to women and men. For more information about Alverno, visit www.alverno.edu or call 414-382-6100.

author: Kelly Fay


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campussign 1500 pixel | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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April 13, 2017

author: Name *


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Welcome to Pulaski Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Travis Hope
April 13, 2017
I am Travis Hope, the volunteer president of the KK River Neighbors In Action and longtime South Side resident. We have our meetings at the Pulaski Park pavilion every second Wednesday of the month and all are welcome.
I love all the parks in Milwaukee but the last three years I have been spending a lot of time at Pulaski Park with my kids . On this day with the camera, I went to the park with my daughter Iveliz and our dog Petunia. I wanted to show the park now because in the next couple of years there will be a lot of changes. Still, there is a lot of fun and enjoyment that can be had in the park now.

author: Travis Hope


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Travis08 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 11, 2017


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County, school board officials see opportunity to collaborate on resource centers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
April 14, 2017
A building in Meaux Park, not far from Lincoln Park, sits unused. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
The initial focus of a new Milwaukee County initiative to create “Community Restoration Centers” will be to provide employment and literacy services at Lincoln Park on the city’s North Side. The initiative, which was not allocated funding, will rely on outside service providers and money already earmarked for the Milwaukee County Office on African American Affairs (OAAA).
The OAAA will oversee the creation of resource centers in underserved communities to provide employment, educational and health care services, according to a resolution passed unanimously by the county board of supervisors late last month.
“The City of Milwaukee is in such disarray, socially and economically,” said Darryl Farmer, an advisor to Community Vanguard, a new organization that was instrumental in the program’s creation. “We have to band together, as individuals from the community and in the community, [to] solve the ills that plague us.”
According to the resolution, the restoration centers will be located in county parks and other underutilized county buildings in “areas in high economic despair” and will function as a centralized location for people to access vital services. Community Vanguard will provide initial programming.
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The idea was met favorably by Milwaukee NAACP President Fred Royal, though he said the office, whose mission is to “advise the County Executive on the rights and needs of African-American communities concerning inequality,” should focus on enforcing civil rights and equal opportunity laws.
But Kevin Barnes, director of Community Vanguard, said the initiative’s starting point is an attempt to meet the most pressing issues the city’s African-American community faces.
“When you talk about the core needs of the community, the economic divide is one of the main ones,” he said. “When it comes to our children, we believe that literacy — or the ability to read and comprehend what you read — is the basis of learning.”
Darryl Farmer (aka King Rick), a former educator and member of the Milwaukee Black Panthers, speaks with a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputy in Sherman Park last June. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Black unemployment in Wisconsin is about 20 percent, according to a 2015 Economic Policy Institute report, and the state has one of the worst black-white achievement gaps in the country. Milwaukee County is home to about 70 percent of the state’s African-American population.
The point of the initiative is to do something concrete and substantial to help struggling residents while fully utilizing available facilities and returning the county to its rightful role of providing social services, according to District 16 Supervisor John Weishan, who authored the resolution. He said he wants to make social services more accessible and called the initiative “a natural extension” of the county’s responsibilities.
“We should’ve been doing these types of things a long time ago,” said Weishan.
The resolution calls for the OAAA director, a position that has yet to be filled, to establish the centers. According to Nate Holton, deputy chief of staff to County Executive Chris Abele, a director is expected to be in place by June. Money has also been set aside for a community engagement position, but the county board has not released any funds for staff members. That would be necessary for the new initiative to “hit the ground running,” Holton added.
However, Holton said the first step is to see what other agencies and organizations are already doing.
Over the last two years, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) has expanded its cohort of community schools, starting with four in 2015-16 and adding two more last year. The initiative, implemented in partnership with the United Way, prioritizes local control, restorative discipline and providing access to adult education and other social services.
MPS Board Vice President Larry Miller said he hasn’t been involved in discussions regarding the county resolution, but noted that district officials have held meetings with city leaders about collaboration opportunities. He added that the board is looking to partner with the city and county on “a number of issues.”
“If these initiatives … really take root, I definitely think it’s something that we’d want to discuss and work together on,” said Miller. “To me, it’s really obvious that we’re trying to do the same thing.”
He added, “It’s an issue of sitting down — the city, the county and the school district sitting down — and seeing what’s possible.”
Weishan said, “We can’t rule anything out.” But the supervisor stressed he would not want the financial burden to fall on schools.
Barnes applauded MPS, saying he would be open to working with the school district, or any other organization, “so that all our efforts won’t be wasted.”
“We don’t put limits on who or what we work on, as long as it’s within the best interests of the community,” he said. “That’s just a conversation that should be had. This is still forming.”
Miller said there needs to be more funding to support low-income individuals and called on the city, county, state and philanthropic community to step up. He said that although the county and school board don’t have much discretionary money, “I’m sure that there is money that could be used to help initiate some of this.” And Weishan said there may be an opportunity to add more funds to the initiative in the next county budget.
“We need more for people,” Miller said. “We need true development in our communities. We talk about infrastructure — people think about it as just roads and bridges. It’s also communities.”

author: Jabril Faraj


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 14, 2017


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Students learn tree science from professional arborists | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alexandria Bursiek
April 14, 2017
The Wisconsin Arborist Association offers pro bono services to up to three non-municipal organizations per year. This year, City on a Hill was selected for a project in which about 20 volunteer arborists removed trees, ground up stumps, pruned trees and treated roots, in addition to working with the students.
The students learned how to ascend a tree, what gear arborists use and how to identify some trees. Students were encouraged to ask questions and consider whether they would want to become an arborist.
WAA arborists provided about $12,000 worth of pro bono work to City on a Hill and $4,000 to Milwaukee Academy of Sciences.
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City on a Hill Executive Director Diane De La Santos said the factors that keep trees from growing are similar to how some children are kept from reaching their full potential. She said that often a tree is able to grow only when an arborist takes the time to understand and address its problems. “Then it can be as tall and wide as it’s supposed to be,” said De La Santos.
Similarly, to help students, mentors need to understand the trauma they have experienced.

author: Alexandria Bursiek


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Why I became a youth tobacco prevention advocate | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Nia Kamara
April 16, 2017
As a member of FACT, Wisconsin’s youth led tobacco prevention program, tobacco use among my peers is something I feel very strongly about. FACT is extremely importing in preventing kids from smoking and using other tobacco products like e-cigs and chew.
I got involved in 2014 because I didn’t really know how bad tobacco products, but wanted to learn.  Once I had this information, I wanted to make sure that other youth had it.
I’ve been inspired by many of our FACT members.  Like Christiana, who suffers from really bad asthma and lives with her mother who is a heavy smoker.  Christiana shares her tobacco story with adults and  students so that they realize how painful exposure to secondhand smoke can be for someone with asthma.
Danielle, is also a FACT member. She was motivated to join FACT after her grandmother, who was raising her and her three sisters, died from cancer from secondhand smoke. Like all of us, Danielle works hard to reach many youth as possible and educate them about the harm that tobacco causes.  FACT provides us with information on e-cigarettes, other tobacco products and tobacco marketing practices so that we can educate others.
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Youth Prevention is important to me because it just doesn’t make sense to get sick, and maybe even die from something that can be prevented.
We appreciate that the state is working with Wisconsin’s youth to help spread the truth about tobacco to our peers throughout the state and hope to see FACT remain in the future.

author: Nia Kamara


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Good Vibes – Color Vibe 2017 Tour coming to Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care
April 17, 2017
The Color Vibe 5K, a family-friendly, non-competitive walk-run,  is coming to Milwaukee May 13, and has named St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, 2408 E. Morgan Ave., as its charity partner for the event.
The Color Vibe isn’t just an average 5K for those few and far between avid runners. Instead, Color Vibe caters to all whose goal is to have fun while getting insanely colorful in the process. It’s simple —  runners show up decked out in their best white attire and watch themselves transform into human rainbows as they run, walk or dance their way through the course.
The event doesn’t end when the runners cross the finish line. Everyone is encouraged to dance their hearts out at the after-party led by a professional DJ giving away free Color Vibe swag and leading picture-worthy color throws.
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“The Good Vibes 2017 Tour marks Color Vibe’s fifth year,” said Joey McKnight, Color Vibe Race Director. “Running on good vibes is the essence of our events and we are excited for another colorful year.”
This year’s events will feature more color, special-edition merchandise and a new,  improved website to commemorate the Good Vibes Tour.
The Color Vibe understands the importance of giving and has partnered with over 150 charities across the nation over the last four years. This year in Milwaukee, a portion of every runner registration will be donated to St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care. St. Ann Center’s mission  is to to provide Franciscan-inspired, intergenerational, community-based health and educational services for children, the frail elderly and people with disabilities.
The Color Vibe 5K stands out from other fun runs because of its vibrant,  custom-made color. The company uses a unique cornstarch formula exclusive to Color Vibe to deliver an experience brighter and safer than any other color event. Made in the USA, the food-grade quality cornstarch is 100% nontoxic, non-flammable, and biodegradable. It washes out easily from skin, hair, and clothes.
The Color Vibe offers special discounts to businesses looking to tap into their health and wellness plans. For more information on registration and wellness programs go to the company’s website: or email support@thecolorvibe.com. Local businesses interested in vendor/partnership involvement should email kjersti@thecolorvibe.com for further information.
Color Vibe events attract 1,500 to 10,000 participants and spectators, providing local businesses with the amazing opportunity to make meaningful connections with their community members.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 17, 2017


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State honors 16 MPS schools | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
April 17, 2017
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction just announced 16 Milwaukee Public Schools as Title I School of Recognition honorees for the 2016-17 academic year, an honor that recognizes success in educating students from low-income families. Fifteen MPS schools are being recognized by the state for “Beating-the-Odds” — low-income schools that have higher-than-average reading and mathematics scores when compared to similar schools around Wisconsin. In addition, Whittier Elementary School is receiving the prestigious distinction as both a “High-Achieving” and a “High-Progress” school. The 15 “Beating-the-Odds” schools include one school that has earned the honor for 12 straight years, two others that have been recognized for eight consecutive years and another for the seventh year in a row.
Milwaukee Public Schools’ 16 honorees were recently announced as Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition winners for the 2016-17 academic year, an honor that recognizes success in educating students from low-income families. They include one school that has earned the honor for 12 straight years, two others that have been recognized for eight consecutive years and another for the seventh year in a row.
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“These 16 schools should act as inspiring, real-life examples to Wisconsinites that all students can achieve,” MPS Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver said. “Congratulations to the students, families, educators and support staff who work hard every day to help students succeed. We continue to take meaningful steps across the district connected to our eight Strategic Objectives so that more of our students and schools reach this level of success.”
The MPS honorees are:
High-Achieving & High-Progress Schools
– Whittier Elementary School
High-Progress & Beating the Odds Schools
– Milwaukee College Preparatory School-Lloyd Street
Beating the Odds Schools
– Academy of Accelerated Learning, 8
– Alcott Elementary School, 5
– Curtin Elementary School
– Garland Elementary School
– Greenfield Bilingual School, 5
– Hmong American Peace Academy
– Honey Creek Continuous Progress Charter School
– Humboldt Park Elementary School, 5
– Milwaukee College Preparatory School-36th Street, 8
– Milwaukee College Preparatory School-38th Street
– Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School, 12
– Rufus King International School, 7
– Wedgewood Park International School
– Whitman Elementary School
NOTE: The number after a school name indicates the consecutive years the school has received the recognition award.

author: Milwaukee Public Schools


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The Big Eazy serves authentic New Orleans dishes on King Drive | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Mitchell Mittelstedt
April 17, 2017
The Big Eazy, a four-year old restaurant, specializes in New Orleans cuisine, according to proprietor and chef Greg Johnson.
This is the first year the restaurant, at 2053 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, is participating in Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week, from April 17 to April 23. The event is sponsored by BlankSpace MKE, an urban art cooperative whose mission is to serve as a “conduit for cooperative economics.”
Johnson had been traveling back and forth between his hometown of Milwaukee and New Orleans beginning in 1975. Eventually, he moved there and stayed for 25 years, before Hurricane Katrina “blew [him] back home” to Milwaukee in 2005.
Johnson met Big Eazy co-founder Tony McGaughy while they were employees at the Hilton Hotel in Milwaukee. After leaving the hotel, Johnson used his severance pay to start a catering business with his wife, Janice Johnson.
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“One day we were passing by the place (on King Drive), and it had the sign up there that said, ‘Restaurant only, for rent,’” recalled Johnson. “I said, ‘Man, that’s what I want, that’s what I’ve been wanting.’”
The Big Eazy, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, serves Sunday brunches that have proven to be very successful.
“We can feed anywhere from 150 to 250 people on a Sunday, so if you haven’t had the Sunday brunch at The Big Eazy, you’re missing out on a treat,” said McGaughy.
McGaughy also recommends several dishes for people craving true New Orleans food: the bourbon pork chops with homemade fried corn and kale, gumbo (“not the watered down version that you may get from a lot of restaurants”), shrimp and jambalaya.


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Alderwoman Coggs launches 9th Annual Freedom Essay Scholarship Contest | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Milele A. Coggs
April 18, 2017
Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs is challenging recent Milwaukee high school graduates to dissect the concept of “freedom” for the 9th Annual Freedom Essay Scholarship Contest. The scholarship is open to current and recent high school graduates from Milwaukee who are college-bound.
The topic for the essay is “freedom,” and it provides graduates with an opportunity to parse out how they define the subject and what it means to them. They are encouraged to share their ideas to end prejudice, oppression, discrimination, sexism and violence, on a global scale. The suggested length of an applicant’s essay is 1,000 words.
Applications are being accepted now until the close of business on Friday, August 11, 2017. Two $500 scholarships will be awarded and winning essays may be published, Alderwoman Coggs said.
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Alderwoman Coggs said young people have long been a key driving force for change here and abroad, and the urgency for progress and freedom is greater now than it has ever been. “The scholarship contest is tapping into the desire of young people to have a hand in shaping their future, to strive for a better world, and to put their ideas into action — no matter whether that takes shape in Milwaukee or in a part of the world that is hungry for equity, for justice, and for freedom,” she said.
Applications are available online at milwaukee.gov/district6. Paper applications will also be available at city libraries, many high schools and colleges, and the following are drop-off locations:
The contest is open to students who reside in the City of Milwaukee and attended a
public, private, parochial or home school, or who participated in a high school correspondence
program in the city. Preference will be given to residents of the 6th Aldermanic District.
Additional contest rules, complete details and submission requirements are
contained within the application. For more information, please contact Akuwa Dantzler at (414)
286-8640.

author: Ald. Milele A. Coggs


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Alverno Students and local businesses forge partnership | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kelly Fay
April 18, 2017
(Photo courtesy of Alverno College)
Undergraduate students taking Marketing Principals and Management at Alverno College aren’t getting lectures or run-of-the-mill assignments. They’re working with local businesses to help them develop comprehensive marketing plans. Students receive real-world experience, and they come away with a robust piece for their portfolios. The businesses owners, often lacking any marketing expertise, are looking at their companies through fresh lenses and getting a step-by-step plan designed to get their businesses in front of potential clients.
“The students’ enthusiasm is off the charts,” said Stephanie Gregory, instructor for the class and outreach director for Alverno’s MBA program. “They’re realizing they can use their education to influence someone’s life and business, and they’re very passionate about it.” The idea for this innovative approach to the class was born nearly a year ago when faculty from the School of Business at Alverno met with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC). WWBIC identified a need that many of their clients have, and the faculty saw an opportunity for their students to help out, while at the same time getting a valuable hands-on learning experience. Last semester Gregory’s students worked with five area businesses: Camino, Coffee With a Conscience, Divine Scents, In Home Personal Care Services and Tu Casa. In Home Personal Care owner Natassah Love had a goal of adding two new clients, and she added five.
This semester students are working with four local businesses: Retro Café, Dances With Dogs, House of Fashion and Bobby Drake. The process begins with a meeting between owners and the students to talk about the challenges facing each organization. Students then do a SWOT analysis (a look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and make their initial recommendations. Two businesses are changing their names, and one has already totally revamped its website, all based on the student recommendations. “Their ideas about changing the website, fun ideas for each day, and stickers for the cafe have increased my traffic flow both on my website and in-store,” said Aalia Scott, owner of Retro Café. “Since these have been implemented, our café is on top of search criteria on Google.”
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Jordan Mackin, an international student from Northern Ireland, is loving the chance to work with business owners. “My home university is grounded more in academic theory and research as opposed to working directly with companies,” she said. “Getting the chance to collaborate with business owners is incredibly fulfilling and an opportunity which I wouldn’t get at my university back home.”
By mid-semester, marketing plans are taking shape, business owners are seeing results and the students are excited to see how the business owners are responding. By the time the semester wraps up in mid-May, the small businesses will have complete marketing plans that they can use, and the students will have a greater appreciation of what marketing strategy is and the value it brings to an organization.
The class will continue to be offered for the foreseeable future, and there are plans to expand it into the college’s degree completion program. At the beginning of this semester, WWBIC had over 30 businesses on a waiting list. Alverno College, in particular the School of Business, and WWBIC have a long-standing partnership, dedicated to providing an immersive education for students, while creating widespread value to the community. Businesses interested in teaming up with Alverno students should contact WWBIC at 414-263-5450.
About Alverno College
Alverno College, a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college for women, exists to promote the personal and professional development of its students. The college has earned accolades and respect internationally for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, and has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education. For the last seven years, Alverno College 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. Educators from throughout the world visit Alverno to learn about its proven, student-centered teaching methods.
Alverno offers more than 60 major areas of study, including graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business that are open to women and men. For more information about Alverno, visit www.alverno.edu or call 414-382-6100.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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April 18, 2017


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Four College Possible grads on track to beat the odds | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
April 18, 2017
Nury Plascencia picks up a coffee at Mount Mary University’s Cyber Cafe. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Editor’s note: In spring 2013, NNS started an occasional series of stories about four graduating high school students who participated in a program that helps students from low-income families get into college and earn a degree. Four years later, we checked back to see how they are doing.
After living in a dorm freshman year, Peter Khanthavong, the youngest of nine children of Laotian immigrant parents, moved back home to the Merrill Park neighborhood.
He did so, he said, “to save money at first and then … my brother (who was disabled and living at home) passed away and … my mom needed the emotional support.”
Khanthavong’s widowed mother has since fallen ill and now requires kidney dialysis. Hetakes care of her and pays most of their living expenses.
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College students such as Khanthavong, who comes from a low-income family, have to overcome so many obstacles to graduate that, nationally, only 11 percent do so in six years, according to Kelly Schaer, program director at College Possible, an organization that provides such students with coaching and support to get into college and earn a degree.
All four high school seniors who Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service started following in 2013 are likely to beat those odds, earning bachelor’s degrees in four or five years. Nationally, students across all income levels graduate at a rate of 58 percent, Schaer said.
Nury Plascencia and Darneisha Virginia, seniors at Mount Mary University will graduate on May 13. Pa Nou Xiong, a Marquette University senior, plans to participate in a graduation ceremony on May 21, and finish her courses in the fall 2017 term. And Khanthavong, a UW Milwaukee junior, expects to complete his degree requirements in spring or summer 2018.
Peter Khanthavong came out of his shell and made many friends at UW-Milwaukee. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Khanthavong initially planned to major in computer science but difficulty with his first programming course led him to change to information science and technology. Majors in this field work in application and software development, security, web design, desktop support, and database and library resources management, according to Khanthavong.
A year ago, he found a paid information technology internship at a West Allis e-commerce company, where he helps with product listing, inventory management, troubleshooting the website and, occasionally, shooting product information videos.
“This is the best job I’ve had,” Khanthavong said, adding that he’s learned so much about business, markets, trends and pricing.
Because he has struggled academically, Khanthavong needs two extra semesters plus three credits, which he hopes to take during winter or summer break next year.
He attributes that struggle to too much socializing, especially sophomore year. “From a social standpoint (that year) was really, really fun because I stepped out of my shell and met all these people,” including one who became his girlfriend.
“I started feeling a lot more like I belonged to UWM right around (that time),” Khanthavong said.
Xiong also revised her academic goals during her sophomore year at Marquette. As a freshman, she planned to pursue a five-year degree and become a physician’s assistant. But like Khanthavong, when a fundamental course, organic chemistry, proved too difficult to master, she decided to double major in sociology and Spanish for health professions instead.
“I thought I wanted to save lives but in the last few years I’ve found out that there’s more than one way to save a life,” Xiong said. Medicine can save a person, but so too can help with financial, psychological and relationship problems, she added.
Xiong has found her sociology courses to be especially interesting for the insights they have given her about race, class and social structures.
Marquette senior Pa Nou Xiong plans to become a social worker after completing her degree in December. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“I feel like I resonate with what I learned in (classes like) social inequality because a lot of it applies to me … coming from a lower social class and being a child of immigrant parents. I see a lot of myself in the stories we read in class,” Xiong said.
Xiong, who has lived at home all four years, does not feel like she fits in at Marquette but that doesn’t bother her, she said. She made most of her friends through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), a scholarship and academic support program, during the summer before freshman year when they lived in the dorms and took classes together, she explained.
”I probably could have had more fun and more friends if I had lived on campus. I think I probably would have done a lot better in my classes as well,” she said, noting that she took the bus everywhere so it was difficult to participate in late night study sessions and social events and then get home safely.
For two years Xiong has worked for 16 to 26 hours a week as a Walgreens pharmacy tech.
Plascencia, a Caroline Scholar, and Virginia, a Grace Scholar, have worked at paid jobs, put in 300 community service hours per year and are graduating in four years. In addition to building many strong friendships with the women in their scholarship programs, both have found deep meaning in their service work.
“It was the … service required each year by the Caroline Scholars program that inspired me to change (my major) from business to justice,” Plascencia said. Volunteering at the immigrant advocacy nonprofit Voces de la Frontera for seven of her eight college semesters gave her the opportunity to manage a legal aid clinic, help immigrants apply for DACA status and citizenship, and teach citizenship classes.
“The main thing I learned was different people’s stories and the way that different social justice issues (intersect and) impact their stories,” Plascencia said. “It’s not just that this person is an immigrant; he’s also suffering from poverty and no health insurance,” she explained.
Working with Voces clients, she looks for “solutions and (works to help) them live a normal life without being discriminated against, without feeling like they’re ‘the other,’” she added.
Plascencia, who married her longtime boyfriend last summer, lives in the dorm during the week and goes home on weekends.
She hopes to pursue a legal career but is looking for a full-time job “to pay the bills.” She plans to study for the LSAT and continue volunteering at Voces on Saturdays, she said.
Darneisha Virginia looks up from her work in the Cyber Cafe at Mount Mary University. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Virginia is the only one of the four students in this series who is graduating with the major she planned to pursue from the beginning — social work.
“I was tempted to change at first because it was … overwhelming but there hasn’t been another major that I feel as strong and passionate about, other than counseling,” she said.
Virginia hopes to earn a master’s in social work or counseling. This summer, she is planning a road trip with friends to visit graduate programs at out-of-state schools.
While holding down a full-time third-shift job, she also works a part-time second shift job and another occasional job. “I’m … able to complete my internship hours and work and also (go to) school because I’m able to do homework at work,” she said, adding that both her employers and her professors are flexible and supportive.
Virginia’s internships have given her experience helping vulnerable people in a variety of ways. As an intern at a hospice facility, she comforted the bereaved, including children who had lost family members. She is currently an intern at Wisconsin Community Services, an agency that, among other services, assists people convicted of crimes on conditional release due to mental illness. Virginia helps clients find housing, clothing and other necessities, and ensures they are taking their medications.
All four students said that if they had not participated in College Possible’s high school program, they would not have gone to college.
The program provides coaches all the way to completion of a bachelor’s degree.
According to Schaer, College Possible has added seven Milwaukee high schools in the last five years and now offers its program in 14 schools, mostly in MPS. The six-year college graduation rate for College Possible students who graduated high school in 2010 is 54 percent.
Xiong sees the difficulties her high school friends have gone through in order to graduate, compared to students at Marquette. Those problems include lack of financial resources, family demands and the need to earn money while going to school.
She said, “I think we (four) are really fortunate that we were ambitious enough to work hard for what we wanted and, even more, that we had the support we needed when we needed it.”

author: Andrea Waxman


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On the Block: Up to parents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dean Bibens
April 18, 2017
Sherman Park resident Martina Joiner, 46, has lived in Milwaukee her whole life. Her biggest concern is the crime rate in the city. She says the first step to reducing it is for parents to maintain a more active role in the community.


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How to help children to love the earth | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Beverly Anderson, Ebenezer Child Care Centers
April 19, 2017
Learning to garden helps children learn to love nature. (Photo by Natalie Wickman)
Children rely on their parents to teach them about important things. It’s up to you to teach your children to respect Mother Earth.
Here are some tips.
Reduce, Recycle and Reuse
Anderson says one of the simplest ways to teach your children to be environmentally friendly is to reduce, recycle and reuse. Take your reusable bags with you when you go grocery shopping. Donate your outgrown clothes to Goodwill and other charities. And, recycle your paper, aluminum and plastic at home.
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Children can help with many of these efforts. They can carry reusable bags into shopping centers for you and place items into recycling bins at home. As a family, you can talk about how you can get by with less.”
Use Nature for Recreation
Another way you can encourage children to love nature is to get out and enjoy it. This can include taking hikes, utilizing some of Milwaukee’s great bike trails, camping and visiting our county park system for picnics and to explore the world around you.
The natural world is one of the best environments for children to explore, absorb and enjoy. Nature provokes children into thought, action and formulating their own ideas.”
You can’t underestimate the power of getting out in the world together and exploring it. It will leave a lasting impression on your children.”
Garden
Gardening can be another way to teach children to love nature. It allows them to get their hands dirty and realize that working with the earth and caring for plants can not only be enjoyable but rewarding.
There is no greater sense of pride for children than having them be able to pick a vegetable that they helped plant, water and care for. It shows them the power of nurturing living things.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 18, 2017


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Sherman Park residents disapprove of plans to rebuild gas station | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
April 19, 2017
A crowd of about 50 residents packed the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club gym. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
Sherman Park residents expressed concerns at a recent listening session about a proposal to rebuild a gas station that was burned to the ground during sometimes-violent demonstrations in August, in the wake of the police killing of Sylville Smith only blocks away.
“That fire didn’t just happen — you pissed people off so damn much,” said Jackie Stanley, a licensed real estate agent who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years. “I don’t want you back.”
“I never shop there because they disrespect black women and they disrespect black children,” said Lavita Booker. “They love our money. They love the money that our young people spend … They don’t care nothing about us.”
The gas station, formerly located at 3114 N. Sherman Blvd., has been owned by Pakhar Singh since 2006. The business and its employees were involved in two separate incidents last summer before the fire. In June, one of the station’s windows — and the window of a city bus — was damaged on a night police in riot gear clashed with youth who reportedly hurled bottles and rocks. The next month, Singh’s son, Bhupinder Sidhu, pled no contest to a disorderly conduct charge after discharging a shotgun in the station’s parking lot, in an attempt to disperse a crowd.
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According to Wisconsin State law, Singh has a “proprietary right … to return to the exact same spot that he was in,” according to District 7 Ald. Khalif Rainey, who represents Sherman Park. Earlier this year, Singh submitted an application to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission seeking permission to rebuild.
Jackie Stanley speaks as Ald. Khalif Rainey (left) and Department of City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux look on. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
At the recent event, which about 50 people attended, residents were asked to weigh in on a new proposal. The plan would change the orientation of the station’s building and move it about 60 feet north onto city-owned land, creating more room for the gas pumps. If that proposal were approved, the city would sell Singh the necessary parcels, part of a grassy area that has functioned much like a park.
Singh’s attorney Vince Bobot called the response from residents “perplexing.” He said people must want the business there “or he would’ve been gone a long time ago for lack of business.”
“He’s trying to do what the city wants, what residents want and is trying to act responsibly,” said Bobot.
Singh declined to comment, except to say that he hasn’t had problems before.
Tom Stachowiak, an architect working with Singh, said the design is meant to improve traffic flow and allow more landscaping. “We’re trying to improve the use of the site for the customers,” he said.
However, many longtime residents raised issues with the store’s hours, noise late at night, garbage that ends up in the street and a lack of security on the premises. They also expressed frustration at what they believed was Singh’s unwillingness to work with neighbors to address these issues.
Maxine Jeter, who has lived about a block from the station for more than 50 years, said glass bottles can be found up and down the streets and that “at one time, every house on the corner had a broken window.”
“All of that is not the responsibility of Mr. Singh,” she said. “But, at that time, we were not seeing a lot of cooperation from Mr. Singh.”
“Folks live in this community, folks have been in this community for years and this nonsense goes on, and on, and on,” said Steve O’Connell, a former director of the Sherman Park Community Association. O’Connell’s comments focused on litter, a need for security and the sale of items used to smoke marijuana, issues that he said were raised during his tenure, about 10 years ago. He added, “Nothing has changed.”
“This should’ve happened a long time ago,” said Vaun Mayes, regarding the opportunity for community input.
He said it sends “mixed signals” to solicit feedback while not giving neighbors an actual say in the decision. Concerning the proposed expansion, Mayes said, “At this point, that’s not a choice that I think a lot of us are ready to entertain because a lot of the root issues are not being addressed.”
“I understand that he has the right to build his station back … but I cannot see why we should be giving up any portion of land to go toward the gas station,” Jeter said. “There’s nothing that gas station can do to make it look beautiful — it’s a gas station.”
Others expressed more positive feelings about the redevelopment.
“At the end of the day … we’re going to have to coexist,” said Anita Robertson, whose family has been in the area for three generations. She asked what better option there was, and stressed the need for residents to work with Singh to improve the area together.
“Whatever business goes back at that location, there’s got to be some cooperation with the neighborhood, with the residents that live around that site,” said Sherman Park Neighborhood Association Board President Barry Givens.
Jennifer Potts, executive director of Center Street Marketplace, a nearby Business Improvement District, said many areas in Milwaukee “can look like a ghost town” and that “we really don’t have any anchor businesses on Burleigh or on Center.” She said a large grocery store or retail outlet could fill that gap, but acknowledged Singh’s right to rebuild.
“Really, there needs to be a larger dialogue, and it’s not just about that one business,” said Potts.
She added, “I don’t have the answers but I certainly am willing to be part of the solution.”


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Students at Rocketship Prep deputized as ‘Litter Marshals’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dean Bibens
April 19, 2017
Hundreds of cheering first- and second-grade students were initiated into the 2017 Class of Litter Marshals in the Rocketship Southside Community Prep gymnasium. With their right hand raised, students pledged, “I promise to do my part to make and keep Milwaukee litter free… Litter bugs me! Stop it! Don’t drop it!”
After they made the pledge, students received stickers and a certificate from Alderman Robert G. Donovan and Milwaukee Police Department Captain Heather Wurth.
Joe Wilson, executive director of Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful Inc., initiated the program with the intent of getting youth involved in their community.
“My biggest objective with this program was making sure these kids grow up protecting the environment and doing good things for their community,” Wilson said. “A lot of the time, crime is caused from kids having nothing to do, so I’m hopeful this initiative will help reduce negative activity.”
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Donovan thanked the students for their participation and said he was optimistic the program would benefit the community. “I need your help,” Donovan said to the students. “We need to make our city clean and it won’t happen unless I have you guys right beside me!”


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Roadside memorials represent ‘somebody trying to heal’ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alexandria Bursiek
April 20, 2017
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Between 25th and 30th on Burleigh Street, four roadside memorials mark the places where an individual died. Some city neighborhoods, such as this one on the North Side, have become known for the memorials, which often sit on street corners wrapped around trees, signs and light posts. Residents have become used to seeing these shrines.
“Memorials are really day to day,” said Reginald Hart, 38. “All the memorials are doing is representing another black boy that’s dead.”
The memorials honor victims of shootings or car accidents. They are typically placed where the individual died and are often decorated with plastic flowers, photographs and stuffed animals. Al McMillon, 44, who was interviewed on the North Side, explained that he sees at least two or three new memorials each month. McMillon said that many of the victims died from shootings in the area.
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“There are too many guns out here,” said McMillon. He added that much of the violence affects teenage boys. He thinks that if more young people stayed in school or participated in organized youth programs, the violence in Milwaukee neighborhoods would go down. “It can change, but these kids out here don’t have anything to do.”
While roadside memorials are supposed to be removed 30 days after the city is notified of their existence, some memorials have been around for years. Hart said that a memorial on the corner of 28th and Burleigh streets has been there for more than five years. He added that he doesn’t know who the memorial is for or what happened there.
According to Hart, who is black, the violent deaths that lead to these memorials occur mostly in areas where black people live. Sitting in his car, he held a gun on his lap as he expressed the opinion that many of the memorials are for people “who deserved to die.”
Kimberly Darby, 33, said that the memorials are positive reminders that a life had been taken. “They are shooting for reputation, and it doesn’t have to be for a reason,” she said.
Darby noted that the memorials are a way to show residents that violence is not okay, and to remind people, specifically those who commit the crimes, that a life was taken.
In February 2014, Celeste Contreras, a local artist and founder of the Milwaukee Day of the Dead parade, began photographing the memorials as a way to document how some Milwaukee residents mourn their loved ones.
“Over my whole life I have seen these,” said Contreras. “To see all the effort that all these anonymous people were putting into these shrines for people who had died — I thought it was really fascinating and beautiful.”
Contreras said she believes the memorials, or “teddy bear shrines,” are a beautiful way for people to mourn the loss of a loved one, but she finds the continued creation of them to be sad. Contreras stopped photographing the memorials in early 2016 because the emotional toll associated with taking the photos became too much. She said she worried that by photographing the memorials she was taking something, rather than contributing, to the neighborhoods where they are located.
“It became really painful and hard. I was going to certain parts of the city I never go to and I was taking a photo, and that really bothered me a lot,” said Contreras. For a while, Contreras said she offered prayers, smudging (burning of herbs) and other mourning rituals in those areas, but was unable to continue because of time pressure.
Contreras hopes to someday build four permanent memorials around the city where residents can mourn their lost loved ones.
A memorial taped to a light pole on the corner of 26th and Burleigh streets is decorated with a photograph, and red and white plastic flowers. According to a resident who lives on the corner, who did not give her name, the memorial is redone each year by the victim’s mother. The resident explained that the family of the victim, who was shot and killed several years ago, comes to mourn his death each year.
“To me building shrines is very positive,” said Contreras. “It’s a healing process, so when I see one, I know somebody is trying to heal.”
Camille Paul contributed to this story.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 19, 2017


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Social Development Commission and HeartLove Place respond to call for job training by low-income residents | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
April 20, 2017
“We need more job training,” that’s what we continue to hear from people in poverty. Two local social service agencies are actively responding to the cry for help. The Social Development Commission (SDC), in partnership with HeartLove Place, are offering the ProStart Culinary and Job Training program that provides a comprehensive, 400-hour training program approved by the National Restaurant Association.
The 14-week program begins Monday, May 8, 2017. Classes are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM at SDC’s Teutonia location (6848 N. Teutonia Avenue, Milwaukee). The comprehensive course includes both classroom work and hands-on culinary training addressing food service practicums such as food safety, cutting techniques and preparation of dishes that are critiqued by judges. Participants also receive job readiness skills training with an emphasis on résumé writing, interviewing, dress, telephone etiquette and social media dos and don’ts.
Students must pass the ServSafe and ProStart examinations to be considered employable in the industry.
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“Over and over we hear of the need for job training. Parents working three minimum or low-wage jobs still leave families in poverty and children suffer because their parents are at work all the time,” stated SDC CEO George Hinton. “SDC is working to provide and expand job training programs to help people obtain jobs that can sustain individuals and families, and work to make a dent in reducing generational poverty.”
HeartLove Place partnered with SDC to provide job training components to the program that they don’t offer. “HeartLove Place has operated the ProStart Culinary Program since 2005, with at least a 90% graduation rate and job placement of 51%,” said HeartLove Place Executive Director Viola Rembert. “Our partnership with SDC enhances the course by adding the employability skills and results in well-rounded, certified graduates prepared to enter the industry.”
Participants may receive a needs assessment to address strengths and weaknesses and work with a SDC case manager or HeartLove Place’s Family Resource Center. Both entities strive to eliminate barriers ranging from transportation to math and reading.
Attendance at an information session is required. Sessions are being held at SDC (1730 W. North Avenue, Milwaukee), Monday, May 1 at 10am and Thursday, May 4 at 5pm. Online registration is available at cr-sdc.org/programs/career services.
For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission has operated as the Community Action Agency 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 is an intergovernmental commission and is governed by a board of 18 citizens from Milwaukee County, each of whom hold the title of “Commissioner.” 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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Youth gather this Saturday in Sherman Park Neighborhood for Global Service Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Martha Cannon
April 20, 2017
On Saturday, April 22, the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee will host student volunteers from around the city at a storytelling and Youth Uplift Challenge event in the Sherman Park Neighborhood. The young people join millions of youth around the globe celebrating Global Youth Service Day during the weekend of April 21-23.
Messages around community needs are crafted from the top down by nonprofit sector leaders, public officials and the media. Through Saturday’s storytelling event, youth volunteers in Milwaukee will transform their relationship to community needs by shifting the narrative center, living out their ideas, exploring their dreams and engaging in space for self-expression, critical thinking, teamwork and empathy. This event offers youth the opportunity to connect to and take meaningful action on issues that often feel too big to affect alone.
Afterward, they’ll make and decorate paper hands in support of the Youth Uplift Challenge. For every hand created and sent to the Bezos Family Foundation, $1.90 will be donated—up to $500,000—to Save the Children’s programs empowering youth in Nicaragua and Indonesia to rise into a life they dream for themselves.
Global Youth Service Day recognizes the positive impact that young people have on their communities 365 days a year. GYSD is celebrated in more than 135 countries with youth-led service projects and community events. “We know that young people are uniquely suited to help solve problems – if given the opportunity,” said Steven A. Culbertson, CEO and president of YSA (Youth Service America), the leader of GYSD. “Today’s social and environmental problems are immense; we need youth in Milwaukee to be leaders and problem solvers today, not just the leaders of a distant tomorrow.”
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Celebrating 29 years, Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) celebrates and mobilizes the millions of young people who improve their communities through service.  GYSD is the largest service event in the world and the only one dedicated to the contributions that children and youth make 365 days of the year. GYSD is celebrated each April in more than 135 countries on 6 continents, with young people working together to address the world’s most critical issues and change their communities.
Learn more and browse GYSD activities around the world on the GYSD Map at www.GYSD.org.
Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/youthserviceamerica and on Twitter @YouthService and #GYSD.

author: Martha Cannon


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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April 20, 2017


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UW-Milwaukee professor combines art with social justice work | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Camille Paul
April 21, 2017
Editor’s note: This story is one of an occasional series of pieces about community artists in Milwaukee.
For the past 15 years, artist Nicolas Lampert has focused on connecting local artists to social justice issues in Milwaukee.
“Movements need art and art helps make the message clearer,” said Lampert.
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Lampert, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor, works with organizations such as Voces de la Frontera and ReciproCity on designs and artwork to support their causes. Lampert has designed fliers and other pieces for the May Day marches organized by Voces for the past five years. The marches call attention to immigrants’ rights in the U.S. This year, Lampert organized other artists to design artwork for the march.
“I made sure that the voices of the artists are coming through,” he said.
Nicolas Lampert helped organize local artists to design three 24-foot-wide parachute banners for Voces de la Frontera’s annual march. (Photo courtesy of Nicolas Lampert)
After the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Lampert assisted Voces in forming an artist collaborative to create pieces for marches and demonstrations.
“It doesn’t have a name yet, but we created this collaborative for the ability to have multiple artists work on projects,” he said.
Lampert, 49, helped organize more than 40 local artists for the collaborative, including Raoul Deal, Claudio Martinez and Jeanette Arellano. Lampert hosted an “art build” during Easter weekend to complete three 24-foot-wide parachute banners that will be used during the march on May 1.
Marchers will carry the parachute banners from 1027 S. 5 St. in Walker’s Point to the Milwaukee County Courthouse, 901 N. 9th St,
“When we carry those banners our audience is the people and the news helicopters,” said Lampert. “That’s why we made them so big.”
Before coming to Milwaukee in 2001, Lampert lived in Oakland, California. Now, he is a senior lecturer at the Peck School of the Arts at UWM, and collaborates with artists on projects that benefit the community.
“I’ve been an artist my whole life,” he said. “My parents always encouraged me to be one and it was just my path.”
Martinez, a UWM graduate and Lampert’s former student, worked with him on a project for the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association in early February. Martinez also created one of the images featured on the fliers promoting the May Day march, and on one of the banners.
“Nicolas was my professor 10 years ago at UWM and when he invited me to be a part of this build, I was thrilled,” said Martinez, a native of Oaxaca City, Mexico, who said he wasn’t politically involved until after Donald Trump was elected president.
Over the next couple of months, Lampert will be working on several projects across the country for events such as the People’s Climate March in late April in Washington, D.C. and the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in June in Custer, Wisconsin.
“I am flying back from the Climate March the next day just so I won’t miss the May Day march” Lampert said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jeanette Arellano’s name.

author: Camille Paul


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 20, 2017


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Milwaukee friends ‘flip’ for reality TV | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Raina J. Johnson
April 24, 2017
(Image courtesy of HGTV)
Raina J. Johnson, a freelance writer in Milwaukee, writes that the new HGTV television show “My Flippin’ Friends” could encourage diverse millennials to plant roots in the city.
I’ve watched a lot of shows on HGTV, and I’ve always felt a disconnection.
I can’t relate to the 30-somethings who work part time and are buying their first home in cities like Atlanta, Denver or Chicago with a budget of $700,000, or to the single person buying a home overseas due to a job transfer. I can’t relate to the couples who flip homes in Texas or California with seemingly endless amounts of money and time.
But for people like me – a 30-something Milwaukeean and renter living on a shoestring budget – hopefully the new show that just premiered on HGTV will be more accessible.
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“My Flippin’ Friends,” which aired on Sunday, April 2, features five friends flipping houses in Milwaukee. Flipping is the term used in real estate to describe an investment strategy where an investor purchases properties with the goal of renovating and reselling them for a profit – especially in a hot real estate market.
Manitowoc native Jenni Radosevich, a DIY (do-it-yourself) expert and lead designer for the project, and her friends, project manager Alan Damato, real estate broker Mike Styke and designers Mallory Davis and Benji Bernhard, use hometown real estate knowledge combined with DIY design to flip homes in the up-and-coming Walker’s Point neighborhood. Walker’s Point is located between the Third Ward and Bay View; it’s home to a diverse community with many Latino restaurants and LGBTQ bars.
The buzz around episode one of “My Flippin’ Friends” will determine if HGTV executives pick the show up for a full season, and I hope they do. It would be great to watch Radosevich and company transform Milwaukee homes with their own style.
The show is great for Radosevich and her friends, but it’s also a stepping-stone to opening Milwaukee up to a larger audience nationally and gives insight into what millennials are looking for in terms of housing. The show could provide Milwaukeeans a space to claim an HGTV-connection and offer a realistic look into the joys, challenges and opportunities of the buying, selling and flipping market here.
Recently, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel highlighted some challenges for those looking to buy. In an article that ran on March 25, it demonstrated just how hot the Metro Milwaukee area is for home buying and how buyers need to move quickly because the demand is so high. “You can put a property on the market, and literally within hours, you’ll have 15 to 25 showings scheduled,” Beth Jaworski, a Shorewest Realtor, told the newspaper.
With such an in-demand market in Milwaukee, there is no shortage of help and support available to potential homebuyers of modest means to find the right property, get connected and plant roots in Milwaukee.

author: Raina J. Johnson


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 23, 2017


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Remembering Frank González | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. José G. Pérez
April 24, 2017
I am saddened to learn that a wonderful man and Milwaukee leader, Frank González, has passed away. I offer my sincere condolences to Frank’s loving family.
Frank was a longtime advocate, resident, and family man. He served the south side for 17 years as a commissioner on the Social Development Commission, and also served on the boards of the Bruce-Guadalupe Community School and the Walker’s Point Development Corp. We also remember his dedicated efforts for many years in organizing our near south side 4th of July parade.
We will fondly remember Frank’s passion for service and his abundant love for his city.
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author: Ald. José G. Pérez


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Zeidler Center discussions aim to foster better police-community relations | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jabril Faraj
April 24, 2017
Melvin Finkley (right) and other MPD officers shared a meal with residents before the dialogue. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
It started with a noticeable divide. City police officers sat on one side of a church basement as residents occupied the other. But by the end of the night — after dinner and an hour or so of structured conversation — officers and residents talked, joked and laughed together.
“The ball got hit out of the ballpark this evening,” said James C. Thomas, an assistant pastor at Lighthouse Gospel Chapel, 3512 W. North Ave., where the event was held. “This is the greatest thing that I can think of, to have police officers come to a black church, sit down share and talk with parishioners, especially in the inner city.”
The dialogue, the first in a yearlong series of listening sessions in Metcalfe Park, was a step toward a better police-community relationship, according to residents and Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) officers who attended.
Metcalfe Park, bounded by 27th and 38th streets, North Avenue and Center Street, is in its second year of the talks. The listening sessions were piloted last year in Amani, Harambee and Metcalfe Park, areas that have had issues with police-resident interaction. They are organized and facilitated by the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, a Milwaukee nonprofit whose mission is “to foster civil dialogue and invite trust in the midst of differences.” This year, dialogues will also take place in Clarke Square and Sherman Park.
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“It’s an opportunity for them to humanize each other, residents and police,” said BilliJo Saffold, a Zeidler Center facilitator and member of the Metcalfe Park dialogues organizing committee.
Saffold explained that the intention is to bridge the gap in a relationship that is often contentious, particularly in central city communities — many of which are overwhelmingly black. The sessions, which consist of listening circles where individuals speak from personal experience, are meant to provide a space for conversations that don’t typically happen, Saffold said.
James Thomas (center) speaks about the importance of trust as MPD officers, and other residents listen. (Photo by Jabril Faraj)
The relationship between MPD and the city’s black population has been increasingly strained.
In 2004, Frank Jude, a mixed-race man, was beaten within an inch of his life by at least six white off-duty and on-duty Milwaukee police officers. Three of the officers were convicted in federal court after being acquitted in a state trial.
In 2011, 22-year-old Derek Williams died in the back of an MPD cruiser after cops ignored his pleas for help. Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old unarmed black man with a history of mental illness, was shot 14 times in a downtown Milwaukee park in 2014. No officers we charged in the Williams or Hamilton cases. Most recently, 23-year-old Sylville Smith was shot and killed by Dominique Heaggan-Brown, who will be the first MPD officer to face a homicide charge for conduct while on duty.
In 2015, the City of Milwaukee agreed to pay $5 million to 74 plaintiffs who sued the city over illegal strip and body cavity searches performed by MPD officers between 2008 and 2012 in District 5. Only one officer involved served jail time.
MPD Chief Ed Flynn has pointed to high rates of gun ownership and a culture of violence among young black men to justify disproportionate enforcement in Milwaukee’s central city.
Earlier this year, the Wisconsin ACLU filed a suit against the City of Milwaukee and Flynn that alleged the department’s policies and practices resulted in racial profiling, violating the Constitution and Civil Rights Act.
Thomas said the damaged trust must be mended, adding that there is fault on both sides. He called the listening session “a critical door-opener for better communication between the black community and the police department.”
“This would change their view of these black youth, and the black youth of the police officer,” Thomas said.
About 15 residents and eight police officers attended the dialogue, a turnout Zeidler Center facilitators said was considerably lower than last year, when they “had to turn people away.” Last year residents were offered $15 stipends to attend, but funding for stipends — a large part of the program’s budget — was not available this year. The program is funded by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Northwestern Mutual Foundation.
In addition to the Zeidler Center and MPD, partners include Safe & Sound and the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office.
One of the attendees was 10-year-old Moses Taylor-Cross. He said he enjoyed being part of the event and that he talks with police all the time. He’s not afraid of them, just their guns, and said he thinks people should make the effort to get to know officers better.
“If you don’t know someone what’s the point of not liking them?” he asked.
“They’re human, too,” added Justin Smith, 17, an area resident and youth member of the planning committee.
Smith, who also participated in last year’s discussions, said that, though he’s never personally had a negative interaction with police, he’s seen family members, who are darker-skinned, profiled for “being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He said that though his family didn’t understand his participation in the dialogues at first, once he explained it, they have encouraged him; many family members have participated since.
“I see myself in him,” said Melvin Finkley, 33, who has been an MPD officer for almost four years. Finkley, who grew up in Chicago housing projects, said he came from a “chaotic” environment, much like Smith. It was the reality of growing up in that environment — and the loss of life it caused — that inspired him to want something better for himself.
“It’s not just the older people looking for change,” Finkley said. “We can definitely reach the youth, even if it’s one at a time.”
“It’s going to take work. I mean, it’s baby steps,” MPD Officer Dorian Ratliff said of building a relationship between police and the community. Ratliff, who served seven-and-a-half years in Metcalfe Park before becoming a citywide volunteer coordinator, added, “Things like this will help get us there.”
Thomas said he would like to see the program “spread over the entire central city of Milwaukee,” and hopes that more black churches and pastors will get involved.
“This is the beginning,” he said. “We want to see more.”


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Central city residents urged to patronize bus lines to jobs in suburbs | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
April 25, 2017
Rev. Willie Brisco, president emeritus of MICAH, addresses the crowd gathered at St. Matthews C.M.E. Church, 2944 N. 9th St., to discuss JobLines. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Speaking to a packed house gathered for a Community Brainstorming Conference, the Rev. Willie Brisco, president emeritus of Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), bluntly told the crowd — anxious for new development in the central city — that there would be no skyscraper or factory built next door.
Brisco, who previously called on the Milwaukee Bucks to build its new stadium on West Capitol Drive, said as far as economic benefits trickling down to Milwaukee’s less affluent neighborhoods via the building boom downtown, “We’re still waiting for some of that money to blow off the tops of those skyscrapers downtown into the inner city.”
Long gone and perhaps never to come back again are the days when Milwaukee was the best place in the U.S. for African-Americans, due to the access of family-sustaining jobs close enough to walk or bike to, said District 2 Alderman Cavalier “Chevy” Johnson. The city’s decline, he and Brisco noted, resulted from the loss of industry, and freeway expansions that failed to take into account the prosperity of all communities.
The best short-term option for upward mobility and to lower stubbornly high unemployment rates in African-American communities, Johnson said, is for residents to patronize JobLines. A joint initiative among Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS), MICAH and the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW), JobLines provides public bus access to jobs in Waukesha and Washington counties.
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Funding for JobLines came about as a result of a $13.5 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by BHCW and MICAH against the State of Wisconsin alleging that the expansion of the Zoo Interchange discriminated against urban minorities. The lawsuit sought to increase employment opportunities for central city residents through creating and expanding bus lines, according to a 2014 statement issued by BHCW.
Residents packed St. Matthews C.M.E. Church for the latest Community Brainstorming Conference. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
However, the lawsuit only provided funding through December 2018, said Brendan Conway, chief marketing and communications officer for MCTS. “We don’t know what happens when funding runs out. That’s a good question for Waukesha County and the state,” he added.
JobLines features two routes, Routes 6 and Route 61, that served an average of nearly 800 weekday riders last month, down from 963 in November. Bus ridership fluctuates seasonally depending on hiring patterns, according to Conway.
Funding from the settlement was recently utilized to add trips to Route 6, which has stops along West Capitol Drive, Mayfair and Brookfield Square malls and provides transportation to New Berlin Industrial Park. The additional trips allow employees more opportunities to work overtime and gives employers more flexibility in scheduling, Conway said.
Route 61 has stops on Fond Du Lac, Keefe and Appleton avenues, in addition to Silver Spring, along the way to Menomonee Falls, where riders can connect to Waukesha County and Washington County bus lines and more jobs.
“We need people to work in these very large industrial parks,” said Paul Decker, chair of the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors. Workers are needed from Milwaukee because Waukesha County boasts an unemployment rate of only 3 percent, explained Decker.
“Good luck finding locals to work in your store,” said Decker, recounting a recent exchange he had with a new business owner setting up shop along Bluemound Road in Waukesha County.
A great variety of jobs are available and accessible from Milwaukee via public transit, Decker added, including manufacturing and service jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers. According to its webpage, JobLines routes provide access to more than 150 employers looking to fill about 200 positions.
“We’ve got work to do to bring these jobs back to Milwaukee, but in the meantime we have to make sure people can access jobs that are out there. JobLines is here to help solve this problem,” Johnson said.
Having access to work altered the path of Hyman Bradshaw, who lives on the city’s North Side, and is among those who use JobLines. Bradshaw, who said he’d been in and out of the penal system for years, worked a temp job before finding a permanent position in Germantown.
“Getting steady work helped me turn around my life,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw’s success story hasn’t been replicated enough in Milwaukee, according to Johnson, who questioned why the combination of a need for jobs and availability of suburban jobs via bus lines, hasn’t better connected the region.
Rodney Daniels, who also attended the conference, said one problem is that young people from Milwaukee, who already feel disenfranchised, have a hard time adapting to the idea that you have to leave your community and work in the suburbs to make a living.
“How do you market that idea to a 17-year-old about to be 18? How can that be sustainable?” Daniels asked.
Brisco added that, in some communities, when you ask a child the last time they’ve gone to Waukesha, they say they’ve never been there. Brisco called for more affordable and attractive housing options for Milwaukeeans who are employed in surrounding counties.
“What they’re telling us by not doing so is, ‘We want your labor but we don’t want you around our homes or around our children,” Brisco said.
Still, it’s up to Milwaukee residents to “expand the paradigm of local children beyond 10 blocks,” he added.
“We want this county [Milwaukee] to prosper, but many of us need those jobs in those [suburban] areas. Some of us need that training over there and some of us just need to get out of the city and see what it’s like,” Brisco said.

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 24, 2017

author: Adam Carr


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Milwaukee loses an old-school entertainment icon | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Ashanti Hamilton
April 25, 2017
I found out today that Milwaukee has lost an iconic nightclub owner and music promoter with the passing of Arlis Jones, and I offer my sincere condolences to his friends, his family and the extended family that worked as staff members at his many establishments over the years.
For more than 40 years, Mr. Jones operated entertainment venues throughout the city, presenting and promoting legendary names in jazz, blues and R&B. He worked tirelessly to keep Milwaukee vibrant as a scene for African American arts and culture, and his passion for his work was exceeded only by his professionalism.
One of his clubs, ARJ’s on Villard, was located in my district, and it was a true asset for the neighborhood. Mr. Jones prided himself on his stellar record as a top-notch businessman, and it was always a pleasure to work with him.
Our city was richer for having Arlis Jones in it, and his passing is a loss for all of us.
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author: Ald. Ashanti Hamilton


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NNS wins prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sharon McGowan
April 25, 2017
Former NNS intern Allison Dikanovic
The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from RTDNA for Allison Dikanovic’s special report, “A Crime Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in Milwaukee.” The two-part series ran on Feb. 29 and March 1, 2016.
The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. The NNS website won an Edward R. Murrow regional award for excellence in 2012.
Dikanovic’s report on human trafficking was entered in RTDNA’s “small digital news category,” defined as fewer than 5 million unique visitors per month. The region comprises Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. All regional award winners automatically advance to the national Murrow competition.
Dikanovic, who produced the series when she was an intern at NNS, devoted months to reporting the multimedia series about human trafficking in Milwaukee, which repeatedly ranks among U.S. cities with the highest rates of participation in the sex trade.
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Talking to law enforcement officials, experts, advocates and sex trafficking victims, Dikanovic described how the weight of the law falls disproportionately on those who sell in the sex trade, as opposed to those who buy. Although the crimes of prostitution and human trafficking are vastly underreported, statistics show that buyers are almost never prosecuted. Experts quoted in the story said that “demand-focused” approaches in cities such as San Francisco and Jersey City reduced the size of sex trafficking markets by 40 to 80 percent.
Dikanovic gained the trust of former sex trafficking victims, who told their harrowing stories on videotape. The series also detailed how these survivors have banded together to raise awareness and find solutions. They’ve inspired a community-wide effort to help other survivors and encourage government officials to broaden the services available to sex-trade workers.
The series was one of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service’s top three most-viewed stories to date, with more than 16,000 page views. NPR also shared the story on Facebook.
In addition to the Murrow award, Dikanovic received the Rev. Andrew J. Thon, S.J. Award for Leadership by Marquette University on April 23. The award, the highest honor presented by the Marquette Division of Student Affairs, honors a graduating senior for leadership contributions during his or her undergraduate career. Throughout college, Dikanovic has volunteered for Midnight Run, a student organization that advocates for people experiencing hunger and homelessness. Last summer she initiated Youth Rise MKE, a web publication produced by teens participating in Urban Underground.
Dikanovic also is the recipient of the Jack Keating Student Civic Leadership Award presented by Wisconsin Campus Compact (WiCC), which recognizes students who have taken a leadership role in creating change in their community. The award was presented on April 6 in Green Bay.

author: Sharon McGowan


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Dikanovic | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
April 25, 2017

author: Dwayne Burtin


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On the Block: Looking good | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Camille Paul
April 25, 2017
Jovanny Serrano, 28, started cutting hair when he was 19 and has loved it ever since. Five years ago, Serrano showed his talent to David Lozada, owner of House of Fades at 1221 W. Mitchell St., and was given the opportunity to pursue his passion.


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Milwaukee Riverkeeper hosts 22nd annual river cleanup on Earth Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Camille Paul
April 26, 2017
James Niland, left, and Kenneth Banting volunteered through Marquette University’s Hunger Clean-Up program to pick up trash at Lincoln Park. (Photo by Camille Paul)
More than 160 volunteers participated at the Lincoln Park site for Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s 22nd annual spring river cleanup, among thousands of volunteers throughout the city.
“Do you know what an event like this does? It builds community,” said Sharon Szatalowicz, a Friends of Lincoln Park member. “That’s what we’re about: bringing neighbors and neighborhoods together to celebrate Lincoln Park.”
Szatalowicz has lived in Lincoln Park for 30 years and was one of the cleanup captains for the site.
“I’ve watched a lot of things happen and evolve surrounding the park, so I go to all of the meetings. My advice to everyone is to show up,” said Szatalowicz. “It starts here. Movements start with the individual.”
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About 4,000 volunteers removed trash at 50 sites along the Milwaukee River Basin at the Earth Day event.
Members of Friends of Lincoln Park gathered as early as 8 a.m. to remove trash from the Milwaukee River. (Photo by Camille Paul)
“We have three really important rivers in Milwaukee that flow into Lake Michigan,” said Jennifer Bolger Breceda, executive director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper for the past three years. She added that 1.3 million people rely on drinking water from Lake Michigan, “so it’s really critical that we steward the resources we have and take care of them.”
Since this year’s river cleanup fell on Earth Day and was the 22 cleanup on the 22 day of April, Breceda wanted to do something special. She worked with Lindsay Stevens Gardner, executive director of Rock the Green, to create a mini-Earth Day festival for the post-cleanup celebration in Estabrook Park, 4400 N. Estabrook Drive.
“Milwaukee Riverkeeper always puts on a post-cleanup celebration,” she said. “After pulling nearly 70,000 pounds of trash out of the rivers, [we] didn’t want to have an event that created more trash.”
During the festival, volunteers enjoyed food from local organic vendors using compostable plates and silverware, and drank beverages from compostable cups. They were entertained with a performance by rock band Trapper Schoepp on a pedal-powered stage.
“These cleanups are very family-friendly,” said Breceda. “I have brought my son since he was 3 and this will be the third year he has participated. I consider this the largest volunteer event in the state.”
Volunteers arrived at cleanup sites as early as 8 a.m. with canoes in tow, pulling trash out of the rivers or the surrounding area.
“This is what Earth Day is all about,” said volunteer Luke Burkholder. “There is just a lot of trash in the river; you can go canoeing and not see it, but there is a lot, which was eye opening for me.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 25, 2017


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Social Development Commission helping students prepare for ACT at no cost | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
April 26, 2017
The ACT is daunting for any high school student, but even more so for those that cannot afford expensive ACT preparation classes or materials. Students hoping to gain admission to a higher education institution know ACT results weigh heavily when being considered for admittance. The Social Development Commission’s (SDC) Youth Services division will provide FREE ACT preparation and supplies to high school students, grades 9 -12, that reside in Milwaukee County.
The ACT preparation workshops consist of two half-day sessions. Students are required to attend both Saturday sessions – May 6 and May 13 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Participants will not only benefit from both free instruction and ACT preparation book, but will complete practice exercises in all five test areas (English, mathematics, reading, science and writing), Personal Study Plan guidance, and strategies and tips for success. Individual follow-up will also be provided for participants.
The free workshops will be held at the St. Matthew CME Church, 2499 N. 9th Street, Milwaukee.
Online registration is required at cr-sdc.org under the Education & Training section of the Programs page. Interested parents and student may also contact Terrence Moore at tmoore@cr-sdc.org or 414.906.2826.
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For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission has operated as the Community Action Agency 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 is an intergovernmental commission and is governed by a board of 18 citizens from Milwaukee County, each of whom hold the title of “Commissioner.” 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.