Living Local

Mental health support is at the core of every program and initiative at Meta House, which is funded in part by donations to United Way.

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Black History is Milwaukee history, it’s Wisconsin history, it’s United Way history. This month and all year long, we celebrate and reflect on the significant achievements of African American individuals and organizations in our local community. At United Way we are fortunate to partner with local nonprofits with a rich history of serving Milwaukee’s communities of color. These organizations and the incredible individuals who lead them honor their rich legacies every day by continuing to fight for what’s right: a just, equitable, and thriving community for everyone in it. These are their stories. From United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, this is Living Local. On today’s podcast, Miles Sigh, a recent graduate of Marquette University and a Milwaukee Fellows intern at United Way, connected with Dr. Eve Hall, executive director of one of United Way’s most historic partners, Milwaukee Urban League, an organization that has been a staple in the Milwaukee community for more than a century. Then, United Way’s Katie Kuhn speaks to Gerry Howze, executive director of PEARLS for Teen Girls, which has been providing support, mentorship, and leadership skills training to local young women - particularly young women of color - in our local community since 1993.

Black History is Milwaukee history, it’s Wisconsin history, it’s United Way history. This month and all year long, we celebrate and reflect on the significant achievements of African American individuals and organizations in our local community.

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This week on Living Local, we talk with Renaissance woman Tonda Thompson, who discusses how ensuring a community full of safe babies came to her in a dream. We also discuss her road to recovery from a personal experience with infant mortality, the first annual HaRUNbee 5k walk/run that she organized in her own neighborhood, her upcoming documentary project, and her background as a professional model and mentor to young girls.

This week, we have a very special 2-part episode. On February 16, 2016, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County partnered with Ex Fabula, a local organization that is committed to strengthening community bonds through the art of storytelling, for an evening of true personal stories all about Fatherhood. Participants included both men and women, fathers, daughters, sons, wives and husbands from all over the Greater Milwaukee area. The event was held at 3041 North, a great local event space, in partnership with Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

This week, we have a very special 2-part episode. On February 16, 2016, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County partnered with Ex Fabula, a local organization that is committed to strengthening community bonds through the art of storytelling, for an evening of true personal stories all about Fatherhood. Participants included both men and women, fathers, daughters, sons, wives and husbands from all over the Greater Milwaukee area. The event was held at 3041 North, a great local event space, in partnership with Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

This week we talk with volunteer Phyllis Wiggins, who serves full time with American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin. We discuss her rocky road from serving in the military, being falsely imprisoned in Germany, acclimating back to civilian life, finding her passion in volunteering and how she helps people affected by disasters all across the country. This is a story you do not want to miss!

Where were you on September 11th, 2001? In this week’s episode we talk to Jessica Osenbrugge, the executive director for St. Joseph’s Medical Clinic. Jessica was in New York City on September 11, 2001. She shares her story with us about experiencing such a life-altering event at just 24 years old and how, in the days after the attack, she dedicated her life to trying to find a missing woman and fellow Wisconsinite who was in the North Tower. As we approach the 15 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack Jessica reflects on the events of the day, the healing journey she has been a part of, and what is happening to commemorate the victims, first responders, and emergency personnel who gave selflessly in the days and months after the attack. This episode will be shared in two segments.

This week we talk to Charles Russell, a sexual assault survivor who first shared his story with us back in April in a blog for Denim Day. Our conversation delves a bit deeper into the assault and the healing journey Charles has taken to become the man he is today. Rebecca, also a survivor, and Charles stumble upon many similarities they share as survivors although the circumstances of their experiences are very different. This episode is a refreshing real conversation about a tough topic. We also must advise that this episode may be a trigger for survivors.

What have you heard about Milwaukee Public Schools lately? If what comes to mind is something negative-increasing class sizes, not enough quality teachers and school staff, trauma and violence, I want you to hit pause on those thoughts.

You never know when you might be working down the hall from someone with an amazing story to tell. That is what we discovered when we sat down to interview Diallo Mayo, former Community Health Ambassador and Public Ally placed at United Way to work with the Milwaukee Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families Collaborative (LIHF) and current Youth Programming and Prevention Educator with The Parenting Network.

United Way employees are privileged to have the opportunity to take the very popular Unlearning Racism: Tools for Action course each year with our neighbors at YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. This course teaches people of all races, backgrounds, ages, and professions about how racism affects our community and the tools we can use to both unlearn our own racism, and stand against racism in institutions around us. This week we speak with Paula Penebaker, President and CEO and Martha Barry, Racial Justice Director at YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Paula and Martha developed this course as part of the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism.

United Way employees are privileged to have the opportunity to take the very popular Unlearning Racism: Tools for Action course each year with our neighbors at YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. This course teaches people of all races, backgrounds, ages, and professions about how racism affects our community and the tools we can use to both unlearn our own racism, and stand against racism in institutions around us. This week we speak with Paula Penebaker, President and CEO and Martha Barry, Racial Justice Director at YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Paula and Martha developed this course as part of the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism.

Is it really possible to end chronic homelessness in Milwaukee…by 2017? If you’re first thought is “that’s crazy…” Emily Kenney wants you to think again.

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How many people does it take to put together a one-day, one-stop shop event for 500+ individuals experiencing homelessness in Milwaukee? Add to that 300+ volunteers, 50+ service and resource vendors, over 80,000 donated items and transportation for guests?

Where were you on September 11th, 2001? In this week’s episode we talk to Jessica Osenbrugge, the executive director for St. Joseph’s Medical Clinic. Jessica was in New York City on September 11, 2001. She shares her story with us about experiencing such a life-altering event at just 24 years old and how, in the days after the attack, she dedicated her life to trying to find a missing woman and fellow Wisconsinite who was in the North Tower. As we approach the 15 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack Jessica reflects on the events of the day, the healing journey she has been a part of, and what is happening to commemorate the victims, first responders, and emergency personnel who gave selflessly in the days and months after the attack. This episode will be shared in two segments.

This week we talk to Shaquita and Adrienne, two women who spend a majority of their time on the streets. They aren’t homeless but spend their time helping youth who may be experiencing homelessness, young people who need help finding resources, or maybe just need a friend. They are outreach specialists on the Milwaukee Street Beat team through Pathfinders and the Walker’s Point Youth & Family Center.

How often does a podcast give you chills? This week, we have a very special guest in Brit Morgan. Brit currently serves as a Teen Program Coordinator with COA’s Holton Youth Center. Until July of this year, Brit was a Community Health Ambassador through Public Allies working on the Infant Mortality Prevention Initiative here at United Way. Brit is also the founder and host of the newly 3-year-old PENtastic Open Mic series. A spoken word artist herself, Brit refers to this bi-monthly event as her “labor of love” and a “healing center” for people to feel included and connected to their community. The PENtastic Open Mic happens the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 8pm at The Artist Factory here in Milwaukee. This episode was recorded before Brit began her new role at COA, so we will hear about her work with the Infant Mortality initiative at to begin, then move into some conversation about spoken word and PENtastic. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode to hear Brit share an original spoken word piece she composed. That’s where the chills come in.

Drug and alcohol abuse and addiction is a growing public health concern in Wisconsin and across the country. In 2013, more Wisconsin residents died from drug overdose than motor vehicle accidents. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that, in 2015, Wisconsin experienced 872 drug overdose deaths. Waukesha County has been greatly impacted by this epidemic, a crisis that affects people from all backgrounds, income levels, and ages. Mike Ingrelli, owner of Mike Ingrelli Plumbing, has personal experience with addiction.

If you live in Milwaukee, or just love the city and all of the great work happening here, how many times have you thought to yourself “I wish our news media would cover more than just the latest shooting…” Perhaps you stay away from downtown Milwaukee because you see violence on the news each morning. Or, maybe you decided not to send your children to Milwaukee Public Schools because of stories you’ve read in the paper. If you recognize yourself in these descriptions, you should add Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) to your daily routine. Milwaukee NNS prides itself on offering a balanced view of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods by speaking with residents about all of the issues that face the community, with a focus on new initiatives and programs being implemented, and community successes. Today on Living Local, we talk with Edgar Mendez, Beat Reporter for the Milwaukee NNS. Edgar lives on the South Side and covers stories all around the city, talking to residents about the latest education initiatives and other big issues like the recent unrest in Sherman Park and the City’s response to high lead levels in our water.

If you were to guess, which age group and would you assume to have the highest incidence of suicide? If your first thought is teens and/or young people, think again. This week we talk to Mary Madden, Executive Director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Waukesha, and Dr. Bob Dubois, Professor of Psychology at Waukesha County Technical College, about suicide in Waukesha County and around the county, which has risen about 24% in the last decade.

In the time it will take for you to listen to this podcast, someone in the US will have died from suicide. Suicide is a more common cause of death than homicide or car accidents and is on the rise in our community and across the country. This week we talk to Mary Madden, Executive Director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Waukesha, and Dr. Bob Dubois, Professor of Psychology at Waukesha County Technical College, about suicide in Waukesha County and around the county, which has risen about 24% in the last decade.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men has been sexually assaulted…so why is it still so hard to talk about? At the age of 21, Dawn Helmrich experienced a brutal sexual assault. This life-altering event had many negative outcomes for Dawn, including rampant victim blaming and lack of support during a traumatic experience on the witness stand. As a result of these experiences, Dawn has become one of Milwaukee’s most vocal advocates for victims of Sexual Assault through her leadership of the annual Denim Day. Each April, Denim Day brings awareness to sexual violence and helps end victim blaming.

If you had to guess, what would you think a retired Army Police Officer living in Waukesha County does with his time? Why, volunteering in public schools working with students on robotics, of course! Rudy Willis is a retiree volunteer with Waukesha Public Schools through Interfaith’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program, also known as RSVP.

Do you ever pass a homeless individual on the street and think, I wish there was more I could do for them than just give them a couple of bucks? How about in the winter, when you make the walk from your car to your warm and comfortable home, do you ever think about the folks who may not have a warm place to sleep that night? Did you know there is a free and comprehensive resource that you can share to get people the help they need?

Large class sizes, overwhelmed teachers, lack of resources for individual attention... these are some of the barriers to success for students in Milwaukee Public Schools. However, did you know that over 3,000 people lend their time and talents to MPS schools, often just one hour a week, to help overcome these barriers? Heather Aschoff, one of two Community Partnership & Volunteer Associates for MPS, recruits, trains, and helps place thousands of volunteers in over 150 schools.

In December 2015, as we prepared to celebrate the end of our very first campaign as the merged United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, a very special guest paid us a visit; Brian Gallagher. Gallagher is the president & CEO of United Way Worldwide, covering nearly 1,800 communities in 40 countries and territories and engaging more than 3 million volunteers and 10 million donors.

Only 61% of students in Milwaukee Public Schools graduate in four years. The remaining 39% may take longer than four years to graduate, or drop out of school completely. Students who drop out of school are eight times more likely to become incarcerated and three times more likely to be unemployed. Students who drop out earn roughly $1 million less over their lifetime than high school graduates. However, research shows that students who reach 10th grade on track and on time are four times more likely to graduate. That’s where City Year comes in. City Year Milwaukee partners with school districts to place their corps members in the schools to provide students with both small group and one-on-one support to overcome challenges they face both in and out of school. In addition to working with individual students who are at-risk of dropping out, City Year corps members provide support to help transform the whole school, including leading school-wide events and activities, after school programming, and in class support for teachers. Today we sit down with Sarah Heffley and Matt Holubecki, members of the United Way City Year Milwaukee Team at James Madison Academic Campus (JMAC), which is also part of the Milwaukee Community School Partnership. Sarah and Matt share success stories they have witnessed in their time at JMAC, what their days are like, and how they apply their own educational experience to their work with City Year.

Today we talk with Gabriella Allen, coordinator of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program at La Casa de Esperanza in Waukesha. Gabriella shares information about multiple benefits that lower income families and individuals can take advantage of this tax season, including the EITC and free tax preparation services.

Who is the CEO of your bank? Do you know their name? Better yet, do you follow them on social media or see a commercial featuring them when you pay your bills? The presidents and CEOs of major corporations tend to stay behind the scenes, running their business and not worrying about having one-on-one chats with customers through Twitter or goofing around in a commercial to promote giving to a good cause. Greg Marcus, CEO of The Marcus Corporation, is different. Greg runs his own Twitter and Snapchat accounts (just follow @GregLovesMovies) and stars in the beloved annual United Way trailers, which play before each and every movie at Marcus Theaters during our fall campaign. You can even meet Greg and hear him play piano at Blu at The Pfister most Tuesdays! For Greg, being CEO of The Marcus Corporation comes with a responsibility to his community. However, Greg says that it’s not just altruism that drives this charitable spirit… doing good is good for business. We chat about how he incentivizes Marcus employees to get involved during their annual United Way campaign, why supporting health and human services and the arts is so important, and the one moment in his philanthropic life that he will never forget.

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Think back to when you were thirteen years old. Were you secure, happy, and confident all the time? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably no. Thirteen is the average age when young women and men are forced or coerced into Human Trafficking. Traffickers look for people who are vulnerable; those who lack confidence in themselves and are looking for a protector-figure. Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, regardless of gender, age, or socioeconomic status, and it happens in both urban and rural areas. In fact, the latest data shows human trafficking has become a $150 billion dollar industry worldwide. Dana World-Patterson is chairperson for the Human Trafficking Taskforce of Greater Milwaukee and founder of Foundations for Freedom, and organization that “exists to strengthen women and girls, reduce their vulnerabilities and eradicate human trafficking, through education, awareness, advocacy and prevention.” Dana believes in starting education young and emphasizing confidence-building during in-school programming for students. Laura Johnson is a Survivor Leader who works with the Taskforce by sharing her inspiring personal story with a variety of different groups. However, the last thing Laura wants is sympathy. Laura is triumphant and strong, and has found the courage to share her story through her work with Dana and the Human Trafficking Taskforce of Greater Milwaukee.

A year ago last October, Joey Papa and his wife Nikki lost a child, Canaan. For the entirety of her brief life, Canaan, though never formally diagnosed, dealt with innumerable medical complexities and was what one might describe as a child with “special needs.” In their grief, filmmaker Joey and his wife Nikki felt that Canaan had handed them a baton and that it was their turn to spread the word about their special daughter.

The motto for IT United, a United Way donor network group comprised of IT Professionals, is “connecting the dots.” Throughout the year, IT United members volunteer their time to put on an IT Career fair for college and high school students at UW-Milwaukee, as well as coordinating a variety of job shadow opportunities for these students to learn more about the IT field and connect with professionals. Katrina Hightower, a 25-year-old student at UW-Milwaukee studying Information Technology, saw the benefit of these connections when she found her dream internship with ManpowerGroup as a result of her volunteerism at the IT United Career Fair.

Imagine that you’re suffering from a chronic disease that affects your personal and professional life and your overall health including your sleep and diet. This disease is something that has an official diagnosis and can be treated with professional therapy and medication, however people in your community believe that you simply need to “think positively” or “turn your frown upside-down” to feel better. For the one out of every four people living with mental illness in our country, this scenario is often the reality. After a positive experience working through her own mental illness and, Libby Sinclair, a social worker living and working in Waukesha County, decided to expand her role in working with those affected in her community.

incredible story about losing her infant son, and how this tragic event spurred her passion for preventing infant mortality. Last August, as the episode aired, United Way celebrated the first-ever HaRUNbee 5k Walk/Run to Prevent Infant Mortality, which took place in Tonda’s own neighborhood of Harumbee. From there, we covered topics ranging from homelessness to fatherhood to suicide prevention and addiction. We spoke with people of all ages, across our 4-county region, each of whom shared personal, emotional moments that changed their lives and shaped the work they do. Living Local will take a break next week, but will be back with new content in 2017. To cap off the year, we wanted to share some of our favorite clips from the 2016 episodes. When we started the podcast, Brian McKaig, VP of Marketing & Communication here at United Way, told us to reach for those “driveway moments,” when you are listening to something so good, that you stay in your car to finish listening when you’ve already arrived home. These were those moments for us.

Here at United Way, we recently said goodbye to Living Local co-producer Rebecca Schimke, who moved on to an excellent position with Palermo’s Pizza. In her honor, let’s revisit one of her favorite interviews from 2016. This week we talk to Shaquita and Adrienne, two women who spend a majority of their time on the streets. They aren’t homeless but spend their time helping youth who may be experiencing homelessness, young people who need help finding resources, or maybe just need a friend. They are outreach specialists on the Milwaukee Street Beat team through Pathfinders and the Walker’s Point Youth & Family Center.

If you’re in a relationship, how did you meet your partner? If you’re single and looking for a relationship, where do you usually go to meet people? If volunteering doesn’t spring to mind, maybe it should. In sharing the experience of serving a meal, reading to kids, or conducting a craft project at a senior center, you may find that you get more out of the experience than you give. We talk to newlyweds Lauren and Bill Bradley about what volunteering taught them about one another, get their advice for single people on whether volunteering could make a good first date, and the eternal question: what makes volunteering so darn sexy?

What kind of Community do you want? What is keeping us from making progress? Who do you trust to take action? These are some of the questions that the 330+ participants in United Way’s Community Conversations project answered in 2016. Participants from 70 zip codes, diverse in race and income level, and ranging in age from 12 to 95, shared their candid thoughts on what they see in their community when they walk out their front door every day. The four biggest themes across all conversations were, in no particular order, a violence-free community, equity and inclusivity, a clean and green community, and community connectedness.

There are many ways to affect change in our community. Here at United Way, we raise funds and mobilize volunteers around our communities most difficult issues. In Madison at the Wisconsin State Legislature, Representative David Crowley works with his peers on both sides of the aisle to advocate for issues affecting an area of Milwaukee that is close to his heart: the near-North West side. Representative Crowley intimately understands this neighborhood – it is where he grew up playing on the playground near his Grandma and Uncle’s house, and where he now resides with his family. Between engagements, Rep. Crowley stopped by to chat about the issues he advocates for in the Legislature – quality early childhood education and reducing black male incarceration - and why these are important to him. He also shares the quotes he lives by (hint: Yoda is involved), as well as his aspirations for our community. Finally, he shares how a local organization, Urban Underground, “saved his life” as a teen growing up in Milwaukee.

This episode is bittersweet: Mary Lou Young, who has served as president & CEO of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, will retire from her position after eight years of service. We talk with Mary Lou about the high points of her career, her advice for her successor, and why she is a champion for women in the workplace.

What would happen if we threw our rules out the window and started from scratch? This is the question Audra O’Connell asked her staff at Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center’s Emergency Shelter when she began her tenure as Executive Director in 2016. The shelter, which serves teens, had a list of rules governing everything from behavior to dress, but Audra did not see how these rules were helping impact the broader issue of youth homelessness in Milwaukee. In fact, 6 months after trying to run the shelter without rules such as “no baseball caps in the house,” Audra and her team found themselves serving more youth than ever before. “Dare to fail differently” is the model that Audra O’Connell lives by. Today on the podcast, she shares how a degree in Comparative Religion has helped her in surprising ways during her career working in housing and homeless services, the advice she has for young nonprofit professionals, and what she still hopes to achieve in her work. Says Audra, “In ten years, I don’t want to be in the shelter business…I want to be in the prevention business.”

Problems. The ones most people don’t have the stomach for. The ones nobody talks about at cocktail parties. The ones that can’t be solved overnight. We go looking for them. These are the words in United Way’s new credo for 2017, and they perfectly describe the issue of Infant Mortality. Milwaukee has one of the highest rates in the country, with Black babies dying at nearly three times the rate of White babies. In 2014, United Way became the backbone agency for the Milwaukee Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families Collaborative (LIHF), a community-wide effort working to eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes and ensure more babies reach their first birthdays. With a career and life dedicated to serving the community, Wanda Montgomery became the co-chair for the Milwaukee Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families in March of 2016, alongside Mayor Tom Barrett. Wanda was recently awarded the Gwen T. Jackson Community Service Award at United Way’s Annual Meeting. We talk today about her path leading to this important role in fighting infant mortality, and the successes and challenges she has faced in this work.

In this two-part episode, Joel and Greg talk frankly about the role race has played in their lives, and where and why their lives have diverged because of it. Episode 1 of 2.

In this two-part episode, Joel and Greg talk frankly about the role race has played in their lives, and where and why their lives have diverged because of it. Episode 2 of 2.

Trigger Warning: This blog post and podcast contain recollections of and information about sexual assault. At the age of 21, Dawn Helmrich experienced a brutal sexual assault. This life-altering event had many negative outcomes for Dawn, including rampant victim blaming and lack of support during a traumatic experience on the witness stand. As a result of these experiences, Dawn has become one of Milwaukee’s most vocal advocates for victims of Sexual Assault through her leadership of the annual Denim Day. Each April, Denim Day brings awareness to sexual violence and helps end victim blaming.

At the age of 21, Dawn Helmrich experienced a brutal sexual assault. This life-altering event had many negative outcomes for Dawn, including rampant victim blaming and lack of support during a traumatic experience on the witness stand. As a result of these experiences, Dawn has become one of Milwaukee’s most vocal advocates for victims of Sexual Assault through her leadership of the annual Denim Day. Each April, Denim Day brings awareness to sexual violence and helps end victim blaming.