Aug 05, 2008
Three exceptional community leaders to be recognized at CTJ Awards Sept. 4

Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee will honor three outstanding community leaders at the 19th Annual “Commitment to Justice Awards” on Thursday, Sept. 4.  They include: Chris Ahmuty, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin; Dennis Mueller, founder of the Malaika Early Learning Center; and Jessica Poliner, attorney, community volunteer and board member of Centro Legal.

The event will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Rosebud Cinema, 6823 W. North Avenue, Wauwatosa.  It will include a brief program and will feature hors d’oeuvres and free admission to the cinema’s 9:00 p.m. film.  Tickets can be obtained at $25 through Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee at 414-342-0883. The event is open to the public.

Dennis Mueller to receive “Lifelong Commitment to Justice Award”

When his family business was sold in 1999 for $95 million, half the proceeds went to members of the Mueller family. Dennis Mueller applied his portion to the Harambee neighborhood, a population-dense community with over 4,000 children under the age of 10, and over half the families with children under six below the poverty line. Mueller took a hands-on approach and founded the Malaika Early Learning Center at 125 East Auer St.

The idea behind Malaika – meaning “little angel” in Swahili – was to provide a nurturing educational environment in urban Milwaukee to combat the cycle of poverty.  The Muellers worked for over a year on the development and design of the facility, and upon its completion, donated the facility to the community.  In the four years since its opening, Malaika has served over 450 low-income Milwaukee children. Current plans include another facility based on the Malaika model. Mueller continues to speak at local and national forums on early childhood education. His commitment to early childhood education extends beyond the doors of Malaika, into the greater Milwaukee community, and beyond.

Jessica Poliner to receive “Future of Change Award”

Jessica Poliner, member of the in-house counsel group at Metavante, is also the youngest member of the Board of Directors for Centro Legal, a Milwaukee nonprofit organization that provides low cost legal services to the community. She actively participates in both the Board Development and Operations committees, and is chair of the planning committee for the first ever “Women Helping Women” silent auction event.  Not only has Poliner already volunteered over one hundred hours of her own time, but she also encourages her peers to get involved.  She is a member of the Marquette University Law School Alumni Board, and is active in the Alumni Networking & Advising/Mentoring Committee, Recent Graduate Committee, and Service Committee.  Poliner volunteers as a coach for the Phillip Jessup International Law Moot Court team and as a Moot Court Judge at Marquette University Law School.  In the past, she taught the Street Law program at North Division High School and continues to mentor two students from the program.  Poliner also mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters and volunteered as a Pro Bono attorney with Legal Aid Society, where she interned during law school.

Chris Ahmuty to receive “President’s Award”

Chris Ahmuty has served with the ACLU/WI for over 20 years, and took the lead as its Executive Director in 1992.  He began the Youth Civil Liberties project which gained a reputation both within the ACLU and in southeastern Wisconsin for its cutting edge youth programming. Under Ahmuty’s leadership, the ACLU/WI has taken a tough stance on major issues regarding discrimination and poverty.  Among these, he has headed a major legal victory to end redlining in homeowners’ insurance sales in Milwaukee, initiated litigation for major foster care reform, and joined with Legal Aid to address conditions at the Milwaukee County Jail.  Ahmuty also worked to expand the Poverty, Race and Civil Liberties program within the ACLU.  Under his direction, the organization has also become one of the only ACLU affiliates to tackle the pressing issue of environmental justice. Through his exemplary leadership, the ACLU/WI has become a great advocate for the betterment of the Milwaukee community.

The 19^th Annual Commitment to Justice Awards will be held on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Rosebud Cinema, 6823 W. North Avenue.  For more information call (414) 342-0883 or e-mail info@milwaukeeshares.org.

Thank you to these generous sponsors of the 19^th Annual Commitment to Justice Awards!

9to5 National Association of Working Women

 ACLU-WI Foundation

 Adoption Resources of Wisconsin

 The Benedict Center

 Marilyn and John Boeldt

 Jacqueline Boynton and Peter McAvoy

 Clean Wisconsin

 Cream City Foundation

 Dorothy Dean

 Fair Wisconsin

 Guest House of Milwaukee

Jane Jansen

 John Jansen and Annie Jansen Jurczyk

 Milwaukee LGBT Community Center

 Lucia and Jack Murtaugh

Organic Arts

 Skip and Ildy Poliner

 Project RETURN

 Transitional Living Services

Urban Ecology Center

 Vital Voices for Mental Health

 Wellspring

 Wisconsin Committee on Occupational Safety and Health

 Wisconsin Community Fund

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May 17, 2008
CS welcomes 8 new member organizations

Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee is proud to announce that the following eight local charitable organizations have been approved for membership for 2008/09.  Congratulations and welcome to these important Social Justice organizations.  We are proud to support the important work you do in our community. 

Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity: A nonprofit housing organization that builds or rehabs simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need.  They have built 35 new homes in Milwaukee’s inner city neighborhoods in the past year.

10-34 Wisconsin: Dedicated to proactively providing prevention education in the areas of child abduction, sexual abuse, online solicitation, and cyber-bullying.  Challenging the status quo and building a quality and accessible educational system communities can depend on.  “10-34” is a response code meaning “ready to assist.”

Voces de la Frontera: Educates workers about their employment rights and organizes to protect and improve the quality of life for low-wage and immigrant workers. Voces de la Frontera promotes grass roots leadership and community and workplace organizing. 

Project RETURN: Works with ex-offenders to find them jobs, get them many kinds of treatment and counseling, and help them become contributing members of society.

America’s Black Holocaust Museum: America's only memorial to the victims of the Black Holocaust, visitors leave with a deeper understanding of history as it relates to racial injustice and the African American experience.

Organic Arts: A down-to-earth collaboration of fine artists and educators using arts to teach kids about music, storytelling, history, social justice, the environment and genuine grassroots art.

Fair Wisconsin: A statewide organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people through education, legislative advocacy, grassroots organizing, coalition-building and electoral involvement. 

Wisconsin Literacy: A state-wide coalition, Wisconsin Literacy supports adult, family and workplace literacy programs through advocacy, training, program development, resource development and information and referral.

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May 16, 2008
Changes now being input for major website upgrade!

Our new software has arrived and we are busy inputting and tgransferring our site data, section by section, to make the changes necessary for our upcoming website upgrade.  After we finish this portion of the project, we will run some tests to make sure everything runs properly.  When this is complete, we will be able to create or update every single page on this site instantly from our desktops here at Community Shares.  This will be of great value not only to CSGM but to our member organizations and the community at large as time goes on.

The upgrade will feature a Community Forum consisting of several Issue areas, like Homelessness, Environment, Financial Literacy, Mental Illness, Animal Advocacy and many others - each with its own blog and resource library.  Members of the public will be able to log in and add to the discussion and thus contribute to the solutions.  You will begin seeing these and other changes in just a few weeks.

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May 15, 2008
Fever Marlene Show at Yield Benefits CSGM

Rock On, Community Shares!

Hot local bands Fever Marlene and On A Sun teamed up with Jim Zeisler, owner of Yield Bar at 1932 E. Kenilworth Pl.,  and Vestica Healthcare for a show to benefit Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee on May 15!

The bands donated their time and talent, and Yield Bar donated the cover charge, raffle prizes and a percentage of proceeds to Community Shares.

Many thanks to Yield Bar, Vestica Healthcare, Fever Marlene, On A Sun, and everyone who came out to support Community Shares and our 44 member organizations while enjoying great music in a great atmosphere!

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Jan 18, 2008
Forces for Good author spoke to packed house at CS event
A sold-out crowd of 70 people gathered on January 17, 2008, to hear author Leslie Crutchfield discuss her recent best-seller, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits. The event, held at the Eisner Museum of Advertising & Design, was co-sponsored by Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee, 800-CEO-READ and Wipfli.

Crutchfield delivered an effective hour-long explanation of the elements that make great nonprofits effective. She and co-author Heather McLeod Grant spent four years surveying thousands of nonprofit CEOs, conducting hundreds of interviews, and studying 12 high-impact nonprofits to uncover the secrets of their success.

Crutchfield told the audience that, internally, great they advocate as well as serve, work with businesses, collaborate with other nonprofits, and engage individuals.

The book explains these and related concepts in great detail, is packed with real-world examples and contains suggestions for putting it all into practice.

Of the book, J. Gregory Dees of Duck University's Fuqua School of Business, writes: "Anyone who wants to affect systemic change and make a lasting difference in the world should read this important book and take its lessons to heart."

Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits is available at Schwartz Bookstores or online at http://www.schwartzbooks.com.

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Sep 07, 2007
Henningsen, Sabljak, Witte recognized at Commitment to Justice Awards

On Sept. 6, Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee honored Margaret Henningsen, a founder of Legacy Bank, and Mark Sabljak, publisher of the Business Journal, for their years of service to nonprofit organizations and individual Milwaukeeans at the Commitment to Justice Awards. The event gave Community Shares and the city of Milwaukee an opportunity to thank these individuals for their years of service to this community.

Margaret Henningsen Honored with Lifelong Commitment to Justice Award�

Henningsen and two other African American women founded Legacy Bank, 2102 W. Fond Du Lac Ave., in 1999 to provide banking and lending services to an underserved, low-income population. The venture has thrived, providing small businesses with resources to grow, renters with mortgages to become home owners and a central city population access to financial education and banking in their neighborhood.

Henningsen, a former social worker, and her partners, also developed a program that allows individuals with bad credit histories to open a bank account, which she closely monitors in order to keep people from repeating past mistakes. Her efforts have helped many people get back on track financially, and have given entrepreneurs resources to make their dreams a reality.

Mark Sabljak Honored with A. David Schwartz Business Humanitarian Award 

Sabljak, publisher of the Business Journal, demonstrates an incredible commitment to improving Milwaukee. He demonstrates his commitment as a member of numerous nonprofit boards in the Milwaukee area and has spearheaded or supported efforts to improve education, promote volunteerism, encourage fair hiring practices, and facilitate collaboration among all races and ethnicities to help Milwaukee thrive.

Helen Witte, a long-time board member and volunteer for Community Shares, was also honored during the evening. She received the President's Award for her extraordinary service to the organization.

The event, which took place at the Ambassador Hotel, 2308 W. Wisconsin Ave., featured fantastic food, an exceptional silent auction, a raffle, and camaraderie among a diverse group of people who are working for and supportive of social justice and a healthy environment in the greater Milwaukee area.

We very much appreciate the generous support of those who sponsored the event: 

Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation

Adoption Resources of Wisconsin, Herbert H. Kohl Charities, Reilly, Penner & Benton, LLP

Karen Campbell & Kevin Ronnie, Janet Martin

Gene and Meriel Christensen

Mary Ryan

Sarah Blackwell, John & Marilyn Boeldt, Lynn Broaddus & Mark Gorelick, Maggi Cage, Centro Legal Por Derechos Humanos, Citizen Action of Wisconsin Education Fund, Chris Cornelius, Esperanza Unida, Guest House of Milwaukee, Jim Hill, John Jansen & Annie Jurczyk, Lynnea Katz-Petted & Paul Petted, Cindy Nicholson, Kathy Ronco, Sierra Club Foundation, Wisconsin Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (WisCOSH), and two generous individuals who wish to remain anonymous.

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Aug 15, 2006
Online Giving now available!
It's safe & easy at Community Shares!
Community Shares has now made giving easier than ever with its new Online Giving feature!

The Online Giving service on our website allows visitors to submit their donation and payment information right on our web page. The service employs SSL (Secured Sockets Layer) technology to ensure safe and private transmission of payment information. It allows four types of donation options, including credit card, check, billing, and gift of stock. Each option includes easy-to-follow instructions. It takes only a few minutes and is guaranteed safe.

Just click on the Online Giving button near the center of our Home Page. This will take you to a screen that allows you to contribute to either Community Shares or any of its 38 member organizations.

What makes this function truly unique in the charitable world is that it was created and designed solely for Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee. There is no "middle man" to take a share of your donation. It goes directly to Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee, which then sends the donation directly to the member organization - exactly like any other donation.

The donor information also stays exclusively with Community Shares and the member organization selected by the donor. It is kept completely confidential and is not shared with others.

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