This Month's News & Updates |
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An Impactful and Educational Beyond the Headlines-Exploring Advocacy around Domestic Violence |
Impact100 Greater Milwaukee members, guests and nonprofits gathered at the Milwaukee Ale House, Grafton, on March 2nd for this year’s Beyond the Headlines event: The Lens of Advocacy on Domestic Violence. Eighty-four attendees socialized before enjoying a tasty plated luncheon, followed by an informative presentation by a panel of experts who each brought their own passionate lens to the topic. Domestic violence, sometimes called the "shadow pandemic," increased significantly during the Covid epidemic with human and sex trafficking also on the rise and intricately intertwined with domestic abuse.
Guests heard from:
Dr. Dominque Pritchett who spoke through a clinician’s lens. She explored the intersection of her own story, shattering stigma, and impactful change in the Greater Milwaukee community. She shared that victims can become victors. Read more about Dr. Pritchett, her practice and resources here.
Barb Fischer, Executive Director for Advocates of Ozaukee County, brought the lens of an advocate who works directly with victims. She shared that a domestic violence victim can have someone accompany them to court, so they are less traumatized when seeing their perpetrator. This is unique in Wisconsin. Ms. Fischer explained the power control wheel and the equity wheel-a look at what control over someone else looks like. Learn more at Power & Control Wheel | Advocates of Ozaukee here and Advocates of Ozaukee here.
Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles presented from the lens of law enforcement. Participants learned firsthand what it is like for law enforcement when they respond to a domestic violence call. Sheriff Knowles served in the special victims crime unit at one point in her career and shared a reminder that domestic violence affects all ages and socio-economic backgrounds, it does not discriminate.
Dr. Debbie Lassiter, Executive Director of the Convergence Resource Center in Milwaukee addressed the intersection of sex and human trafficking with domestic violence. She encouraged attendees to ask questions, seek help if concerned (don't try to intercede yourself, the victim will be punished), and take advantage of resources-be aware! Dr. Lassiter brought guest Desirae, a survivor, who was available to speak with attendees after the presentations. Additional information, training, and resources are available here.
The panel presentation was followed by a Q and A session that further informed the audience. For example, “It takes an average of 7 attempts for a survivor to leave their abuser and stay separated for good.” Additional resources were shared, and attendees came away more informed and more vigilant community members, having learning about the many facets of domestic abuse ‘Beyond the Headlines.’
Check out the presentation and Q & A recording here! |
Panelists Right to left: Barb Fischer-Advocates of Ozaukee; Ozaukee Sheriff Christy Knowles; Dr. Dominique Pritchett-Beloved Wellness Center; Dr. Debbie Lassiter-Convergence Resource Center, with guest Desirae. |
Speakers and guests mingle at the Milwaukee Ale House, Grafton. |
BTH panelists share remarks and respond to questions. |
| Leadership Nominations Now Being Accepted! |
Our Nominations process is in full swing! We have some great candidates for several positions AND are still looking for women interested in becoming involved and stepping up into leadership, either as directors or committee chairs. Nominate YOURSELF or another member you recommend for a leadership role. We will be happy to discuss open positions and how they fit your interest and availability. Explore all Board Job Descriptions and all Chair Job Descriptions here.
Questions? Interested, or would just like more information? Contact the nominating committee today! |
Member Spotlight Meet Nancy Smith
2023 Grant Platform Chair |
What, you may be wondering, is a Grant Platform Chair? Well, NOT a piece of furniture!! Enter Nancy Smith-encouraged to join Impact100 by friend and member Sandy Dunst, who also invited Nancy to attend the virtual Annual Awards Ceremony in 2020. Nancy was so impressed, not only with the nonprofit finalists that presented that night, but also with the Impact100 women who ran the ceremony. She joined that year!
In her first year as a member Nancy served on the Environment & Revitalization committee. She recalls “Anne Schumaker was the committee chair that year and all the meetings were held virtually. The meetings were run extremely efficiently, and we had very thought-provoking conversations about the applications. It felt good to be part of the process and I was happy to stay involved the next year.”
Nancy then became the Grant Platform Chair ‘person’ and is currently serving the second year of a two-year term. In that role she is responsible for Foundant, the online program used by grant applicants to submit their applications, and also used by grant committee members to review and evaluate the applications. Although Nancy had used Foundant as a member of the Environment and Revitalization grant committee to evaluate applications, she wasn’t thoroughly familiar with Foundant prior to taking on the role of Grant Platform Chair.
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She reflects, “I really enjoyed learning the behind-the-scenes process of moving applicants through the cycle from Letters of Interest to Full Proposal and then to Site Visit. We are looking for someone to assume the Grant Platform Chair position next year and I will help get that person up to speed, as Lori Murphy did for me when I took over. Please reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about the position.”
Nancy grew up in Los Angeles and lived in New York and Chicago before moving to Milwaukee, having attended UC Berkeley for undergrad and Columbia Business School for her MBA. She worked for many years as a municipal finance investment banker-clients included states, cities, park districts, airport authorities, and other tax-exempt public entities. She and her husband are recent empty-nesters and, after helping their youngest settle into his dorm, they traveled to Africa last September. They are also huge Milwaukee Bucks fans!
Currently Nancy works part-time as a grant writer, primarily with Silver Spring Neighborhood Center. And she notes, due to a conflict of interest, she is not involved with Silver Spring Neighborhood Center’s application for this grant cycle.
Nancy shares, “One of the things I most enjoy about Impact100 is meeting really smart and interesting women who are passionate about giving. I like that our grant amounts are $100,000 which truly can be transformative for a non-profit. Additionally, I value that grant funds can be used not only for programming, but for capital projects as well. Many foundations limit grant proceeds to programmatic purpose. I appreciate that Impact100 can help non-profits with their physical space and equipment needs that ultimately support the programming for the individuals they serve.”
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| Membership News:
Have a question about Impact100? Your neighborhood ambassador is here to help!
The Impact100 Greater Milwaukee ambassador program was started in July 2022 after learning about its success from other Impact100s around the country. Ambassadors are your neighbors and the ‘face’ of Impact100 in our communities. They welcome new members to the organization, help members connect with each other, and serve as a personalized point of contact. Ambassadors can answer questions about Impact100 operations and provide information about membership, educational and social events, as well as other opportunities to get involved.
Our team of ambassadors have a wealth of knowledge about Impact100 and can help you find that special volunteer opportunity or interest! Thirty-eight ambassadors serve 10-12 members each in their assigned areas within the four counties of Milwaukee, Washington, Waukesha, and Ozaukee, including members residing out of state. Here is a little summary of their experience by the numbers: - 23 ambassadors have been Impact members from its beginning (2015)
- 13 ambassadors have held a leadership position (Chair)
- 16 ambassadors have served on the Board of Directors
- 6 ambassadors have served as President of Impact100 Greater Milwaukee
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All five Founders are currently serving as ambassadors
Take the opportunity to connect with your ambassador. You never know where the conversations may lead you! Unsure about who is your ambassador? Thinking you’d like to be an ambassador? Contact Cynthia Harris here! |
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| Grants News:
A photo is worth a thousand words! It’s Grant Season!
The 2023 Impact100 Greater Milwaukee Grant Cycle is in full swing! Below are several of the 89 members who volunteered to serve on one of five grant committees this winter. Work began at the end of January as they reviewed more than 50 Letters of Interest (LOI) before gathering with their Grant Chairs and fellow committee members for an initial meeting the first week of February. All five focus groups engaged in thoughtful and productive conversations about each LOI from the nonprofit community.
Members will continue their work in March when meeting virtually to review selected nonprofits’ full proposals. Site visits will be conducted in-person in late March and early April. In May each grant committee will select their nonprofit finalist nominee which is then eligible for one of our transformative $100,000 Impact grants. FINALLY, 2023 Grant Recipients will be selected at the June 6th Annual Awards Celebration by voting Impact100 members! |
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Nonprofits News: Chance Meeting Leads to Transformative Donations for Impact100 Grantees
Be sure to read about this incredible encounter and wonderful community collaboration!
Some might say this was serendipitous while others may call it divine intervention. Regardless of your perspective, a chance meeting led to cascading impact and transformative donations for a dozen Impact100 past grant and merit recipients. Impact Outreach Chair, Renee Manion, was on a flight back from Seattle to Milwaukee in September 2022. A conversation with seat mates revealed that one of them, Amie Danielewicz, was recently hired as a decommissioning project manager for Humana’s workplace solutions team. Humana opened a new 20,000 square foot office space in Milwaukee in February 2020 which promptly shut down due to COVID and never fully reopened as the majority of employees are now permanent remote workers.
Amie’s assignment–find local nonprofits and donate all of the...cont. |
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| Victory Garden Initiative Names 2023 “The Year of Repair” An update from Executive Director, Dr. Sandra Jones
Victory Garden Initiative (VGI) was founded in 2009 in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood which is home to 15,000 residents and an area known as a food desert due to limited access to affordable, fresh, nutritious food. The mission of VGI is to eliminate this food desert designation by supporting communities that grow their own food and creating a community-led, socially just, environmentally sustainable, nutritious food system for all.
VGI has several initiatives that enable us to reach this goal. We operate a 1.5 acre urban farm called The Homestead as well as a farmstand, youth programs, and community-based classes. Additionally, every spring VGI holds a community-wide blitz, providing the materials and volunteer elbow grease to build raised garden beds for residents throughout Milwaukee.
With the $100,000 major grant received from Impact100 in 2022, VGI will upgrade the sustainable systems at our urban Homestead Farm with a solar pump, cisterns, and a catchment system. Recently, VGI announced a partnership with Milwaukee nonprofit Reflo Sustainable Water Systems About Us — Reflo (refloh2o.com) to assist with updating the cisterns. Grant funds are also being used to hire a sustainability fellow, Fran Nesler, who will help implement these projects. We will also conduct a feasibility study for ADA-compliant access to the farm so even more people will be able to participate in our programs. Thank you to the members of Impact100 for your financial support which will help VGI update the Homestead Farm!
Since 2009 VGI has installed over 7,000 raised garden beds throughout Milwaukee during our annual Garden Blitz. In order to maintain and grow what has been established, VGI is calling 2023 “The Year of Repair.” The focus of this year’s blitz is to connect with the owners of these beds to see if any are in need of repair, new wood, and/or new soil. The plan is to fortify the established beds so they can continue to provide fresh, healthy food for years to come while building fewer new beds this year. Donations and volunteers are needed to ensure this annual blitz is a success! The 2023 blitz will be held the week of May 1st -- May 6th. To learn more about individual and group volunteer opportunities visit Blitz Volunteer Registration - (victorygardeninitiative.org). You can provide financial support for the blitz at Sponsor a Blitz Garden! - (victorygardeninitiative.org) and corporate sponsors are also welcome! Thank you!
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VGI Photo descriptions, top to bottom: -Student volunteers from Marquette University -Farm manager Aaron Wynn and Finance manager Karen Gotzler at Riverworks Beerline Shuffle event -Executive Director Dr. Sandra Jones and Aaron Wynn at Riverworks event
-Dr. Sandra Jones at VGI kitchen garden book reading of Voices of Milwaukee Bronzeville -Class held in VGI’s community room -Blitz volunteers delivering soil for garden beds
-Fran Nesler, the new sustainability fellow hired to work on the Homestead Improvement projects. Fran is a senior at UWM in the environmental engineering program |
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| Looking Ahead: 2023 Annual Awards Celebration (AAC), at the Brookfield Convention Center. Watch for details coming soon!
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