I want to express my sincerest thanks to the community for all the support the Milwaukee Area Workforce Board (MAWIB) has received during this challenging year. Given the obstacles, it is easy to feel like nothing has changed or we have not made a difference in our city.
When we see the statistics demonstrating achievement and employment gaps, it’s easy to get down. Statistics that include:

1 job for every 25 job seekers in the inner city
48,000 people out of work and collecting unemployment
Food Shares at 191,000 recipients
Racial disparities in education continue …

For more than a decade, Hupy & Abraham , S.C. has provided holiday meals for families in need. This year the firm donated $6,000 for Thanksgiving meals and another $6,000 for Christmas meals to feed hungry families in the communities they serve. 100 families in the Milwaukee area received food baskets filled with a turkey or ham and all the ingredients to prepare a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Another 100 families received the food baskets for Christmas. The 13th annual holiday food giveaway events were held at the Pick n’ Save …

By Nyerere C. Davidson
‘Tis the season to give to others – this holds true for the Healthy Holiday Soup Kitchen.
Hosted by members of the Delta Kappa Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the Eta Zeta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in conjunction with All Saints Food Pantry, located in the All Saints Catholic Church, the Dec. 17 soup kitchen fed many families that otherwise would not have a place to receive a warm meal.
In an effort to combat hunger in the Greater Milwaukee area this holiday …

To get into the “real” spirit of the holidays, a downtown Milwaukee law firm is foregoing its annual holiday party and will feed the hungry instead.
The attorneys and staff at Hausmann-McNally, S.C. will serve a free holiday meal to the homeless, poor and others on Sat., Dec. 12 at Izzy’s Restaurant at 2613 W. State St. from noon to 3 p.m., or until everyone is fed.
Among those invited to the holiday lunch are people who regularly come to the St. Benedict the Moor Ministries at 1015 N. Ninth St. St. …

Sen. Spencer Coggs’ bill making Juneteenth Day, or June 19th, a legal holiday in Wisconsin, was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Doyle in Milwaukee before a huge crowd of supporters at the Northcott Neighborhood House. Rep. Tamara Grigsby was the Assembly author of the bill.
“Passage of the Juneteenth Bill has been a long time in coming,” Sen. Coggs said. “Ever since 1987, when my late aunt, former state Rep. Marcia Coggs and I introduced Juneteenth legislation we have worked for many years to bring due recognition to the day …

The only thing that could possibly be more amazing than the four day run of parents “shopping” for toys for their kids at The Salvation Army Toy Shop is the unfathomable number of stuffed animals, board games, bikes, big wheels and all the other goodies giddy little children will find under their Christmas trees less than a month from now.
That’s all anyone could say as they make their way around the former warehouse where staff and volunteers of The Salvation Army, along with US Marines will gather to make the …

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators (MMABSE) invites you to our 4th Annual Holiday Fling on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the University Club, 924 E. Wells St., 6th Floor. Enter off Prospect and pull up to the garage door to park. Parking is free. This is a charitable event. Donations are $25.00 and the proceeds will be used to provide holiday gifts to local families. There will be Door Prizes, Appetizers, and a Dance Contest. Please mark your calendar! For questions …

The Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee will host the 15th annual “Spirit of the Nonprofit Sector: Holiday Celebration of Diversity” Thurs., Dec. 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago.
Featuring music, traditional foods, artists and displays, the event showcases Milwaukee’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity, including the traditions of Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and New Year.
Artists, vendors and representatives of local nonprofits will share their talents and offer handcrafted gifts for sale.
Entertainment includes Repairers of the Breach Homeless Choir, Berkeley Fudge Quartet, Ton Ko-Thi Children’s Dance Ensemble, Trinity Academy …

Photo by Harry Kemp

The 2009 Holiday Parade made its way down Wisconsin Ave. here in Milwaukee last weekend. Thousands of attendees watched floats, marching bands from area high schools, radio and television personalities on a unseasonably warm day. Employees from Johnson Controls walked along side the participants in the parade and collected can goods for the Hunger Task Force as the company does every year.