The family began arriving Friday afternoon at the Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport hotel. The meet and greet was spirited, filled with spontaneity and lots of hugs and kisses! The family assembled from 14 states for the reunion and from as far away as California and Florida. The large hospitality room had round tables and the [...]

By Nicole Angresano Vice president Community Impact United Way of Greater Milwaukee My son is 5 years old. Well, 5 ¾, actually—he’s at an age where every extra month counts. He is the cherry on top of my family’s ice cream sundae—and there isn’t a thing we wouldn’t do for him. Some choices are obvious: [...]

You can experience nature— and exotic animals— without leaving the city when you participate in the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s annual Snooze at the Zoo campout, sponsored by Old Orchard Brands and Sentry Foods. Pitch a tent at the Milwaukee County Zoo on the two remaining nights available— Aug. 8 or 9—and listen to animals [...]

A group of young people from the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) Youth Programs got a firsthand look at life in the country. The youth took a field trip to a large dairy farm and petting zoo in Mid-Wisconsin. The field trip was organized by SDC to provide a look at how people live and work [...]

On the heels of being ranked the top nonprofit organization in Wisconsin across all categories in September, COA Youth & Family Centers is now the number one Children’s & Family Services agency in the nation, according to Charity Navigator. Based in Glen Rock, NJ, Charity Navigator assesses nonprofits on their financial health, accountability and transparency. [...]

By Nicole Angresano Vice president, Community Impact, United Way of Greater Milwaukee Is there anything parents look forward to more than talking to their children about SEX? I mean, I don’t know about you, but when my 4 ½ son asks me where babies come from, I throw a party! “Bring it on,” I say. [...]

Safe Sleep Sabbath educates congregations on infant mortality By Maricha Harris Sunday morning service is the last place a churchgoer would expect to learn how to place her baby safely to sleep. But on Sunday, October 9th that’s just what various area congregations were taught. Mayor Tom Barrett and Health Commissioner Bevan Baker visited three [...]

Men seeking to become better fathers were inspired and helped towards achieving that goal at the 6th Annual Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit. The two day event held at Destiny Youth Plaza attracted hundreds of fathers to the event organized by the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative (MFI) and the Social Development Commission (SDC). The Fatherhood Summit presented workshops [...]

A pilot program is successfully connecting Milwaukee area fathers with the lives of their children. The On My Shoulders program is improving the quality of father-child and co-parenting relationships among Milwaukee area families. The program is one of only a few pilot efforts being done around the country. In Milwaukee County, it is coordinated by [...]

Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~Jesse Jackson October was Let’s Talk Month, a national public education campaign to increase effective parent-child communication about sex and healthy relationships. United Way of Greater Milwaukee distributed over 5,000 toolkits in Milwaukee to help parents prepare for and begin conversations. And despite what you might [...]