It’s AmeriCorps week (March 13-19th, 2022) and we are thrilled to thank the AmeriCorps members who step up + show up for our communities! Devin McCoy, Le’Niya Holloway, and Clarence Wilkerson – members of MCC’s 21-22 YouthBuild AmeriCorps team have been building homes in the Clarke Square, Amani and Muskego Way neighborhoods this year. Learn more about how they’re serving Milwaukee below.

Devin McCoy – MCC YouthBuild AmeriCorps ’21-22 Member
Why did you become an AmeriCorps member? I feel our community is bent out of shape, so I wanted to do my best to try and help put it together again.
Do you think serving your community is important? It shows folks out there that there’s a better way to live. Knowing that others less fortunate were helped by our service benefits everyone.
What is the most important tool for success in life? Honestly, I wanna say resilience and acceptance, and also unrelenting optimism. It’s important to understand your situations and to come to terms with the present, but being hopeful for tomorrow gives us the drive to succeed.

Le’Niya Holloway – MCC YouthBuild AmeriCorps ’21-22 Member
Why did you join AmeriCorps? I joined AmeriCorps because it was a way for me to pick up a trade skill and I loved the fact that they give back to the community and people that are less fortunate.
Do you think serving your community is important? I believe that supporting my community is extremely important. I believe that if you have a chance to help someone in your neighborhood then you should do so. All it takes is a small kind deed to keep the cycle going.
What is the most important tool for success in life?I believe that the most successful tool in life is having a plan and sticking to it. You could lose everything today, but as long as you have that dedication and a great work ethic, then you will always prosper.

Clarence Wilkerson – Second term member of MCC’s YouthBuild AmeriCorps

Why did you become an AmeriCorps member? I became an AmeriCorps member because I wanted to try something new and I wanted to help make our community better.
Do you think serving your community is important? I feel like serving my community is important because it lets people know somebody cares.
What is the most important tool for success in life? I feel determination is the most important tool for success because I feel like you can do whatever you put your mind to.

From Spectrum 1 News – “It starts at home with parenting because they have to be the first role models,” said Andre Robinson, director of Violence Free Zone for Milwaukee Christian Center.

The Milwaukee Christian Center operates Violence Free Zone programming at Bay View, Pulaski, James Madison Academic Campus, South Division and Bradley Tech High Schools, while the Violence Free Zone partner organization Running Rebels operates the program at additional schools. 

“If you have issues with other young people call your mentor or get a mentor and get that person to figure out what the situation is and then they can connect all parties together and figure out what really is happening. You can’t do that on social media because everyone has their own opinion,” said Robinson. 

Robinson stressed if a kid doesn’t have a mentor, there are plenty of people who are willing to serve as one across Milwaukee.

“There are tons of options in Milwaukee right now for youth mentoring from the Office of Violence Prevention, the Running Rebels and the Milwaukee Christian Center, to 414 Life” explained Robinson. Full coverage can be found here

From Wisconsin Policy Forum – “After analyzing the city’s affordable housing efforts and challenges through a systemic and citywide lens, in this report we turn to a neighborhood-based initiative to improve housing conditions in Milwaukee. That project is the Amani Housing Pilot, which was launched in 2019 and aims to take a comprehensive and community-engaged approach to improve housing on one block in Milwaukee’s Amani neighborhood. The pilot involves partnerships between neighborhood residents, several community organizations, and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation and was created with the intention of helping to guide future housing efforts in Amani, other Milwaukee neighborhoods, and potentially other cities.” Read the full report on this collaborative project which has included MCC’s home construction and training work here

From Spectrum1 News – The Violence Free Zone program is run by two Milwaukee organizations, Running Rebels and Milwaukee Christian Center. VFZ helps mentor youth at a dozen Milwaukee Public Schools. 

VFZ advisors work with middle and high school students to provide additional school support, accomplish goals, strengthen preparedness for learning and develop strategies to reduce and resolve conflicts responsibly. The goal of the two organizations involved with this program is to set students up for success and reduce youth violence. 

“I can’t assist that young person to improve his attendance, to reduce his violence, or improve grade point average. I must have a relationship with his parents, his social workers, and even law enforcement who may deal with this young person, “ said Andre Robinson, director of Violence Free Zone for Milwaukee Christian Center. Full coverage can be found here

From Fox 6 – Ribbon cutting for a new 80’x18′ community mural at Pulaski Pool. The new artwork was created by community members, led by Community Muralist Tia Richardson through Milwaukee Christian Center’s (MCC) Community Art Leaders project.

Through the project community members engage in a process led by Richardson and youth that informs the creation of a community mural. The process asked community members to name some of the challenges they experience in Pulaski Park. Then they were asked to name some different ways/choices they or others can make to improve those challenges. Moving from left to right the mural shows the progression from the challenges (symbolically shown as clouds/pollution) to a brighter future. It includes the community effort of restoring the river which brings more biodiversity and makes it a happier, healthier place for all to enjoy. Full coverage can be found here

Thanks to the generosity of our community MCC’s Centennial Celebration for Strong Neighborhoods was an astounding success! We hope those of you who joined us enjoyed learning more about Milwaukee Christian Center’s work and the remarkable individuals we are honored to serve. We asked you to “Be the Builder,” and we are overwhelmed with gratitude at your response.
 
Because of your incredible generosity, we raised over $135,000 to support our mission of building strong neighborhoods full of opportunity into our next century of service to the Milwaukee community. We want to thank each and every generous donor and our sponsors for making such an incredible impact on Milwaukee.

From TMJ 4 – Andre Robinson is another Credible Messenger and the Director of Violence Free Zone for Milwaukee Christian Center. “When I was growing up my credible messengers were gang bangers and drug dealers,” Robinson said. “I want credible messengers, the real credible messengers now, to be able to walk among these young people and say, ‘Hey you know what, I may not know 100% what you’re going through but I know that my situation was similar to yours and this is what I did to get out of it.'” Read full coverage here

From Milwaukee Courier – “We make the assumption that everyone has leadership skills; we just want to give them the opportunity to show them,” Karen Higgins, executive director of Milwaukee Christian Center said.

Suarez, for example, learned how to become a team player. “I wasn’t a very social person but being in this program I’ve been able to speak out more and learn a lot of things about myself I didn’t know before,” Suarez said. “With siding, I’m a quick learner, and a lot of other participants came to me and I found myself helping others.” Read full coverage here

The Youth Artists United Murals led by Community Muralist Tia Richardson and young people involved in Milwaukee Christian Center youth programming received a 2021 Mayor’s Design Award! For the past five years Milwaukee Christian Center, Community Muralist Tia Richardson, and neighbors have dramatically improved one block of Forest Home Avenue on Milwaukee’s near south side. The project transformed a patch of land and strip of paint covering graffiti to a welcoming pocket park and beautiful 200’ plus stretch of murals completed in 2020. Initiated by Milwaukee Christian Center’s Muskego Way Forward initiative and area resident Tia Richardson, the project lent beauty and creativity to a high traffic space connecting neighborhoods. The initial work created Butterfly Park with landscaping, seating, and a community mural and was followed by a three-year process of engaging community members and youth in creating a 200’ plus stretch of murals leading from Butterfly Park westward. The final product is abundant and vibrant as was the five-year process that engaged 250 youth, 400 neighbors, and inspired countless passerby to join in creating more beautiful, safer spaces. Coverage of the award can be found here