OUR INITIATIVES
THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT
ALIVE helps students prepare for independence in both their personal and work lives by providing on-site training as well as community integrated vocational experiences. Through relationships with local businesses and organizations, ALIVE provides students with opportunities to work and gain on-site experience. These opportunities expand students’ experiences and provide the business community with positive experiences interacting with skilled, young talent.
MKE Fellows is a powerful initiative offering support to academically talented, African American young men from Milwaukee to ensure that they graduate from college prepared for career success. In tandem with the Greater Milwaukee Committee, Quarles & Brady, and the Fellowship Open, this program continues to grow and see successful Black leaders emerge and return to Milwaukee.
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It continues the grooming of a strong pipeline of young, African American male college graduates ready to return to Milwaukee and other parts of the state to excel in their careers, build wealth, become engaged leaders, and to give back to other young men around them. This happens via one-on-one mentorship, professional development, an opportunity for summer internships, lunches with Milwaukee’s leading businesses, and civic volunteering. The activities that the Fellowship Open have supported have affected literally thousands of youngsters in Milwaukee in all aspects of their development, including the arts, technology, job skills, and job readiness. Each year a group of youngsters are invited to participate at the event and meet with the honorary chairs.
ALIVE believes in the power of giving! To celebrate all the community that happens in the Summer, we made 12 Days of Christmas In July to give back and participate in goodness happening all over the city, because every day is a season for giving!
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The 12 Days Project's principal objective is to. connect in friendship with each other to make ameaningful and demonstrable difference on the lives of people in the City of Milwaukee.
In the 6 years 12 Days has been operating, we have established 12 principal gifts that happen in 12 Days In July and 2 Bonus Days to extend the friendship. They are The Gifts of , Exposure, Reinvestment, Sportsmanship, Relationships,
Fellowship, Healthy Living, Leadership Mentorship, Learning, Service, Collaboration, Community, Sisterhood and Exploration.
Sow & Grow is an initiative to bring health and urban gardens to emerging communities. Our gardens have been growing strong thanks to partnerships with Old Mount Zion New Jerusalem, Youth Service America, and United Way – Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families. Through Sow & Grow, we have begun to introduce families to healthy and sustainable food items, new flavors, and produce to youth and immature palates. We hope to continue fostering healthier eating habits and a taste for natural goodness. In 2018 ALIVE and Chef Roxanne Cardenas launched Keep Stirring, which teaches these communities cooking and food fundamentals and healthy adaptations for those with diabetes, high-cholesterol, or those with limited options on food stamps.
STEAM Open is an umbrella for all the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics events ALIVE is a part of. Each year a team of students competes in the National CSTEM events and crushes the competition with their wit and innovation ALIVE continues to support local artists and musicians through gallery nights and open-mic performance platforms. ALIVE also has a booth each year at Maker Faire Milwaukee, where our volunteers help kids experience the joys of science and technology among a variety of other STEAM-focused friends. Another STEAM participant raised funds to attend a 3-day engineering camp, where we hope he will continue fostering the skills and passion he discovered at our first STEAM Open Summit!
