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Drug and alcohol abuse and addiction is a growing public health concern in Wisconsin and across the country. In 2013, more Wisconsin residents died from drug overdose than motor vehicle accidents. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that, in 2015, Wisconsin experienced 872 drug overdose deaths. Waukesha County has been greatly impacted by this epidemic, a crisis that affects people from all backgrounds, income levels, and ages. Mike Ingrelli, owner of Mike Ingrelli Plumbing, has personal experience with addiction.

Large class sizes, overwhelmed teachers, lack of resources for individual attention... these are some of the barriers to success for students in Milwaukee Public Schools. However, did you know that over 3,000 people lend their time and talents to MPS schools, often just one hour a week, to help overcome these barriers? Heather Aschoff, one of two Community Partnership & Volunteer Associates for MPS, recruits, trains, and helps place thousands of volunteers in over 150 schools.

Do you ever pass a homeless individual on the street and think, I wish there was more I could do for them than just give them a couple of bucks? How about in the winter, when you make the walk from your car to your warm and comfortable home, do you ever think about the folks who may not have a warm place to sleep that night? Did you know there is a free and comprehensive resource that you can share to get people the help they need?

How often does a podcast give you chills?

This week, we have a very special guest in Brit Morgan. Brit currently serves as a Teen Program Coordinator with COA’s Holton Youth Center. Until July of this year, Brit was a Community Health Ambassador through Public Allies working on the Infant Mortality Prevention Initiative here at United Way.

Brit is also the founder and host of the newly 3-year-old PENtastic Open Mic series. A spoken word artist herself, Brit refers to this bi-monthly event as her “labor of love” and a “healing center” for people to feel included and connected to their community. The PENtastic Open Mic happens the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 8pm at The Artist Factory here in Milwaukee.

This episode was recorded before Brit began her new role at COA, so we will hear about her work with the Infant Mortality initiative at to begin, then move into some conversation about spoken word and PENtastic. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode to hear Brit share an original spoken word piece she composed. That’s where the chills come in.

In December 2015, as we prepared to celebrate the end of our very first campaign as the merged United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, a very special guest paid us a visit; Brian Gallagher. Gallagher is the president & CEO of United Way Worldwide, covering nearly 1,800 communities in 40 countries and territories and engaging more than 3 million volunteers and 10 million donors.

If you live in Milwaukee, or just love the city and all of the great work happening here, how many times have you thought to yourself “I wish our news media would cover more than just the latest shooting…” Perhaps you stay away from downtown Milwaukee because you see violence on the news each morning. Or, maybe you decided not to send your children to Milwaukee Public Schools because of stories you’ve read in the paper.

If you recognize yourself in these descriptions, you should add Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) to your daily routine. Milwaukee NNS prides itself on offering a balanced view of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods by speaking with residents about all of the issues that face the community, with a focus on new initiatives and programs being implemented, and community successes.

Today on Living Local, we talk with Edgar Mendez, Beat Reporter for the Milwaukee NNS. Edgar lives on the South Side and covers stories all around the city, talking to residents about the latest education initiatives and other big issues like the recent unrest in Sherman Park and the City’s response to high lead levels in our water.

In the time it will take for you to listen to this podcast, someone in the US will have died from suicide. Suicide is a more common cause of death than homicide or car accidents and is on the rise in our community and across the country. This week we talk to Mary Madden, Executive Director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Waukesha, and Dr. Bob Dubois, Professor of Psychology at Waukesha County Technical College, about suicide in Waukesha County and around the county, which has risen about 24% in the last decade.

If you were to guess, which age group and would you assume to have the highest incidence of suicide? If your first thought is teens and/or young people, think again. This week we talk to Mary Madden, Executive Director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Waukesha, and Dr. Bob Dubois, Professor of Psychology at Waukesha County Technical College, about suicide in Waukesha County and around the county, which has risen about 24% in the last decade.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men has been sexually assaulted…so why is it still so hard to talk about?

At the age of 21, Dawn Helmrich experienced a brutal sexual assault. This life-altering event had many negative outcomes for Dawn, including rampant victim blaming and lack of support during a traumatic experience on the witness stand. As a result of these experiences, Dawn has become one of Milwaukee’s most vocal advocates for victims of Sexual Assault through her leadership of the annual Denim Day. Each April, Denim Day brings awareness to sexual violence and helps end victim blaming.

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