Listen: At RadioMilwaukee, our internet presence has been essential to what we do. We spend a good amount of time and effort on Twitter, Facebook, our blogs, and anything else that helps us communicate better with our listeners and community members. And the hub of our internet of internet presence? Our website. It’s the front door to what we do at 88Nine.

That being said, we just completed a major renovation. The new website is cleaner, simpler, and more usable than ever before. But you don’t have to take my word for it — take it for a spin.

That being said, while I’ve actually really liked using this WordPress blog, everything here is migrating over to the new website. Our first post on this blog was on November 5, 2008 — 436 posts, hundreds of audio pieces, and thousands and thousands of words later, we find a new home. And if you’re worried, you ought not be; the home for 88Nine’s storytelling is a definite upgrade and there’ll be audio and words and photos and stories galore. Check it out (now, featuring word bubbles!)!

Listen: As a committed runner myself, when I first heard about an organization named ‘Girls on the Run,” my imagination was immediately captured — it’s almost like an organization named “Girls as Radio Producers.” (Someday.) Girls on the Run is a national organization with chapters around the country, including a relatively new and quite energetic chapter in the Milwaukee area. The program runs at different sites around town, and I managed to connect with a few coaches and girls who participated at the 16th Street Community Health Center on the near South Side.

We first heard from the 16th Street Community Healthy Center in last winter’s Meet The Need campaign. This time, it served as a setting for an interview where we got into how Girls on the Run operates, and what it’s like for pre-teen girls to train and run a 5k race:

Want to get involved with Girls On The Run? Volunteer! They have plenty of opportunities to mentor their awesome young runners. Also, they have a fund raising event coming up this October 15th at Café 1505 where you can support them and learn more about what they do.

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: Back in February, I took a trip to TRUE Skool as part of our Make Milwaukee campaign. It was my first time in their space and a wonderful introduction to what they do — I was overwhelmed by all the teens bustling around, making art, learning to DJ, and generally creating. I met a lot of young people on that trip, but there was one kid who definitely stood out. Miguel. Notably, he explained to me the Japanese influences on his art and so generously sung a snatch of the song “War” that acted as the intro to the audio piece I made for their Urban Arts Program.

When I went back to True Skool for a gallery night, this time for the Make A Difference campaign, the environment was almost identical. Buzzing. And again, I caught Miguel for an interview. This time, we had a much more in depth conversation, focusing on what he’s learned from the professional artists who have worked with him at True Skool:

Want to get involved with TRUE Skool? Volunteer or donate! Contact them and let them know that you want to connect. Also, you can see them in action at the this Friday’s MAM After Dark. They’re putting on a full-on B-Boy Battle… a round robin break dancing tournament in Windhover Hall? What? That’s crazy and amazing!

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: A few weeks back, I stopped by Harley Davidson‘s Juneau offices (not too far from our own studios), for a breakfast honoring Harley employees who volunteer. One of the major factors an individual must take into account when considering a volunteer opportunity — how realistic is the time commitment? Unfortunately this is a very real and practical concern. Few people, especially those with a family and a house, have much time to spare.

Harley Davidson makes volunteering a bit easier for their employees — if the employee’s willing, Harley will donate a couple hours a week of their time to participate in opportunities like Big Brothers Big Sisters (more on them in them in the weeks to come!) or Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. At the volunteer breakfast I attended, I spoke with Harley employee Valerie Larry, who also spends time in the classroom with Junior Achievement:

Want to get involved with Junior Achievement of Wisconsin like Valerie? It sure sounds like a lot of fun. To learn more about how you volunteer in the Greater Milwaukee area, visit their website.

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: The problem of hunger in our community has no simple solution. Of course, donations of food, money, and time are key ingredients, but there is a component of the answer that must come before those things — awareness and involvement.

Empty Bowls raises funds for food and hunger programs operating in Milwaukee (read about their history here), and they do that by pulling folks from around the community into their process. At an annual event, they sell bowls filled with soup to the public. The bowls are made by anybody ranging from a professional artist to school students to business people and the soup is donated from restaurants around Milwaukee. Rather than being detached from the cause, people actually get their hands dirty.

Hands getting dirty — that’s just what I witnessed at Murray Hill Pottery Works on the East Side. A few weeks back, I dropped in for their “glaze-a-thon” and met a bunch of wonderful volunteers, including Jean Wells, an Empty Bowls leader, and Teri Regano, a friend of the station and Empty Bowls volunteer:

If you’d like to learn more about Empty Bowls, check out their website. They still have volunteer opportunities open, so sign up today! And perhaps most importantly, attend the Empty Bowls event on Saturday, October 9th from 10:30am to 2:00pm at the MATC Oak Creek Campus! I know I’ll be there.

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: Yesterday, I introduced Barbara Stein (although she was wearing a Santa disguise for part of it) and her lifelong commitment to volunteering. In that post, I alluded to the setting of our interview — her 98′ Buick Riviera. Now, this isn’t because we couldn’t find a suitable alternative location for the interview. No, her car was a perfectly appropriate setting because of its perfectly on message license plate. VLNTR. Volunteer. Quite the commitment — check it out above.

We could have sat in the driver and passenger seat all morning, reliving Barbara’s volunteering adventures together. And while we did manage to cover a good deal of ground, there was one story that stuck out to me, simply because it didn’t sound like any story we’ve done so far. The role a particular period in our country’s history plays in her story sets this story apart. Listen to how Barbara became involved with Head Start in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s tragic assassination:

Perhaps Head Start, although they’re no longer so young, would be a good item to add to your volunteer resume? Find an opportunity in Milwaukee!

Produced by: Adam Car

Listen: When you think of the word “fraternity,” is the first that comes to mind volunteering? A few weeks ago, I biked down to the Summerfest grounds during Mexican Fiesta to meet with members of the Omega Delta Phi fraternity. In our discussions leading up to that day, Julio Maldonado, founder of the Milwaukee Chapter of ODP and current leader, told me that their volunteers do whatever they’re asked by Mexican Fiesta — everything from moving the offices to the grounds to shuttling artists to facilitating the jumping car contest. And they weren’t kidding.

When I found Omega Delta Phi, they had a line of kids waiting to have their face painted! While most of the guy in ODP are professionals that may not have much experience in the ways of face painting, they were doing a great job and earning a lot of smiles from the kids. Also, I was able to catch them for an interview about their efforts in the community:

Learn more about Omega Delta Phi here, and then take a moment to look into Mexican Fiesta (I know the next one is not for a year, but it doesn’t help to build a little anticipation). Also, learn a lesson from Omega Delta Phi and search for volunteering opportunities in your own community!

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: In considering why folks have a hard time making the leap into volunteering, sometimes it’s not motivation that’s lacking but rather the forward moving inertia — seizing the day and then making commitments is not always the easiest. Barbara Stein, a woman who has been volunteering in the Milwaukee area for over fifty years, is Carpe Diem incarnate.

As we sat in her car (more on why were doing tomorrow!), Barbara glassed her long volunteering career and recalled with vivid detail the time she (a Jewish mother) became Santa Claus (Santa Claus):

In our interview, Barbara shared a number of different experiences, and in the end this is one of two I cherry-picked. Why? I love the lesson — you never know how a valuable and memorable experience will be dressed up. Of course, it might look exactly how you’d expect it to, but then again, it might be wearing a red velvet suit.

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: Exactly how we determine which organizations and stories we bring to light depends on the campaign we’re running. Our main goal for the Make A Difference is to activate our listeners by presenting them with opportunities with which they can really connect. So, in the middle of August we put out an appeal to our listeners and members to find out what kind of volunteering they’re involved with, so they can share them with the rest of our audience. Through Facebook, Twitter, and our newsletter, we got a number of great responses, and this piece featuring Alisa Streets is the first of that batch.

Alisa has been involved in a number of volunteer opportunities (notably, she’s a founder of a group in Milwaukee named Sapphic Adventures), but we focused on her involvement with Habitat For Humanity. Recently, Alisa finished up a successful and productive year of Americorps service with Habitat. In fact, these experiences with Habitat were so impacting, she’s already returned with them as a volunteer:

They could always use more hands to help build homes — sign up to volunteer for Habitat Humanity today! Also, you can learn more about how you can get involved with Americorps here.

Produced by: Adam Carr

Listen: With the polls closed for the partisan primary (I hope you voted!), the Make A Difference campaign is taking a break from the election until late October and the run up to the November general (but don’t forget to keep your eyes and ears open in the meantime!). For the next two weeks, we turn our focus to volunteering and mentoring, tapping into just a few of the rich and wide-ranging opportunities in the Milwaukee community. For these next two weeks, if you hear a story or an organization that peaks your interest, take that next step and get involved. And from a practical standpoint — the weather is just beginning to make being outdoors a less appealing option, so find a cause to connect with!

Batting leadoff — the Milwaukee Film Festival. As our city’s concert series and festivals go into hibernation, the good folks at Milwaukee Film give us a reason to celebrate the coming of Fall. For eleven days solid, from September 23rd (next Thursday) to October 3rd, they’re bringing first rate film to theaters in the Milwaukee area, and they are showing a boatload of films — check out their schedule.

So how do they manage to pull off such a huge operation? Of course, they have a tireless and hardworking staff, but they also have an army of awesome volunteers. Listen to Mary Hanson, a veteran Milwaukee Film Festival volunteer, on her experiences with the festival:

When the opportunity to conduct an interview in the basement of Jackalope Lounj came up, I had to take it — life is an adventure, right? And like I said in the piece, a piece involving film should involve a little setting.

Volunteer with Milwaukee Film! According to a Milwaukee Film blog post from earlier today, they still have 600 volunteer shift spots open for the festival! Sign up now! Plus, if you do, you get free tickets to the festival, which is a sweet deal.

Produced by: Adam Carr