Stories of Hope (Part 4)
Orchestrating Good shows how a small nonprofit can make a big impact
by Annie Pulley, Racine Journal Times, Feb 17, 2025
Rachael Contreras and Jessica Greb, founders of Orchestrating Good,
have been friends for about 15 years. (Annie Pulley, Reporter/Photo)
RACINE — Jessica Greb and Rachael Contreras started with a simple mission: find ways to orchestrate good.
The long-time friends made their ethos official in 2019 and created the aptly named nonprofit, Orchestrating Good.
In collaboration with partners, donors and local police departments, the nonprofit provides gifts to Racine and Mount Pleasant children at Christmas and supports four Community Oriented Policing houses.
Greb said that although the nonprofit is small, it receives a lot of support from donors across Racine County.
“When we ask, they definitely give, and we are really grateful for that,” Greb said. “We continue to just evolve and meet the needs that we see in the community to the best of our ability.”
On Feb. 14, Roma Lodge donated $2,000 to support Orchestrating Good.
According to Roma Lodge board member Bill Pucci, Orchestrating Good is one of nearly a dozen community organizations that will receive a portion of the funds generated from the annual Pancake Day fundraiser.
The lodge will distribute about $18,000 in total from funds raised last year. Pancake Day will celebrate its 69th anniversary on April 26.
Programming
Orchestrating Good’s flagship program aims to keep four COP houses, three in Racine and one in Mount Pleasant, stocked with food and other items like laundry soap, baby food, diapers and other hygiene products.
Through conversations with local police, Greb and Contreras, who is married to an investigator with the Racine Police Department, became aware that many community members were in need of basic household items.
Before instituting the program, officers sometimes used their own earnings to help meet these needs. Now, any officer can access the resources available at one of the four COP houses.
When December rolls around, Greb and Contreras also coordinate a mobile toy store that delivers gifts to children in Racine and Mount Pleasant.
To view a 30 second video of the mobile toy store, click on this link: https://journaltimes.com/mobile-toy-store-caravan/video_92907336-bf2d-11ef-bd97-a700d1fae0ea.html#tracking-source=article-related-bottom
The program just celebrated its fifth year.
When the weather warms up, the nonprofit will again take to the streets and deliver ice cream cones and sweet treats to local neighborhoods.
Origins: Greb, who has more than a decade of experience working with large nonprofits, began volunteering with and learning about the smaller organizations in the community.
For her 40th birthday, Greb decided she wanted to give back. She and a group of her friends spent the day volunteering in an attempt to do 40 good things.
The celebration sparked a conversation, and she, along with Contreras, started talking about getting into the business themselves.
The program just celebrated its fifth year.
Greb attended a free legal clinic at Marquette University and went to work seeking 501(c)(3) status for Orchestrating Good.
“It doesn’t take hundreds of thousands of dollars to make an impact,” Greb said. “I think sometimes we get paralyzed and don’t know where to start. And so I would just encourage people to just do what you can, start small, and watch it grow.”
A BIG NEED FOR TRAINING
The number of Spanish-speaking cheesemakers is growing. UW-Madison is educating them
By KIMBERLY WETHAL, Kenosha News, October 13, 2024
(Before I continue the newspaper story, I just wanted to say it meant a lot to me because one of my grandmothers was an immigrant from Poland to the U.S. in 1895 when she was 16 years old. She lived in the same house as I did when I was born in 1942. She lived with us till she died. She had 5 children, including my father. She and her family were all hard workers. My grandmother and her children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren have all contributed to the growth and quality of life in our communities and our country. I remember how important it was to her that we got the best education we could and that we worked to earn money for our families and ourselves.
I think that on the whole, immigrants have contributed a lot of positive things to our country back then and still do today. I don’t know how many non-immigrants are interested in being cheesemakers for a career, but we need/want cheese as part of our diet, and immigrants are more likely to take those jobs and make the company they work for pleased to have them part of their workforce. Robert Beezat. Now back to the newspaper story.)
One of the Dairyland’s key industries has a shortage of people — and UW-Madison is stepping in to help.
As more cheese plants open, fewer employees are coming in with prior industry experience, said Dean Sommer, a cheese technologist at the university’s Center for Dairy Research. The biggest need dairy processing employers say they have is training for employees, not just in Wisconsin but across the country.
So, on a Wednesday morning in late September, the center held a cheesemaking short course class that, in one sense, looked just like every other, as attendees in the lab stirred multiple hues of cheese in vats and watched as warmed mozzarella was molded into string cheese.
This one, though, had a different sound: Instructions were given in Spanish, for only the second time in UW-Madison’s 133-year history of offering the course. To read more about the cheesemaking industry and how Wisconsin University is working with employers and students to meet the marked demand for top quality cheese, click on this link: Craving queso? UW-Madison has a class for that
Reading program works to keep incarcerated parents connected to their children
By Ryan Patterson, Racine Journal Times, September 1, 2024
RACINE COUNTY — When Jovantae Phifer came home, his children told him they loved the recordings.
On video, Phifer read a book to each of his four kids and explained the books’ lessons.
“It was a beautiful thing to have that feeling and to know that they enjoyed it,” Phifer said. “It just gave me a good, positive feeling.”
Jovantae Phifer is one of many people who have participated in “Making Reading Memories,” a Racine County Extension program at area correctional facilities. On video, Phifer read a book to each of his four kids and explained the books’ lessons. Ryan Patterson
Phifer is one of many people who have participated in “Making Reading Memories,” a Racine County Extension program that has operated at area correctional facilities since 2018.
Under the direction of Pam Wedig-Kirsch, Racine County Extension school readiness and family resiliency educator, the program is intended to connect children with parents who are incarcerated and improve children’s literacy skills.
“I think most people as parents question, ‘Am I doing this right? Is this the best thing for my child?’” Wedig-Kirsch said. “Parents who are incarcerated are no different … (This) gives them that knowledge: ‘I am doing things right, I am working to stay connected, I’m staying involved in any way I can.”
Giving parents a voice
“Making Reading Memories” is one of several The Literacy Link initiatives aimed at addressing relationships between incarcerated parents and their children. Depending on the relationship, the programs can create, maintain or grow their connections.
The Literacy Link is a statewide University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension project that includes “Making Reading Memories” and parenting workshops. It also aims to improve welcoming areas and visitation spaces at correctional facilities by adding toys and books for children’s visits.
The Literacy Link’s funders include Roots & Wings Foundation, Blocks for Books and First Book Marketplace.
Ronda Davis, justice-involved families state outreach specialist at Extension, said The Literacy Link programs provide parents with the chance to impact their families while behind bars.
“They still have a voice,” Davis said. “It looks different to parent from a distance, but you’re still a parent.”
The Racine County Extension programs are mainly funded by Racine County and United Way of Racine County, in addition to The Literacy Link.
Jessica Safransky Schacht, UWRC chief operating officer, said the nonprofit has provided annual funding because Racine County Extension is an organized, data-driven entity that excels at identifying barriers to access and responding to community needs. To read more of this article, click on this link: Reading program connects incarcerated parents, children (journaltimes.com)
Our mission is to use storytelling and social media to bring about a more connected, compassionate, and engaged Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Humanities believes stories can break down barriers between us, inspire us to get involved, and help us recognize that we’re more alike than we are different.
We want this platform to connect to a wide range of Wisconsin residents.
Here are stories of 4 Wisconsinites most recently added to the Love Wisconsin website.
|
"I was raised like the community was family.” CABEATRICE HART | MILWAUKEE, WI |
“Cooking food is a sign of love.” ANN VANG | STEVENS POINT, WI |
|
“I believe that treating other people with EMELIA THELEMANN | PLATTEVILLE, WI |
“All humans should be proud of who they are and where BRIAN JACKSON | LAC DU FLAMBEAU, WI |
You can read stories about each of these Wisconsinites by clicking on this link: Stories - Love Wisconsin. When you get to this page, click on the picture of the person you want to find out more about their stories.
To have access to many more stories, click on this link. At the bottom of this page, you can get on the Love Wisconsin monthly newsletter email list.
