Listen: Almost a year ago, Jason Holton came into our studios to do an interview for our Meet The Need campaign. At the time, City Year Milwaukee was largely still an idea -- a national organization, City Year and Jason were still laying the groundwork for their first year in Milwaukee. In that interview, Jason communicated a number of qualities that make City Year unique, but one seemed to both literally and figuratively stand out -- the standard bright red fleece that City Year corps members wear.
After that interview, I seemed to notice City Year red everywhere -- at the bus stop, community meetings, concerts, the West Side Urban Ecology Center, and even in Mary McLeod Bethune Academy when I was volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters! Even though they hadn't yet officially started their program in Milwaukee, they were keeping themselves busy, making inroads and connections throughout the community.
And with the new school year started, you can find the red fleeces of City Year in schools all over Milwaukee. To get an in depth look at what they do, take a look at this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article by Erin Richards. Also, keep an eye peeled for their fleece -- I'm serious, once you know they're out there, you'll see them everywhere.
Earlier this week, Ben posted both audio from Executive Director Jason and corps member Lindsay. In this piece, we hear from Josh, a Milwaukee native and first year City Year Corps member:
You can learn more about all the wonderful work City Year Milwaukee's doing on their website or what they're doing on a national level. Also, you can stay up to the second and follow them on Twitter. Finally, they're recruiting corps members right now! Become a mentor!