Listen: For our second Monday, Day 8 of 50 in Meet The Need, we stop at the United Community Center, a mainstay of Milwaukee’s near South Side. They provide a wide variety of quality programs making a difference in the lives of youth, seniors, and families -- and they just turned 40 years old this year! Congratulations!
What do they do at the UCC? Simply put, they do a lot. Over the past few years, we've had a chance to see and hear about a wide swath of their work -- to name just a few, the Latino Arts String Program, their top-notch youth boxing gym, and, of course, last year's Meet The Need). Really, we could keep going back and coming away with a fresh and different story every time. And that's just what I got when I spoke with Elsa Mercado, Public Relations Director of the UCC:
-Since they have programs for everyone from pre-schoolers to the elderly, I had the feeling there were a lot of 'UCC Families.' As it turns out, Elsa belongs to one:
-A key part of the UCC is the Adult Day Center and the Latino Geriatric Center, which for one of their aging clients, Julia, helped her maintain who she is:
-On the other end of the spectrum, we hear the story of Filiberto, a kid who had trouble reading who required some individual attention:
-The UCC concentrates its focus on education, elder care, family fitness and health, and human services. Elsa runs us through some of their programming:
-Finally, if you'd like to get involved, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities at the UCC. Elsa tells us about a few and then answers the question "Which is your favorite?"
This year, we ask you to adopt one or two organizations that connect with you. Want to get involved with the United Community Center? Donate, volunteer, or check out their work yourself. And you can start with their website.