On Friday February 23rd, the weekly Sunrise Meeting was hosted by our 30-year community partner, the Wellpoint Care Network. Rotarian Jack Nelson, a Wellpoint Board Member, introduced President and CEO Ann Leinfelder Grove, who has been with the organization for the past 34 years. Ann welcomed the club members and thanked the group for their support and volunteerism through the years.
“We believe in the healing power of relationships and connections… it is what we are about.”
The three-core services Wellpoint provides are:
- Mental Health Programming
- Child and Family Wellbeing
- Trauma informed Care Training
Along with the core services she outlined the current organization priorities of their journey to find more foster parents, cultivate donors for the renovation project and focus on the five pillars of social determinants of health. The five pillars are: education, employment, health, caring connections, and housing. The staff works with all their clients by assisting them in attaining any or all the pillars.
During Ann’s talk, she pointed out the three murals adorning the east wall of the meeting room. These murals were created in 2018 by three juveniles that were residing at the Milwaukee County Juvenile Detention Center. These pieces of art are “Self Portraits”, telling their vision and story through their creative imagination. The portraits are shown at the top of the article.
What’s new?... It is the MMSD stormwater retention project, creating wet and dry prairies that will be able to absorb one million gallons of water, reducing area flooding. The project will also relieve pressure on the deep tunnel stormwater system during storm events.
This summer Wellpoint will be reinventing the community gardens by moving them to the front of the building this growing season. The plan is to construct a few more accessibility beds that will be planted by a group of mental health students that will serve as gardeners this summer. Additional beds will be provided by a construction crew from the club.
Ann introduced Alex Williams, Director of Community Engagement, who reviewed several upcoming events and volunteer opportunities:
- Book drive for the Read to me program this spring.
- Assembling lead test kits.
- Back to School Bash, late this summer.
- Foster Children Gift Collection and Holiday Party.
- Diapers for Dads, later in the year.
Jack Nelson will provide information and sign-ups for these great opportunities to provide Service Above Self.
After the presentation club members were provided a tour of the renovated facility.
Thank you, Ann, Alex, Starlet and staff, for hosting and sharing your mission and vision. We look forward to hearing about your 2025 plans for celebrating 175 years of community service.
