[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Milwaukee's philanthropic community radio show. I'm Julie Ellen Becker, president of Ellenbecker Investment Group. EIG is committed to bringing awareness to organizations in our community. This show highlights local and surrounding area nonprofits to help listeners learn how they can have an impact in our community and is for educational purposes only. We believe that helping the community is always positive and recognize the importance of providing a voice. Every organization highlighted is a qualified 501. The opinions and missions expressed on MPC do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Ellen Becker Investment group employees and leaders. Please enjoy today's show.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Welcome. This is EIG, Milwaukee's philanthropic community, with your host, Jill Economo, on Newstalk 1130 Wisna.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today for Milwaukee's philanthropic community, where we highlight people and organizations who are doing great things and making a big impact in our community. I'm your host, Jill Economo, director of community relations at Ellen Becker Investment Group.
I was at an event recently and someone was complaining about something and someone else said, do a PMA self check. Now, I'm thinking that I'm pretty up on the slang that young kids use nowadays, but this was not a young kid talking. I had to ask the question, what are you talking about? She said, Jill, you should know this. You're all about positivity. And when she said that, I was like, okay, yeah, I get it now. I should have realized it based on the conversation. PMA, positive mental attitude. Have you heard that acronym before? How many of you have heard things like, life is tough, my darling, but so are you? Or bad things can teach us how to look at good things in a whole new light.
Although I do believe in those things that may not sit so well with someone who's experiencing some kind of mental health challenge. Some may say that you can't just will away negative thinking. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. Did you know that 60 million Americans experienced a mental illness this past year? And 2022 had the highest number of deaths by suicide ever recorded in the United States?
This is obviously a topic we need to take very seriously and not just assume that sharing a positive message alone will do the trick, especially if there's something really serious going on. Today we're going to tackle this complex topic called mental health and talk about some resources available and ways that you can combat this or help someone else combat a mental health challenge. My first guests today are Julie Preter, executive director, and Carrie Green, board member from Mental Health of America Lakeshore. Welcome to the show. Today, Julie and Carrie, thank you.
[00:03:01] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:03:01] Speaker C: You're welcome. So let's start with you, Julie. Why don't you tell us your background and how this led to your work with MHA Lakeshore?
[00:03:10] Speaker E: Sure. Well, thank you for having me. And, you know, I come with 30 years of experience in the nonprofit field.
I always say it's a faucet you can't turn off.
When you have the calling to serve others, you show up.
So my career has taken me from working in corrections with girls on a five year study. And I've worked for the military in the state of New York investigating suicides.
And I am originally from Wisconsin. I left for 30 years, and I came back a few years ago and I found myself in public health. And that's my background.
And I was leading mental health initiatives through the public health department in Washington and Ozaukee county. And after several years, an opportunity came up to serve as a leader for mental health America. And I took a look at this and I said, everything that I've done in my career has led to this moment.
[00:04:21] Speaker C: Don't you love that when that happens?
[00:04:22] Speaker E: I do.
[00:04:23] Speaker C: It's like a culmination. All this background that I. All these experiences I've had have led me to this place.
[00:04:29] Speaker E: Yes. So I am at six years now, and we have gone through a lot of changes with mental Health America. So honored to lead this organization. We are one of 144 affiliates across the nation under Mental Health America national, which is a leader in advocacy and parity for mental health issues, along with other organizations like Nami, who also serve in the advocacy role.
And we are one of two affiliates in the state of Wisconsin. There used to be many affiliates of MHA, and now we're at two. Mental Health America Wisconsin, which is located here in Milwaukee, and then we are located in Sheboygan county.
[00:05:20] Speaker C: Okay, well, tell us, what does the work within MHA look like and why do you feel that your work is so critical? I know that's a loaded question, but curious for your input.
[00:05:30] Speaker E: Sure. So we're at 71 years this year, and at the heart of how this affiliate started. A group of concerned individuals saw a need of responding and helping access and navigate the mental health care system 71 years ago. And even reading the board minutes today, a lot of those issues still stay true when we look at the mental health care system as a whole. It is a very complex, at times, very broken system. Our organization, at 71 years later, still continues to help those community members navigate services, access education, have someone stand by their side as they're going through this, in addition to that, we provide education and advocacy, making sure that individuals understand when you're seeing a decline in your mental wellness, to take action immediately so you don't get to the point of a crisis. We serve thousands of individuals each year, and we're critical because at least within our area, we are a point of entry, and we're the only one as a point, point of entry into mental and behavioral health services, along with addiction services. Cause we do have a lot of co occurring disorders right now of individuals struggling with the disease of addiction, and also that underlying, you know, mental health struggle that might be going on. So we do touch points within mental, behavioral and addiction services and making sure that individuals understand their opportunities.
[00:07:20] Speaker C: Okay, well, what would you say is the current landscape of mental health within our communities and our nation?
[00:07:29] Speaker E: Well, you touched on it at the beginning of this segment. You know, we're looking at 60 million Americans right now who have a diagnosed mental illness. And right now, if we're looking at 2022 as being the highest rates of suicide, and those rates are continuing to climb, we won't know for a few more years what 2024 is going to present for us. People are struggling. People are not connected at the level that they used to be pre Covid.
And we've seen a decline even within our support groups. People showing up and just being present in person. The world has shifted. And I. Youth have really had the biggest impact on that. You know, they need schedules, they need that connection. They're just starting to see what those long term effects are for them.
At any given point of somebody starting to see signs and symptoms, we know it takes, on average, ten years for an individual to see a general practitioner. By the time that they're starting to see signs and symptoms of. And eleven years for psychiatry care.
[00:08:49] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:08:50] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:08:51] Speaker C: Holy cow.
[00:08:52] Speaker E: Okay, well, and the alarming rate for this is 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24. So when we're looking at where we're putting our funding, upstream programming with youth right now is. It's critical.
[00:09:13] Speaker C: Well, you mentioned those ages.
I would think that there's a certain stigma attached to that. Maybe younger kids, more so than the older adult population, don't want to talk about it, don't want other people to know that they're struggling. Why is it so important to discuss the stigma around mental health and addiction?
[00:09:35] Speaker E: It's complex. I mean, it's, you know, we could talk on financial burdens on a national level, on a community level.
We want to make sure that we have productive community members.
If somebody's showing up for work and their kid is struggling, we need to address that not only with the parent, but with the kids and making those connections. We all play a part in decreasing stigma in the way that we talk about it. And, you know, there's a lot of things that we can do. If you're listening today, you can go to our website and take the stigma pledge. It's a three minute video just to understand the language that you're using and how it contributes to stigma.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: Well, like we said at the beginning, it's not always about, you know, just put your bootstraps on, you know, or pull yourself up by your bootstraps or, you know, have a positive mental attitude. It's not that simple. It's not that straightforward. And so that's one of the messages we want to bring today. So we like to share proof of performance or impact stories so people can really get an idea of how and in what ways the nonprofit we're talking to is making a difference. Sometimes it can be through something as simple but critically important, like advocacy. So stay tuned, and we'll talk about that after our short commercial break.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Thanks for tuning in. This is EIg, Milwaukee's philanthropic community, with your host, Julie Kanamo, on Newstalk 1130 w I s N.
[00:11:14] Speaker C: Welcome back. I'm your host, Jill Economo, and I'm continuing to have a conversation with Julie Prieter, executive director for mental Health of America. And Carrie Green, board member, is going to join our conversation in our next segment.
I encourage people to find a way that they can be a blessing to someone in some way. And sometimes that means volunteering or donating to a cause or an organization that you're passionate about. Sometimes something as simple as advocacy or speaking up on someone's behalf is the best way that you can offer support. So can you share a story of why it's so critical for people to have someone like MHA advocate on their behalf?
[00:12:00] Speaker E: Absolutely. You know, and I go back to what I was speaking about earlier, you know, if we know that an individual, on average, is taking ten years for them to take action, if your community of loved ones around you are noticing that you're having, you know, poor signs of mental wellness, you just don't seem like yourself, individuals, everyone to say, hey, I've noticed you just don't seem the same. And walking that person to a place like mental health America. And we have many people that walk through the door not by themselves, but with others, with their loved ones to say, you know what, this person can't speak what's happening right now because they're in so much pain. But I'm here to help them get to the next step step. And we help provide that catalyst for them to start the journey of whatever those services are that they're needing, whether it's for their child, for themselves, for their parent. You know, we're talking about a lifespan when we're talking about our mental wellness from birth to end of life. And they all come with a host of different things. It's a lot of information to know. You need an advocate like mental health America by your side to understand what the best resources are.
[00:13:30] Speaker C: And so again, advocacy in terms of speaking up for someone may look like what Julie just described. Maybe you're listening to this interview and you know of someone that would benefit from the information. So sharing that would be considered advocacy for a particular individual. So we encourage you to keep an open mind for that.
Give us an idea of what kind of impact is occurring within your work.
[00:13:57] Speaker E: Sure.
I am going to talk a little bit about our k through five program. It's called the Resilient Classroom project. This last year we served close to 1000 students in a variety of different schools. And this is that upstream programming I was speaking about how can we provide resiliency skills, but also the recognition at a very young age?
I'm not feeling okay and how do I talk about it? How do I talk about my emotions? How do I talk about maybe I'm acting out and I'm throwing things or punching. Kids need to be able to label it. And this program really walks them through along with their teachers. The teachers are implementing this program and it's a ten week skill set base that also works with restorative justice.
So we have provided this evidence based, innovative program and we're just so excited that it has been well received within the schools. And the nice thing about this, no matter where you are, you can implement this program. It's a ten week series through videos and lessons and literacy.
So this is one of our highlights, our educational programming, k through twelve and higher learning. We go into a lot of colleges, you know, this is where we can hit that mark that I was talking about before. If we can get kids, we know that 50% and 75% before the age of 24, if we can provide that toolbox early on, we're setting them up for success as adults.
[00:15:44] Speaker C: Okay, well, as you're talking, I'm just curious, do you find that there's more anxiety at younger ages or is it just being talked about more now?
[00:15:57] Speaker E: I think Covid has lent to higher rates of anxiety, eating disorders. We saw very high rates of eating disorders during COVID and depression as a whole. I think life is tough and unless you have a great support system and people are talking about it and there's no stigmas going on, which is probably very rare within a household, you're really trying to maneuver this system and to talk about it and to say, I need help, and that's very hard. And kids today, social media is telling them another message. And how do I as a 14 year old, my youngest is 14.
How does she see herself within social media and not take it in internally? I know how it feels for me as an adult now. I'm asking a young child to be able to absorb that and process what they're seeing.
[00:16:56] Speaker C: Okay. Well, Kerry, as a board member and a community member, can you share your thoughts on what you've learned regarding the difficulty of a broken mental health system?
[00:17:09] Speaker D: Sure. Thank you.
It's been a privilege to join the MHA board. I started my original career as a mental health therapist working with children and adolescents. And, you know, going back 30 years ago, many of the same issues we're having now were the issues that we had back then. Julie has alluded to many just in her last statement about social media and Covid and so many factors that are happening right now for youth in our community. What I'm seeing and how I've pivoted my career is expanding the work that I did in an office, if you will, as a mental health therapist, and have broadened that and opened the door to seeing wellness and mental wellness on a different scope.
I currently teach yoga classes. I also run a group for cancer survivors. I'm a cancer survivor myself and was, one of my children were young, which led to a lot of feelings of isolation. And so where are those spots, those touch points in the community where people can start feeling a deeper sense of connection again? And so one of the pieces in my work with cancer, cancer survivors is we connect in a group format and we talk about what's going on with our cancer journeys. And it's as diverse as anything. Different types of cancers, different ages, different genders. And we do include that co survivor that loved one that's also on this journey. So it's involving that mental health connection piece. But from there we go exercise. This is at the Sheboygan County YMCA. And we go move our bodies so very much in the wellness practices of yoga. For example, and talking and putting people in difficult positions and having them hold those spaces and then working on their breath and working on calming their central nervous system. So I guess what I'm trying to talk about is just the evolution of how I'm thinking about mental wellness and mental health and why I'm so excited to reconnect with the roots of my training as a board member to kind of take that bigger picture of how are we doing this? How are we connecting? What does mental health look like these days? If we're waiting ten years to see a therapist, what are other ways that we can increase our tolerance to handle dysregulation in life as a kid?
[00:19:13] Speaker C: Yeah, and making it, I don't want to say no big deal, but I guess my point is to not make it talk about stigma. Like, talk openly about the struggles that you have, and then maybe it'll become more commonplace and it won't.
Kids won't have, because I would imagine it's much more difficult for kids to deal with the stigma if we make it more of a normal thing. I just need to go talk to somebody, or I just need to work with somebody in some particular area.
Speaking of working with people, do you collaborate with other organizations within your community to enhance or extend the types of services that you offer?
[00:19:59] Speaker E: Yes, we partner with pretty much any touch points that would interface with programming or point of entry into services from health systems. So our hospitals to nonprofits, the United Way of Sheboygan county, the Children's Museum, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club. I mean, wherever we are seeing individuals that have an audience, we're making sure that we are there to collaborate and partner on some level.
[00:20:35] Speaker C: And so when you're working with kids, I imagine that you have to come up with some really creative ways to help them heal or grow.
And you do that through some of your collaborations, right?
[00:20:51] Speaker E: Absolutely.
You know, we know that play is one way to work on trauma, and, you know, we have high rates of trauma right now. There's a lot of, you know, as Carrie alluded, there's just not a regulation going on with families right now. And one of our partners, we a couple of years ago worked on an innovative project called Play is Healing. And, you know, that's up and running and flourishing today within Sheboygan county.
[00:21:27] Speaker C: Wonderful. Well, lots of great things going on over at MHA Lakeshore, and we cannot get to everything that you're doing and all the great ways that you're impacting the community. But how can listeners help to advance your mission and support your programs.
[00:21:46] Speaker E: Absolutely. To go to our website, mental Health America Lakeshore, which is mhalakeshore.org. and if you're listening to this and you're in another part of the country or you're in Milwaukee, we have an affiliate here.
Get involved, advocate, speak up and support your loved ones that are around you. And definitely if you're seeing something that's not right, don't be afraid to say something.
[00:22:12] Speaker C: Okay. Well, Julie Prieter, executive director, and Carrie Green, board member from Mental Health of America Lakeshore, thank you for being here today and sharing the great ways that you're making an impact in the community. Thank you.
[00:22:27] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:22:28] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:22:28] Speaker C: You're welcome. Well, I want to reiterate the importance of supporting these nonprofits that are doing really great work in our community that you're learning about on the show. Sometimes that support comes in the way of volunteering or advocating. Sometimes it's through monetary gifting. When you fund change makers, systems are impacted with innovation, families feel connected, and communities are setting the stage for positive change. We're going to pause for a quick commercial break right now. When we return, we're going to learn about a nonprofit that MHA Lakeshore collaborates with that embodies that feeling of connectedness. So stay tuned and we'll be right back.
[00:23:11] Speaker B: You're listening to EIG, Milwaukee's philanthropic community with your host, Jill Economo on Newstalk 1130 Wisna.
[00:23:25] Speaker C: Welcome back to Milwaukee's philanthropic community, brought to you by Ellen Becker Investment Group. I'm your host, Jill economo, director of community relations. And my next guest today is Kate Tinker, executive director from the above and beyond Children's Museum in Sheboygan. Welcome to the show today, Kate.
[00:23:44] Speaker F: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:23:46] Speaker C: You are welcome.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how did you get or land at the museum?
[00:23:53] Speaker F: Yes. Well, I am relatively new in my role as executive director at above and beyond. I started in April, so four months fresh, but I have been living in the Sheboygan community for over twelve years. Both my parents were teachers in the Chicagoland area, and I always grew up thinking I would be a classroom teacher.
I realized at a young age that maybe classroom teaching was just a little bit too in the box and I needed to do something a little more unique. So I went to school to study museum studies and museum education. I have worked in art museums and at the Field museum in Chicago and at Botanic Gardens and recently joined the staff team to lead above and beyond Children's museum and I'm thrilled to be there.
[00:24:39] Speaker C: Well, since taking on this role of executive director about four months ago, has anything surprised you so much?
[00:24:47] Speaker F: I was so delighted to be a part of the Sheboygan community and be able to watch the incredible growth of above and beyond children's museum over the last ten plus years. But in 2019 into 2020, I became a parent myself. I have two young children. My daughters are four and a half and going to be turning two, and I became a parent during the pandemic. My first daughter was born in January 2020, and then the world shut down.
And I didn't realize until that time how important museums like above and beyond are for connecting people, not just children, but also caregivers. So here I was, working from home, a new young parent, and dealing with my own mental health challenges, postpartum anxiety, trying to figure out this whole new world.
And after having another child coming out of the pandemic and having the opportunity to become a part of the children's museum, I realized how much work we are doing as an organization to connect people, that we are holding space for people that are looking for a safe spot to play, to bring their children, and to learn and to grow.
I always thought of the museum as a local destination, but also thinking of it as an educational laboratory where steam activities are happening and art make is happening and there's messy play and lots of fun things going on.
The piece about advocacy for children and creating more child friendly communities has been huge for me and very eye opening over the last six months.
[00:26:35] Speaker C: Okay, well, talk about programming. You know, some of the things that you're talking about, Messi play and, you know, all kinds of other things. Talk to us about the programming that you offer.
[00:26:45] Speaker F: Definitely. Well, our mission is a special place for children and families where play and education connect through exploration and discovery. One of the things that we do to encourage participation in our organization is we have a family access program called Museums for All. Over 35% of all of our members to the museum are a part of this program, and they can qualify for reduced admission to the museum or reduced year membership by being recipients of any type of state aid, food assistance, birth through three program, any of that.
There are 71% of children's museums across the country are a part of this program. It's so incredible to really encourage visitation at the museum for all ages and stages of life and for those families that might not be able to afford to do so otherwise. Once we kind of get visitors through the door, we have incredible interactive story times, drop in art making experiences. We're going to be launching a music class this fall for ages zero through three. The majority of our programming is focused on birth through age eight. But just as important are those caregivers, the parents, sometimes new parents, young parents who are trying to figure out their new identity as a caregiver and then are able to connect with parent resources. We also bring in other organizations throughout the community to collaborate so that parents can understand what resources they have available for them in the community.
[00:28:22] Speaker C: Well, as you're talking about kids and museums, I just. I might be dating myself here, but I do remember every year growing up, we took a trip through school to the Milwaukee County Museum, and things just come alive when you are.
When you're there. For me, it was the dinosaur exhibit. Okay. For those of you that remember, you know, that was kind of scary as a young kid. Do you have schools bringing kids to the museum?
[00:28:50] Speaker F: Yes. So we have got a field trip program where we are serving preschools, kindergarten, first and second grade groups that are coming through the doors for guided experiences and also for free play. We know how important play is for all ages, and so schools are. I have one school that walks around the block. They are so close to us, and they come every month to experience different classroom ages and stages and just to have some space to play and explore.
I'd also love to talk a little bit about our play is healing program. I know that Julie had mentioned that amazing collaboration, and Carrie's here, and she helped us spearhead that program.
[00:29:31] Speaker D: Yes, you talk about connection. It was during the pandemic that we gathered our local organizations together. So, the Sheboygan YMCA, the Mead Public Library, our community recreation department, we realized our buildings had to shut down. And so our beautiful historic building in the heart of Sheboygan, the children's museum, closed. All these places are closed. So we know families are home isolated. And how do we provide that point of connection? So it was really about gathering in each local park. And we're still doing this program as of 2024, gathering each week at a different park in the area where these organizations are coming together to help facilitate connection and play for children and the caregivers. So coffee is set up, parents can connect and talk about whatever they need.
You know, we've got gross motor skills being explored. We've got reading, we've got science experiments happening. And the underlying lens of it all is this connection. And how do we improve the mental wellness and health of our community? And I think that if we're looking at our full community, it's really gauged on how well are our children doing, how well are our families doing. And I think of the museum often at the heart of downtown Sheboygan, and it's such a beautiful space to gather, but it's so much more than that. And I think that's the piece of connecting our mental wellness with a building. And what does it mean to gather? What does it mean to connect? And we continue to explore that as a board member on both organizations. We're really thinking through this on a strategic level of how do we really then take our vision of this and make it so people are understanding. This is so much broader sometimes than the narrow scope that we've viewed play in, in a traditional context. It's not a playground. Play is so much more. What is play? Play is art. Play is all sorts of things, same thing through our mental health ones.
[00:31:15] Speaker C: I think that's so awesome. I mean, as a young mom many, many years ago, trying to find places to plug in was sometimes difficult. And the library was one of the ways that I did that because there were a number of programs there, and then the kids could play. I mean, I just happen to love the smell of a library. I know that's weird, but the smell of books, you know, I would never have a kindle. I just love to have a book physically in my hand and then the kids can play and explore. Why do you feel play is so important for learners of all ages?
[00:31:50] Speaker F: So play is vital for children, for young people, and for adults. And I think as adults we forget that often. But the research shows children benefit from discovery wellness. Their agency is improved. Their mental wellness and the development of their brain is all improved through play.
Children's museums and above and beyond play a crucial role in providing access to play. Safe access. We have an incredible library in our community, but they're not open on Sundays, so we remain open on Sundays so that we can be that safe space for our community. I was even reading the American Academy of Pediatrics talks about how important play is for enhancing executive functioning skills and leads to stronger learning and stronger academic outcomes. So to focus on play at the young children is really to benefit a child for their entire life.
[00:32:45] Speaker C: Play is good for adults, too. I mean, come on.
[00:32:47] Speaker E: Absolutely.
[00:32:48] Speaker C: It's really important for everybody at every age. Kerry, you talked a little bit about it in your involvement with MHA, but what has it meant for you to be involved in this organization?
[00:32:59] Speaker D: I've been a board member for almost nine years and it has been fun to watch this organization evolve from what I would say a more traditional, let's look at some exhibits to diving in, hands on. You can't have a tablet in your hands or a screen when you're running around the museum and engaging and playing. And the parents are finding their points of engaging with their children and connecting once again over something new and ways to explore.
My father was on the board as I moved back to Sheboygan. I grew up in Sheboygan. Moving back to the community was really important as a place to raise my children. And then I now have older children, teenagers and young adults. So to come full circle with the museum, that was my safe space when I was going through cancer treatments and my children were young, we would go to a museum at our local community. And so now to watch my children, one of them who came up with this happiness project and created a mural on the outside of the Museum of Life size Whales. Just for children to think above and beyond what is here and now in their immediate space. It allows the mind space to expand. And I think that's the real gift in being part of this organization, is watching young leaders like Kate come on board with her visions and passion for this work and also understanding and watching the outcome of some of this work on my older children now who are now launching into adulthood. And to realize that importance of my kids didn't have the screens the same way, you know, it was different. How do we continue to evolve and be relevant to what is showing up in the needs of our community and not in thinking about places like a children's museum? Also working as a community resource, as an advocacy center. Same work that Meha is wanting to do in a totally unexpected capacity and in a beautiful, creative environment.
[00:34:39] Speaker C: Yeah, it's really wonderful. It's a special, special place. I'm sure it's wonderful to learn how UC eight and Ucari have worked together for a common goal and a mission. After our commercial break, were going to dive into how above and beyond Childrens Museum is collaborating with the community at large to enhance their mission. So stay tuned and well be right back.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: Thanks for tuning in. This is EIG, Milwaukee's philanthropic community, with your host, Jill Economo, on Newstalk 1130 w I s Nde.
[00:35:17] Speaker C: Welcome back to Milwaukee's philanthropic community, brought to you by Ellen Becker Investment Group.
I'm your host, Jill Economo, director of community relations. And I'm continuing my conversation with Kate Tinker from above and beyond Children's Museum. So, Kate, I think everyone understands how important collaboration is, so share with us how you collaborate in the community specifically to enhance your mission?
[00:35:46] Speaker F: Definitely. So collaborations are key to everything that we do at the organization, and it looks different depending on the organization. Sometimes we're bringing in other nonprofits or businesses to our space to promote what they are doing, and other times we're going out into the community through outreach experiences. So, for example, Julie had mentioned our play is healing collaboration, which included MHA, the YMCA, locally, the Rec center, the Meade Public Library in Sheboygan, and eight different incredible parks all over Sheboygan county through the summer. Additionally, we are launching a new story time this year, and so we are going to have the Humane Society and Maywood Environmental park and other organizations coming to us. They'll be leading a story time and talking a little bit about their organization in ways that families, maybe families that are already coming to the museum might learn more about ways that they can give back through volunteering at the Humane Society, for example, the one collaboration I'm very, very excited about, I mean, they're all incredible, but we're going to be collaborating for new music classes coming up, and the collaboration is with the Lullaby Project, which is through Carnegie hall in New York. And we're going to be helping families locally to write lullabies to their children through this collaborative music program.
[00:37:06] Speaker C: I love that.
[00:37:07] Speaker F: Going to be so much fun.
[00:37:09] Speaker C: That sounds wonderful.
[00:37:11] Speaker F: And we know that music based education is about social emotional learning and self regulation and all of those things through the lens of music. So being able to have this touch point for caregivers to connect with their children while also learning at the same time is a win win for everybody.
[00:37:26] Speaker C: Wow, you have some really cool things going on over there. Do you have a favorite space in the museum, Kate?
[00:37:33] Speaker F: That's a hard question. It changes every single day that I'm in the space. We have over 10,000 exhibits at above and beyond Children's Museum, plus our purple octopus playground, which is on the exterior of our museum. I would say right now we are really firming up some thematic areas of expansion, so we have new steam exhibits that are coming onto our first floor. We also have an arts and culture area on our second floor with our wonder workshop, which is an art making studio. And then on our third floor, we're exploring themes related to civic engagement and community by all different facets of what a community could be. We've got a ship. We've got a construction zone. We've got a fire truck. We have a farmer's market and a school. And I have some big dreams for additional new exhibits in the future as well.
[00:38:22] Speaker C: Well, I'll share what those are then.
[00:38:24] Speaker F: Definitely. Well, I think most applicable to our time today is an exhibit that I'd love to see in partnership with MHA called the ABCs of empathy. And it would be talking, just like Julie had mentioned, about children being able to identify those big feelings and work their way through some dysregulation. A museum exhibit that is immersive and talks about all of the different feels that children can have through literature, through breathing, through yoga, and leads visitors through all the different ways that they can practice empathy and gratitude and kindness in the setting of the children's museum.
[00:39:03] Speaker C: Wow. So, okay, you've got lots of new things coming up, down, coming up. Things that you're currently working on, dreams that you have for the future.
What would you say to our audience would be your greatest need right now?
[00:39:20] Speaker F: Definitely so that ABCs of empathy exhibit will not be installed without the support of our incredible community and funding to make that happen. Funding is a huge need of ours and so many incredible nonprofits. But additionally, those volunteers that come through the door to help teach our programs and greet our guests, the incredible businesses and the Sheboygan and Milwaukee community that support what we do through sending volunteers of their staff or through promoting all of the programs and events and ongoing things that we have to their audiences. It's getting the news out and spreading the word of what we're doing and having families come and really be able to participate in all the incredible programs.
[00:40:07] Speaker C: So again, we talk about advocacy and how important that is in many different capacities. But if you're listening today and you love what you heard, share it with someone. Right? There's a lot of great information being shared today, a lot of great resources. So make sure that you are advocating for each organization that has been a part of our interview today. So just quick, before we close with you, Kate, give us contact information. What's the best way for people to get to you?
[00:40:35] Speaker F: Definitely. So you'll want to go to our website, which is abkids.org, to learn more about donations, volunteering and our open hours, abkids.org dot yes.
[00:40:47] Speaker C: Okay, well, I want to thank my guest today, Kate Tinker, executive director from above and Beyond Children's Museum. Julie Preter and Carrie Green, representing mental health awareness, Lakeshore. I appreciate you sharing all the ways that you're making a difference in our community. So thank you for participating in our interview today.
[00:41:07] Speaker F: Thank you.
[00:41:07] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:41:08] Speaker C: You're welcome. If you'd like further information about what we talked about today, you can reach out directly to above and beyond or MHA Lakeshore. And if you know of someone who you think would be a great guest for our show, you can email
[email protected] or you can call our office at 262-691-3200 if you'd like to continue learning about great organizations doing great things in the community, tune in Sunday mornings at 10:00 to Milwaukee's philanthropic community. You can tune into Newstalk 1130 on your radio, your computer or your cell phone. You can also visit our
[email protected] to listen to previously aired shows. Or you can also listen on demand at Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or Apple Podcast.
If you're inspired by the people sharing their stories of impact, think about how you might develop your own story of impact by making a difference in some way for someone in our community. Our guests have shared many ways you can do that, whether that's by donating, volunteering or advocating for their respective organization. I'm sure anything you do would be appreciated. Determined to live a life of purpose and significance and find a way to be a blessing and give a blessing to someone today. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
