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SUMMER EDITION2010

Deena Whitwam Chris Bomberg Arthur Cameron Stacey Bjorgaard

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KIDS ARE HUNGRY FOR ART.

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FIND IT AT THE MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM. We’ve teamed up with Kohl’s Department Stores to bring you a new program called Kohl’s Art Generation. It’s a gallery and a studio where children can explore sculpting, painting and other hands-on projects. So come to the Milwaukee Art Museum, because a creative kid is a happy kid.

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Summer 2010

features 8 | INFANTS/TODDLERS

special sections 9 | FOSTER CARE

11 | BOOSTING BRAIN POWER

20 | SUMMER VACATION PLANNING

resources24 | FAMILY ACTIVITIES GUIDE

30 | CALENDAR

20

contents

10 | ELEMENTARY SCHOOLON COVER

Teens and VolunteeringHigher Education

22

12 | TEENS

Teen VaccinationsSummer Photos

10 | BENEFITS OF GETTING MESSY

MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2010 3

128 Cottonwood Ave. Hartland, WI 53029

Phone: 262.367.5303www.twwmag.com

PLUS PUBLICATIONSPUBLISHERS

Maureen & TomSlattery

MANAGING EDITORCyndi Strayer

ADVERTISING SALESJody MedingerMargo Lehmann

ART DIRECTORNicole Hesse

GRAPHIC DESIGNERShelley Bills

OFFICE MANAGERPaulette Koeppen


4 SUMMER 2010 | MAGAZINE

Stacey Bjorgaard, 18Senior, Kettle Moraine High SchoolDaughter of Pat and Wayne BjorgaardHow Stacey Bjorgaard fits volunteer-

ing into her busy schedule may bog-gle some people’s minds, but thisstar student who excels at ten-nis, violin and school leadershipactivities while also maintainingher status as No. 1 in her classmakes it look quite easy.

This active senior volunteersat Oconomowoc MemorialHospital where she works inadmitting and runs paperwork fornurses and doctors. She also helps at LaCasa de Esperanza as a classroom assistant andplays violin with the church ensemble at All Saints Lutheran Church inWales.

Bjorgaard said she began volunteering in middle school simplybecause “I love helping people. It’s been my thing. I enjoy music, sothat’s why I volunteer through my church. I have a passion for Spanish,so that’s why I help at La Casa de Esperanza and I’m interested inmedicine, so that’s why I went to the hospital.”

This fall, Brown University in Providence, R.I., will be welcomingBjorgaard as an incoming freshman. She plans to pursue a pre-meddegree while also concentrating on Spanish. She said after she com-pletes her education, she one day would like to participate in theDoctors Without Borders program preferably in a Hispanic country.

“It’s really satisfying helping people,” she said. “I read somewherethat the two greatest things that bring people happiness are volunteer-ing and dancing. And it’s very true.”

The Kettle Moraine High School guidance counselor didn’t wantBjorgaard’s passion for volunteering to go unnoticed and nominatedher for the Young Woman of Tomorrow Award sponsored by theWaukesha County Community Foundation.

She received a letter in the mail stating she was the recipient ofthe award in which she was given a $1,000 grant that could bedonated to a non-profit organization of her choice. “My high schoolis building this fine arts academy, so I donated it the Kettle MoraineFine Arts Fund.”

Chris Bomberg, 17Junior, Arrowhead High SchoolSon of Greg and Becky BombergVolunteering empowers and moti-

vates Chris Bomberg. For the past five years,

Bomberg’s mission has been tohelp the Association for theRights of Citizens with handi-caps (ARCh) in Waukesha topromote their message, whichis to empower children andadults with disabilities to reachtheir full potential and to increaseprevention and awareness in the com-munity.

By Amanda Marek

According to Volunteering inAmerica, the teenage volunteer ratebetween 2006 and 2008 was 26.4%nationwide. During that same time-frame, the average teenage volun-teer rate for Wisconsin was 33.4%.

Volunteers come in all ages, but whatthey all have in common is the gift to give.

Four local Wisconsin teenagers wererecently honored because of their gifts.And while they were grateful to receivesuch accolades, Stacey Bjorgaard, ChrisBomberg, Arthur Cameron and DeenaWhitwam were just as honored to learnthat while they were giving of their time andtalents, they also were receiving. They dis-covered they were making a difference intheir community and beyond.



“In seventh grade, I was getting bored and ARCh’s message is anti-bullying and accepting differences, so I wanted to get involved and seewhat they’re all about. After a bunch of meetings, I was hooked andmade a lot of friends through that,” he said.

Bomberg volunteers about 24 hours a month to the organization,where he attends meetings, plans public education events and alsospeaks to groups.

“I’ve presented to about 11,000 kids over the last five years aboutanti-bullying and I just like to see the kids’ reactions. You can see themprocessing the information at the end of the skits or presentations,” hesaid.

For Bomberg, he is passionate about his messages because heknows what it feels like to be bullied.

“Throughout my underage, I’ve been overweight and kids havedecided to bully me for it and I just want to get the message out therefor it. We had an incident at our school just a few months ago where akid took his own life because of bullying,” he said. “And if I can hit hometo one person, I think my goal has been accomplished.”

Bomberg’s passion and dedication has been evident in the 1,400-plus hours he’s contributed during his tenure at ARCh. The organiza-tion nominated him for the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, which hereceived through the United Way of Waukesha County. He received aplaque along with a $500 check to give to any non-profit of his choice.Bomberg chose to give that money to ARCh.

“ARCh has been a huge part of my life,” he said.

Arthur Cameron, 17Senior, Marquette University High SchoolSon of Robert and Ylonda GloverArthur Cameron may be a natural

at running and dancing, but he’salso a natural at lending his timeto those in need.

The Marquette UniversityHigh School track star anddance team member does vol-unteer work through theHouse of Peace Teen Leadersprogram, where he said heteaches middle school and highschool youth peaceful conflict resolu-tion skills. Cameron also tutors middleschool students and does outside service work with organizations suchas the Special Olympics.

It was at the age of seven or eight when Cameron’s mother, YlondaGlover, began to encourage her son to volunteer. “If she heard some-one needed help with something, she’d say, ‘Oh, Arthur can help youwith that,’” he said. “And as I got older, lending a helping hand camenatural.”

Cameron said he recalls going to work with his mother and doing lit-tle things around the office such as delivering papers for people, shred-ding or sorting.

“The feeling of gratification and knowing someone is benefiting frommy help fueled me to continue to volunteer,” he said. “I think volunteer-ing is my way of thanking God for allowing me to be healthy and havethe ability of my limbs. Most of all, I enjoy the feeling I get of knowingthat I've helped someone and my help has had a positive impact onthem.”

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6 SUMMER 2010 | MAGAZINE

The VolunteerCenter ofGreaterMilwaukee

Are you looking to volunteer, but aren’t sure where tostart? Contact The Volunteer Center of GreaterMilwaukee. It’s mission, which is a program of theNonprofit Center of Milwaukee, Inc., is to promote theinterests and effectiveness of the nonprofit sectorthrough strengthening organizational capacity, expand-ing volunteerism and encouraging collaboration.

Anyone can volunteer. There are literally hundreds ofopportunities available and The Volunteer Center ofGreater Milwaukee can help you find something thatinterests you. You can do anything from playing boardgames and visiting seniors to mentoring children or serv-ing on a nonprofit board. There is an opportunity foreveryone.

Why not join the other 36 percent of the Wisconsinpopulation that already volunteers today? You can con-tact the center at 2819 W. Highland Blvd., Milwaukee,WI or call 414-344-7071.

The Volunteer Center of Greater Milwaukee is alsoan associate of the Points of Light Foundation andHands on Network and are a participating United Wayof Greater Milwaukee agency.

The House of Peace knowing just how much of an impact Cameronwas making nominated him for the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award,which he received from the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee.

“My very initial reaction was, ‘Me? Really? Why am I receiving thisaward? I’m sure there is someone else who doing way more work thanme who deserves this award,” he said. “Later as I was writing myacceptance speech, I came to the realization that not many youth my agevolunteer because they don't know the importance.”

Luckily for Cameron, and thanks to his mother, he knows just howimportant it is.

Deena Whitwam, 13Seventh Grade, New Richmond Middle SchoolDaughter of Kelly Curtis and Wayne WhitwamOn any given Wednesday, Deena Whitwam can be

found at home with her nose to the books. However,these books aren’t your typical schoolbooks.They’re storybooks for all ages that she pulls fromher alphabetized library and uses to inspire othersto read.

Three years ago, Whitwam started BookwormWednesday, a book club where kids in the neighbor-hood gather together at Whitwam’s home to read abook, create a craft related to the story and enjoy asnack.

“I’d always really wanted to start a book club, but we lived on a lakewhere there were no kids anywhere,” Whitwam said. “So when wemoved to New Richmond three years ago, there were a lot of kids andI told my mom when she was unpacking a box that I wanted to startone.”

To get the word out about the book club, Whitwam and a neighborprinted fliers and delivered them to children in the neighborhood. Withinno time, Bookworm Wednesday began to unfold.

The first day of book club, Whitwam said about four children attend-ed, and each week it continued to grow, averaging about 10 kids perweek. “When we do Christmas programs or Easter egg hunts we getabout 20,” she said.

Whitwam said she is passionate about reading and wantsto share it with others. “It’s a hobby to me. I don’t consid-

er it volunteering,” she said. “It’s an after-school thinglike student counsel or forensics. It’s worth it.” Soworth it that this middle school student recentlystarted speaking at conferences about her pro-gram, educating others on how they, too, can starttheir own book clubs.

Whitwam hopes to start other clubs in hercommunity and can now do so with the $1,000

cash she was awarded in May while in Washington,D.C. receiving the Prudential Spirit of Community

Award.

Building a Passion ForCommunity ServiceParticipating in charitable service and volunteering locally

not only benefits and strengthens your community, it can alsostrengthen your family ties. Volunteering is a great way foryour family to get active, meet new people and spend qualitytime together—all while instilling the value of communityinvolvement.

Here are some great ideas forfinding your family’s niche forcommunity service:

• Take inventory of your family’sspecial skills. If you have an artist inthe group, offer painting classes at alocal senior center. If you have a musi-cian, plan a charity concert.

• Rummage sales are plentiful this time of year. Offer totransport unsold items to a local donation center.

• Turn a family hike into a good deed. Bring trash bagsand clean up a local park or trail.

• Organize a group car wash and donate the proceeds toyour favorite local charity. Have cookies, lemonade and othertreats on hand to boost your fundraising efforts.

Part of the fun of volunteering is coming up with an ideathat’s perfect for your family. Use family dinnertime to brain-storm ways to give back. This helps everyone get excited andengaged from the very beginning.



We serve families and providers who care for childrenand young adults with special health care needs through:

• Information, assistance and referrals. • Problem-solving.• Diagnosis-specific information. • Parent-to-parent connections.• Access to training opportunities. • Health benefits assistance.• Limited service coordination.

Located on the first floor of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Call (414) 266-NEED (6333) or toll-free (800) 234-KIDS (5437).

The Southeast Regional Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) is funded by theWisconsin CYSHCN Program, Division of Public Health, Department of Health Services with funds from the MaternalChild Health Title V Services Block Grant, MCH Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and The Daniel M. Soref Charitable Trust.


http://www.milwaukeezoo.org/

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