Madison Reporter

Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) will recognize individuals and organizations working on social and environmental justice at its annual Community Change-Maker Awards. The event is scheduled for September 11 at The East Side Club in Madison, with the public invited to attend. Proceeds from ticket sales will help fund $6,000 in donations distributed among local nonprofits, with each of the six award winners selecting a nonprofit to receive $1,000.

This year’s Liesl Blockstein Community Leadership Award goes to Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner, nominated by Rooted. According to CSW, "For decades, Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner have used their resources to safeguard public lands to ensure that the public has access to viable, beautiful open spaces. Their work through Rooted (and its precursor organizations) encompasses Troy Farm and Gardens and McPike Park in Madison; Clarence & Cleopatra Johnson Park, Brown Street Academy, and Alice’s Garden in Milwaukee; and ultimately the construction of the Badger Rock Center, which houses a neighborhood center, middle school, and now is home to the Lori Mann Carey Elementary School on Madison’s South Side. Through Rooted, Mary Ellyn and Joe continue to connect the community through food, land, and learning."

Joyce Hall was selected for the Sally Sunde Family Advocate Award after being nominated by Freedom, Inc. As stated by CSW: "Joyce Hall is the Lead Gender Justice Advocate, Program Coordinator, and Organizer for Survivor and Victim Services at Freedom, Inc., as well as a mother of seven. Her lived experiences are a testament to her organizing power and unshakable resilience. As a survivor herself, Joyce made the courageous decision to leave a domestically violent household to protect herself and her children. Today, she provides emergency crisis response, court support, rapid rehousing, and interpersonal violence mitigation for Black, Southeast Asian, queer, youth, and low- to no-income survivors. More than that, she uplifts survivors, helping them transform into leaders within her programs and the wider community."

The Linda Sundberg Civil Rights Defender Award was given to Ximena Linares-Rodriguez from Tenant Resource Center. In CSW's words: "Ximena Linares-Rodriguez is deeply committed to providing community-centered solutions and equitable access to resources for tenants. She goes above and beyond to ensure Spanish-speaking families can navigate and access critical tenant resources. Recognizing the barriers faced by immigrant communities, Ximena and Tenant Resource Center’s Associate Director, Chrisbelly, partnered with Joining Forces for Families to launch Madison Area Partners and Allies (MAPA). The monthly MAPA events bring together a diverse mix of providers and allies who offer culturally and linguistically responsive support including bilingual staff and access to a language line. Ximena also collaborated with Dr. Carolina Sarmiento, Dr. Revel Sims, and students from the Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies program at UW–Madison to survey tenants who had accessed TRC services centering the lived experiences of Latinx renters in Dane County."

The CSW Collaboration Award was presented jointly this year. Wheels for Winners works through an earn-a-bike program while Bayview Foundation supports low-income families with housing as well as cultural programming. Their partnership includes spring bike distribution events at Bayview’s community center along with free bike repair clinics provided by Wheels for Winners staff who also train Bayview staff on basic repairs.

CSW highlighted how this partnership has broadened discussions about what counts as community service: "The partnership between Wheels for Winners and Bayview Foundation has also fostered crucial conversations regarding the definition of community service because it was clear that Bayview children were serving their community in less formal yet equally significant ways such as caring for siblings translating for their parents and assisting neighbors."

Denise Matyka received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award after being nominated by Project Home. She has spent more than four decades involved in nonprofit leadership focused on social justice issues—beginning as a field organizer with NOW's Equal Rights Amendment campaign before returning to Wisconsin where she became NOW's youngest state president in 1982.

Matyka later played an instrumental role in creating Community Shares of Wisconsin through merging two existing funds alongside Nicole Gotthelf and Marianne Morton from 1985-1994.

According to CSW: "After a period of working in major donor fundraising for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin she joined Project Home in 1996 as Executive Director Project Home doubled its staff and more than tripled its budget during her 29 years leading the organization Project Home serves people with limited income in Dane and Green Counties with weatherization home repairs And accessibility modifications Denise is a longtime volunteer And has served as chair Of The City Of Madison’s first Housing Committee chair Of The Wisconsin Women’s Network And chair Of The New Harvest Foundation."

Tickets are available online via communityshares.com.