“Ladder of Hope”
Milwaukee Hmong Team “Pays It Forward”
Milwaukee Hmong Team “Pays It Forward”
Joann’s needs were many and while we realized we couldn’t cover everything, we were able to provide her with what we believed to be essential: access to a
CPA willing to help her process the 501 (c)(3) application (pro bono) and the $1,000 seed money from Kapco Metal Stamping covered the $750 fee required
by the Department of the Treasury to process the application. The lack of 501 (c)(3) status has prevented her from getting meaningful funding to further her
goals for JLH Women’s Mentoring. The 501 (c)(3) status will give her credibility in the community and allow her to write grant requests. Amrit Patel of AP
Accounting generously donated his time and expertise in drawing up the paperwork necessary for filing the application. The $100 that was left was used to
open a small business account at North Shore Bank on Martin Luther King Drive. North Shore Bank is a locally owned business and is very involved in
community outreach projects. They personally sent one of the bank’s officers to her small office to meet with her. Joann was stunned that a banker was
interested enough to come see her and offer assistance. Once she is set up with 501 (c)(3) status, the bank will work with her to grow her mission. This
connection was made through a former colleague, Lynette Jarreau, from Asian Moon Festival, an event that brought many of us together in the past. Lynette
is a community lending officer for North Shore Bank and is herself interested in providing seminars on money management and home loan issues if the
women are interested.
The balance of the money was given to her to use towards the needs of JLH. We succeeded in securing additional donations from friends, family and
associates to purchase gift certificates and office supplies (she needed ink for her printer and fax machine!), We had a brand new briefcase donated for our
new professional woman to carry proudly as she goes out into the community. Our total cash donations to this point total $1,049 over and above the initial
$1,000 from Kapco Metal Stamping. We also provided $190 in gift cards for her to use. $100 was for her to use to purchase baby supplies for her gift baskets
(or more ink for her printer). When we first met her, she commented in the midst of her tears of joy, that she even gave up shoes to buy supplies. We decided
that no woman should go without shoes and $75 was included for her and her two daughters to buy shoes. Another $15 gift certificate was donated by The
Little Read Book Store in Wauwatosa to buy books for her gatherings of mothers and their children. Additionally, we received donations of receiving blankets,
strollers, infant car seats, carriers, a portable crib and playpen from the local chapter of Milwaukee Families of Adopted Chinese Children and other individual
donors. Lori Loessin and her daughters gathered up the material and delivered them on Sunday to Joann’s home.
Joann provides a wonderful, non judgmental atmosphere for expecting and new moms. She offers home economics classes, scrap booking sessions and just a
chance to be with others in similar circumstances at Central United Methodist Church on 26th & Wisconsin. She also encourages the women not to repeat the
behaviors that brought them into the unplanned pregnancy. She is quite adamant that they learn from the problems they face and will not allow them to
continue in her program if they repeat the behavior. She also wants the women to succeed on their own, to give them dignity and a sense of self worth. Our
future plans include bringing in community business women to run job search and resumé writing seminars. If we can find the money, we might also include a
trip to a thrift shop to help choose job search ensembles!
We hope to continue to assist Joann in the future, as we believe in her mission and the benefit it provides to our community. We are amazed at what the
community provided in such a short time and the willingness of people to help, even in a difficult economy. We are excited that Joann is now seeing many
possibilities, where before she had a dream that needed a little help but none was in sight.
While we didn’t win the project, none of us felt like we failed because each of us gained so much from meeting Joann and we hope the friendship will
continue. You can watch an earlier competition that Kapco sponsored at Concordia College in Milwaukee at http://youtube.com/watch?
v=FYIsC4LZp8A&feature=user
CPA willing to help her process the 501 (c)(3) application (pro bono) and the $1,000 seed money from Kapco Metal Stamping covered the $750 fee required
by the Department of the Treasury to process the application. The lack of 501 (c)(3) status has prevented her from getting meaningful funding to further her
goals for JLH Women’s Mentoring. The 501 (c)(3) status will give her credibility in the community and allow her to write grant requests. Amrit Patel of AP
Accounting generously donated his time and expertise in drawing up the paperwork necessary for filing the application. The $100 that was left was used to
open a small business account at North Shore Bank on Martin Luther King Drive. North Shore Bank is a locally owned business and is very involved in
community outreach projects. They personally sent one of the bank’s officers to her small office to meet with her. Joann was stunned that a banker was
interested enough to come see her and offer assistance. Once she is set up with 501 (c)(3) status, the bank will work with her to grow her mission. This
connection was made through a former colleague, Lynette Jarreau, from Asian Moon Festival, an event that brought many of us together in the past. Lynette
is a community lending officer for North Shore Bank and is herself interested in providing seminars on money management and home loan issues if the
women are interested.
The balance of the money was given to her to use towards the needs of JLH. We succeeded in securing additional donations from friends, family and
associates to purchase gift certificates and office supplies (she needed ink for her printer and fax machine!), We had a brand new briefcase donated for our
new professional woman to carry proudly as she goes out into the community. Our total cash donations to this point total $1,049 over and above the initial
$1,000 from Kapco Metal Stamping. We also provided $190 in gift cards for her to use. $100 was for her to use to purchase baby supplies for her gift baskets
(or more ink for her printer). When we first met her, she commented in the midst of her tears of joy, that she even gave up shoes to buy supplies. We decided
that no woman should go without shoes and $75 was included for her and her two daughters to buy shoes. Another $15 gift certificate was donated by The
Little Read Book Store in Wauwatosa to buy books for her gatherings of mothers and their children. Additionally, we received donations of receiving blankets,
strollers, infant car seats, carriers, a portable crib and playpen from the local chapter of Milwaukee Families of Adopted Chinese Children and other individual
donors. Lori Loessin and her daughters gathered up the material and delivered them on Sunday to Joann’s home.
Joann provides a wonderful, non judgmental atmosphere for expecting and new moms. She offers home economics classes, scrap booking sessions and just a
chance to be with others in similar circumstances at Central United Methodist Church on 26th & Wisconsin. She also encourages the women not to repeat the
behaviors that brought them into the unplanned pregnancy. She is quite adamant that they learn from the problems they face and will not allow them to
continue in her program if they repeat the behavior. She also wants the women to succeed on their own, to give them dignity and a sense of self worth. Our
future plans include bringing in community business women to run job search and resumé writing seminars. If we can find the money, we might also include a
trip to a thrift shop to help choose job search ensembles!
We hope to continue to assist Joann in the future, as we believe in her mission and the benefit it provides to our community. We are amazed at what the
community provided in such a short time and the willingness of people to help, even in a difficult economy. We are excited that Joann is now seeing many
possibilities, where before she had a dream that needed a little help but none was in sight.
While we didn’t win the project, none of us felt like we failed because each of us gained so much from meeting Joann and we hope the friendship will
continue. You can watch an earlier competition that Kapco sponsored at Concordia College in Milwaukee at http://youtube.com/watch?
v=FYIsC4LZp8A&feature=user
By Debby Tewes
Milwaukee, like many cities in the U.S., is feeling the pinch of economic stress. Rising gas
prices, home foreclosures and crime stories fill our newscasts, making people wary of
opening the newspaper or catching the local news. Imagine my delight at being invited to
join a team of young Hmong women who came together to reach out into the community to
help someone who, on her own, is trying to help young, single mothers begin their new lives
as they face the responsibility of raising an infant by themselves. Wow, good news and good
people making a difference!
Kapco Metal Stamping of Grafton, Wis. and The Salvation Army of Greater Milwaukee
issued a challenge to participants (who joined 10 teams of about 10 people each) to find a
group or an individual to work with, to make a difference in their lives. Each team was given
$1,000 and the goal was to increase the money by means of donations, volunteer efforts, in
kind donations or any other creative means and do the most good. The hard part was the
deadline of 10 days! This grassroots effort does so much more than just writing a check to a
charity that’s forgotten until tax time. The other rule was that it could not be someone you
knew personally.
Our team was originally chaired by Soua Khang, but due to medical reasons, she was not
able to give the project the attention it required. She asked her friend Kao Xhu Thao to take
over the responsibilities after identifying a community organization in need of resources.
We chose the name “Ladder of Hope” for our team because we see each rung symbolizing a
step up. The team members included Kao Xhu Thao, Mai Yeng Vang Strath, Pankoula Her,
Soua Yang, Bao Thao, Nubci “Sunshine” Dolan and myself.
Joann H. runs an outreach program called JLH Women’s Mentoring Services, Inc. JLH
reaches out to pregnant women in the community who lack a support network during a
difficult time in their lives.
The vision of JLH Women’s Mentoring Service is to provide a caring and nurturing
atmosphere to help expectant mothers prepare for the birth of their child. Often, these
women are frightened and without family support, medical care and even jobs. Very often
the father of the child is no longer a part of the woman’s life and she doesn’t know where to
turn. Joann provides access to community resources and organizes occasional gatherings for
women to share stories and provide a network of support. She prepares gift baskets of baby
essentials such as diapers, formula, baby lotion, soap and baby powder when the mother
gives birth. She tries to include a new infant outfit for each child. She will even go to the
hospital with the mother when she goes into labor if no one else is there for her. She does all
this without a car and often uses public transportation or calls on friends to drive her. Joann
is uniquely suited to this outreach as she has been through tough times as a single mother
herself. Hers is a faith-based organization, incorporating the principles that have helped her
through her own difficult times. Religion isn’t a necessary part of her outreach, but she
believes it has helped her find peace and meaning in her own life.
Milwaukee, like many cities in the U.S., is feeling the pinch of economic stress. Rising gas
prices, home foreclosures and crime stories fill our newscasts, making people wary of
opening the newspaper or catching the local news. Imagine my delight at being invited to
join a team of young Hmong women who came together to reach out into the community to
help someone who, on her own, is trying to help young, single mothers begin their new lives
as they face the responsibility of raising an infant by themselves. Wow, good news and good
people making a difference!
Kapco Metal Stamping of Grafton, Wis. and The Salvation Army of Greater Milwaukee
issued a challenge to participants (who joined 10 teams of about 10 people each) to find a
group or an individual to work with, to make a difference in their lives. Each team was given
$1,000 and the goal was to increase the money by means of donations, volunteer efforts, in
kind donations or any other creative means and do the most good. The hard part was the
deadline of 10 days! This grassroots effort does so much more than just writing a check to a
charity that’s forgotten until tax time. The other rule was that it could not be someone you
knew personally.
Our team was originally chaired by Soua Khang, but due to medical reasons, she was not
able to give the project the attention it required. She asked her friend Kao Xhu Thao to take
over the responsibilities after identifying a community organization in need of resources.
We chose the name “Ladder of Hope” for our team because we see each rung symbolizing a
step up. The team members included Kao Xhu Thao, Mai Yeng Vang Strath, Pankoula Her,
Soua Yang, Bao Thao, Nubci “Sunshine” Dolan and myself.
Joann H. runs an outreach program called JLH Women’s Mentoring Services, Inc. JLH
reaches out to pregnant women in the community who lack a support network during a
difficult time in their lives.
The vision of JLH Women’s Mentoring Service is to provide a caring and nurturing
atmosphere to help expectant mothers prepare for the birth of their child. Often, these
women are frightened and without family support, medical care and even jobs. Very often
the father of the child is no longer a part of the woman’s life and she doesn’t know where to
turn. Joann provides access to community resources and organizes occasional gatherings for
women to share stories and provide a network of support. She prepares gift baskets of baby
essentials such as diapers, formula, baby lotion, soap and baby powder when the mother
gives birth. She tries to include a new infant outfit for each child. She will even go to the
hospital with the mother when she goes into labor if no one else is there for her. She does all
this without a car and often uses public transportation or calls on friends to drive her. Joann
is uniquely suited to this outreach as she has been through tough times as a single mother
herself. Hers is a faith-based organization, incorporating the principles that have helped her
through her own difficult times. Religion isn’t a necessary part of her outreach, but she
believes it has helped her find peace and meaning in her own life.
“Ladder of Hope” team members worked with JLH Women’s
Mentoring Services (top) led by Joann H. (r)
Mentoring Services (top) led by Joann H. (r)
Debby Tewes is Asian
Wisconzine's
correspondent in the
Milwaukee area.
Wisconzine's
correspondent in the
Milwaukee area.