Tuesday, October 5, 2021
This summer, Milwaukee Recreation continued its mission to enrich and strengthen the community by promoting healthy lifestyles, personal development, and fun through memorable recreational and educational experiences for people of all ages and abilities.
Read below for more of Milwaukee Recreation's summer successes, or view the full document here.
Partnerships
Opened 31 CLCs and 10 Safe Places in partnership with 8 Community-Based Organizations to provide in-person programming for youth.
Programs served 1,895 youth during the month of July. Many sites were open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Partnered with Good Morning America and the Milwaukee Bucks to offer a deserving Special Olympics coach a once in a lifetime experience to attend a World Championship finals game at the Fiserv Forum. Quentin Redd has coached for Team Milwaukee since the early 2000’s when he started volunteering his time helping his brother who is an active participant in the program. His passion and dedication made him an ideal selection to represent Milwaukee Recreation and our city during the Bucks’ championship run.
Received $2,500 esports grant from Spectrum Industries and the Milwaukee Bucks to equip Milwaukee Recreation’s eSports labs for gaming competition.
Supported 39 arts and humanities partners in providing free and significantly reduced cost programming in areas such as music production, environmental exploration, mural painting, film making, and more to youth in grades K-12.
Placed 39 high school students in paid internships to explore careers in the arts. Twelve Milwaukee area arts organizations opened their doors to supervise and mentor the students. Summer arts interns earned approximately $57,000 in wages (a 28 percent increase from 2020 earnings).
Received the Chase Economic Development MANDI (Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation) Award for promoting economic and/or business development in the community via the Arts Internship Program.
Partnered with the American Red Cross Centennial Water Safety program to offer $5 swim lessons in underserved neighborhoods. A total of 299 individuals were served.
Received $25,000 sponsorship and an annual commitment from AAA Wisconsin for the MPS Drive program.
Partnered with the Milwaukee County Department on Aging and the University of Wisconsin Extension Program to offer classes for Active Older adults focused on strategies and exercises to maintain brain health and strong bodies.
Lifetime Recreation
Registered 758 participants for the Run Back to School. The event was held in person after hosting a virtual event in 2020. Proceeds will provide mini-grants to 8 schools to purchase sports and wellness equipment for their students.
Registered over 4,700 people in adult, youth and community wellness activities held at 5 community centers and various outdoor locations.
Celebrated the fifth summer of MPS Drive by providing instruction to 688 students (with over 100 utilizing the online classroom option).
Reopened the OASIS fitness center for active older adults. Participants had the opportunity to engage in weight training and cardio activities with COVID safety protocols in place.
Operated youth and adult enrichment classes at 5 community centers. Over 88% of the classes met minimum enrollment criteria while 43% ran at full capacity (a new record). Less than 12% of the classes offered were canceled due to low enrollment.
Offered instructional camps in Basketball, Cheerleading, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, T-Ball, Tennis, Track, and Volleyball. A total of 631 children participated.
Provided 50+ softball programming for 12 teams and over 150 participants.
Hosted the Adult Sports Coed Softball Tournament on Saturday, August 21st. Four (4) teams participated in the double-elimination tournament.
Hosted free classes via Milwaukee Recreation’s Community Wellness program across multiple locations, engaging over 1,100 participants of all ages. Programs included a walking club, outdoor yoga, outdoor bootcamp, Learn to Run, Glow with the Flow Yoga, 500 Rep Challenge, and a Cancer Prevention Total Wellness Program in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Provided Summer Stars Basketball and Soccer leagues for youth. More than 100 youth participated in basketball and 144 female and male athletes were involved in soccer.
Supported operations at 24 MPS Summer Child Care Camps. A total of 776 students were served from May 24th – August 20th. Many child care camp programs provided care from 6:30 am – 6 pm.
Outreach
Reintroduced on-site play and enrichment activities at playground sites. Staff facilitated equipment checkout, additional cleaning procedures, and games with increased social distancing in order to maintain COVID-19 safety protocols.
Staffed 18 playground sites to provide free meals to Milwaukee youth in partnership with the Milwaukee Center for Independence. Over 20,000 meals were served from June 21st - August 27th across all playground locations. Meals were served in a grab-and-go format, where both a hot lunch and cold dinner were provided in take-home containers.
Launched the Video Game Van as part of the Mobile Units program. In conjunction with the Skate Van, the Video Game Van served all 18 playground sites multiple times throughout the summer. The van itself was equipped with 3 portable displays and Nintendo Switch consoles so children could engage in active games, including Just Dance; Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020; Mario Kart 8; and Mario Tennis - Aces.
Hosted virtual field trips to Hawthorn Glen and Lakeshore State Park for Summer School Camps and CLCs at 2 locations. Additionally, Outdoor Education reintroduced in-person Earth Discovery Camps and hosted 4 different weeklong camps throughout the summer.
Partnered with Artists Working in Education (AWE), Milwaukee Public Library, Wisconsin Bike Federation, Milwaukee Fire Department and Penfield Children’s Center to provide enrichment programming, giveaways, and educational lessons at all playground sites across the city from June 21st - August 13th.
Launched Team Milwaukee Special Olympics’ first-ever Athlete Photo Day. A total of 53 athletes participated by having their pictures taken while in the sports uniform(s) of their choice.
Team Milwaukee Special Olympics returned to inperson action for the summer season (after being shut down for over a year). A total of 73 athletes participated in bocce ball, softball, and tee ball.
Provided a safe space for teens in the evenings at 5 Twilight Centers. A total of 4,155 youth visited the 5 locations and participated in sports, video games and open swim. Also piloted 3 physically distanced enrichment classes involving 38 youth.
Offered Midnight Soccer and Basketball leagues to provide young adults with safe places to participate in sports leagues while connecting them to appropriate health care, work force, and educational services. A total of 112 young adults participated in basketball and 119 were involved with soccer. Nearly 1,800 spectators were on hand to offer support and to cheer on the players.
Reopened 4 in-person Therapeutic Recreation Club Rec Camps for individuals with disabilities
Operations
Provided Milwaukee Recreation overview virtually to playground staff via Articulate software and Qualtrics for knowledge checks.
Implemented an online outdoor permitting site for playfield reservations.
Completed ADA restroom updates on 1st and 2nd floor of OASIS building.
Hosted ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of Franklin Square Playfield on June 29th. The renovated space now includes basketball courts, playground equipment, a splash pad, shade structures, a multi-purpose field, and the first playfield obstacle course.
Implemented an online scheduling and roster management site for Adult Sports programming.
Held groundbreaking ceremony on June 25th for Green Bay Playfield. The revitalized playfield, to be completed in spring of 2022, will include new basketball and tennis courts, a splash pad, playground equipment, seating areas, and additional green space.