After more than 30 years with UW–Madison Division of Extension, Jerold Braatz is retiring—leaving a legacy of service, collaboration, and steadfast leadership. Jerry began his Extension career as a Community Development Educator in Calumet and later Waukesha County, becoming a trusted partner to local governments and community coalitions. He went on to serve as Department Director in Waukesha County before stepping into his final role as Area Extension Director for Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties, where he spent nearly eight years supporting educators, strengthening county partnerships, and ensuring programs met community needs.

Jerry’s career has been marked by deep commitment to community priorities, supportive leadership, and unwavering dedication to Extension’s mission. His work has shaped local decision‑making, strengthened community networks, and touched countless lives.

As Jerry closes his office door for the last time on July 24, we celebrate not only his accomplishments but the kindness, steadiness, and purpose he brought to every role.

Thank you, Jerry, for your decades of service. We wish you a joyful and fulfilling retirement.

Financial Security Educator Tahnee Aguirre continues to strengthen reentry support in Milwaukee through her partnership with My Way Out, a personalized reentry service provider leading the Building a Path to Success program at the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center. As part of this collaboration, Tahnee delivers financial education and Rent Smart classes designed specifically for justice‑impacted individuals.

In May, she celebrated the graduation of 17 participants from the Building a Path to Success workshop. Through lessons focused on budgeting, housing stability, and practical money management, participants gained tools that help them build financial confidence and prepare for long‑term success after release.

Together, these efforts play a vital role in supporting stable housing, reducing financial stress, and empowering individuals as they navigate their reentry journey.

Building a Path to Success participants put their budgeting knowledge into practice through interactive activities.

Coming this July, join us for a FREE financial workshop designed to help you stay housed, stay informed, and stay confident.

Featuring guest speaker Tahnee Aguirre, this session will dive into:

• Why housing stability matters

• Practical budgeting strategies you can use right away

• What to do if you’re falling behind on rent

• Resources that help prevent eviction and protect your financial future

Attend in person or virtually — whatever works best for you. Bonus: In‑person participants receive a $25 gift card as a thank‑you for joining!

FoodWIse teamed up with five Milwaukee K-8 schools to create lasting community improvements—helping them plan, build, expand, and sustain food gardens. This work is driven by parents advocating for healthy food access and safe community spaces to grow traditional food together.

This spring, FoodWIse continued to support all five gardens and expanded its efforts by partnering with 4-H garden clubs at two schools. The team contributed to Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy’s Healthy Schools Academy project, supported Farm to School Recognition initiatives, and co-led garden tours for the Feed the Change MKE Campaign led by the African American Roundtable. Additionally, our dedicated nutrition educators delivered lessons to students and parents across 15 schools.

This summer, FoodWIse will continue supporting school gardens alongside parents, 4-H, AmeriCorps, MKE Rec, and neighborhood groups on Milwaukee’s north and south sides.

Green and Healthy Schools Conference (August 7): FoodWIse will highlight nutrition education and community-led school gardens at this conference focused on creating greener, healthier schools through outdoor learning and schoolyard improvements.

Penfield Children’s Center Safety Outpost (August 22): FoodWIse will promote nutrition education programming for adults and caregivers at this free, family-friendly event connecting families with health, safety, and early childhood resources. 

Community Development Educator Prasanta Anumolu expanded community impact through three Badger Talks presentations reaching residents, municipal leaders, and business audiences. A professional development training on Respectful Dialogue strengthened local leadership capacity in the City of Janesville. Two additional sessions on social connection and loneliness engaged public audiences in Mequon-Thiensville and at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, with the latter recorded by PBS Wisconsin, extending statewide reach to the hundreds. Prasanta also served on the SE Wisconsin Housing Summit planning committee, which convened over 120 municipal leaders and housing professionals from 11 counties in SE Wisconsin in early May, fostering cross-sector partnerships and advancing solutions to housing challenges across the region.

In early June, a “pay-what-you-can” grocery pilot opened on Milwaukee’s Near West Side, Greater Good(s) MKE and is expanding access to fresh, healthy foods for residents facing affordability barriers.

UW–Madison Extension Milwaukee County played a key role by connecting this local business owner, Gina Sopa to County partners, helping secure an affordable space for the pilot at Concordia 27. The community-led effort demonstrates how collaborative, relationship-driven efforts can create dignified, flexible food access while strengthening local economic opportunity. The store is re-opening as a pilot after closing post-Covid.  (Urban Milwaukee Article)

Prasanta Anumolu, Extension Community Development Educator with Gina Sopa, Owner of Greater Good(s) MKE.

Families, join the Victory Garden Initiative 4-H Club and hunt for delicious mulberries, raspberries, currants and more that will be ripe for the picking!

The 2nd Annual Berry Blast will be held on July 18th from 10a - 11:30 at Victory Garden Initiative located at 249 E Concordia Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53212. 

Led by Positive Youth Development Educator, Leslie Quevedo, 6th grade students at La Escuela Fratney engaged in hands-on learning through a 5-week workshop series on cells and heredity.  Students made models of cells using slime and art supplies, identified growing pattern differences in living and non-living materials, and developed an understanding of traits and heredity. Perhaps most excitingly, the program culminated in students using hand-held digital microscopes to look at insect specimens, and one group was certain that they discovered a parasite on the specimen! It was fun and learning for everyone. 

We are excited to expand our Growing Connections family to include Teens Grow Greens (TGG) this summer. Leslie Quevedo, Positive Youth Development Educator, will deliver a 7-week Photovoice workshop series to TGG youth interns. Photovoice is a participatory research, education, and community engagement method that empowers young people to document their experiences, perspectives, and communities through photography and storytelling. Come join us in the gardens this summer to see what we're up to!

Extension Milwaukee County has supported a series of tree planting events, collaborating with Michael Fields Agricultural Institute to establish climate-resilient agroforestry and wildlife habitat plantings at two sites in Milwaukee.

During a tree planting field day was held on May 16 at Kohl Farm Community Garden, community members planted 65 native, fruit-producing, and climate-adaptive trees to replace invasive buckthorn which had been removed earlier in the spring.

More planting days will be scheduled for fall, so please stay tuned and get in touch if you’d like us to notify you when we are planting. 

The Milwaukee Urban Demonstration (MUD) Farm Network celebrated a vibrant and educational spring season, bringing growers together to explore new skills, tools, and strategies for successful urban farming.

On May 8, MUD partnered with wildlife experts from the Milwaukee County Parks Department and the UW–Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology to host a workshop at Firefly Ridge Community Garden. Participants learned practical, research‑based approaches to preventing wildlife damage—an ongoing challenge for many urban farmers.

Later in the month, on May 28, the USDA NRCS and the MUD Farm Network teamed up for a dynamic workshop on tillage and soil health at Kohl Farm Community Garden. Gardeners and urban farmers had the chance to see the rainfall simulator in action—a powerful demonstration tool that reveals how soil management practices affect water quality, soil structure, and nutrient retention. To ensure accessibility, Hmong interpretation was provided by the UW–Madison Extension Office of Access, Inclusion, and Compliance.

With strong attendance, hands‑on learning, and meaningful collaboration, this spring’s workshops highlight MUD’s ongoing commitment to supporting resilient, informed, and connected urban growers across Milwaukee.

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