Grand Avenue Club ~ December 2014
Three GAC Members Build
Experience in New Jobs
By Michael Thorson
Grand Avenue Club’s Transitional Employment (TE)
program offers many GAC members their first experience of paid work and enables others to re-start their
working lives.
This fall, three GAC members—Brandon Kenney, Demario Satterwhite, and Dave Hanson--opened new
chapters in their careers by starting in TE positions.
Brandon Kenney: Combining Soils and
Spreadsheets
“When I graduated from [UW] Madison, I wanted to
be working with computers, so it’s great to be able to
do that again” said Brandon Kenney of his TE as a
document scanner at Derco Aerospace. Brandon, a
native of Greendale and alumnus of Greendale High
School, graduated from UW-Madison with a B.S. in
Agricultural and Applied Economics. He joined GAC
in March 2013.
Brandon’s long-term
goal is to pursue a
career in agricultural
finance. Last summer, he held a parttime research position in Janesville that
involved collecting
milk samples, and
It isn’t chicken feed: Brandon Ken- last fall worked on an
urban farm called
ney computerizes financial docuGrowing Power in
ments at Derco Aerospace.
Milwaukee as a farm
intern, performing tasks ranging from feeding chickens
to helping provide urban access to quality food.
When Brandon isn’t working independently or in
Please see Profiles, continued on page 3
Above: Kattie Harris works at
the GAC Employers’ Reception.
“We are all in this together.”
“I was asked to help out
at the GAC Employers’
Reception at City Hall. I
felt honored to be part of
that. There I was, serving the food and listening
to the members and employers speaking. They
really inspired me. What
they said taught me that
GAC will support me or
any other member at a
job.”
A Life Leading To Success
By Kattie Harris
I am going to tell you my story. I wanted it printed in
The Phoenix so that everyone will know that it is possible to come out of the dark. I came out of the dark
when I came down to Grand Avenue Club.
I was born in Milwaukee in 1958. There were 9 kids in
my family. My mother was murdered when she was
pregnant with her tenth child. I was 19 years old.
I ended up in an abusive relationship with a man who
got me involved in illegal activities and addiction, and
I eventually ended up homeless. Then I ended up at the
Salvation Army and the Five Corners of Faith Ministry, a place where you go when you don’t have anywhere else to go. I was diagnosed with depression because of everything I went through.
I had my first child when I graduated at 18 from
Washington High School. When I was 21 I had another baby and my last one at 24, but my kids were put
into foster care by Child Protection because of my addiction.
After my children were taken from me I relapsed, and
9 years ago I committed another crime. My pastor advocated for me and the judge gave me “time served
plus 56 days” in jail.
Please see Kattie Harris, continued on page 2
P AGE 2
T HE P HOENIX
Kattie Harris, continued from page 1
I heard about GAC from many of the ladies who lived at
St. Catherine’s, where I now live. When they all talked
about GAC, I wanted to come, but then I got scared and
didn’t. GAC members Bernadette Allen and Wanda
Jenkins kept encouraging me. In fact, Wanda walked
me down here at 8 pm one night just to show me where
it was. The next day I made a call and they had me
come for a tour.
I was asked to help out at the GAC Employers’ Reception on September 10 at City Hall. I felt honored to be
part of that. There I was,
serving the food and listening to the members and
employers speaking. They
really inspired me. What
they said taught me that
GAC will support me or
The tour was awesome. I felt secure the minute I
any other member at a job.
walked through the front doors of this Clubhouse. I felt We are all in this together.
the love and support right away. Some places you go to
and you feel, “I don’t want to be here.” But at GAC you Now that I have been
feel the vibe: it was so loving and felt like home. I was “clean and sober” for five
persistent: I came down to the Clubhouse even before I years, I have a lot going
Clockwise: James Walls,
joined, before they got the paper work they needed from for me. I have GAC. I
and Susie Katz deliver
my psychiatrist.
also have my pastor, John Kattie,
hors d’oeuvre trays for the EmPerry, who is a drug and
ployment Celebration.
And then I got to join! I felt so honored that I was able alcohol counselor and a
to be a member of something that is so positive. Most of therapist, a man who never turned his back on me. I
my life had been spent around people who had only neg- also have my children who support me emotionally, esative energy.
pecially my middle daughter, Desiree. I also have two
therapists, although there are days when I wish I had
Since I have been a GAC member, GAC has helped me five!
with my Social Security and getting my medicine. At
GAC I have also learned how to cook from scratch in
My goals are clear: they are to learn how to communithe Culinary Unit. And I can go to anybody in the Club cate with others better and find a job in the near future
and talk to them about anything at all. I love talking to and continue to do work—whatever is asked of me—to
Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes in the Culinary Unit. I don’t have keep this Clubhouse going.
to fear that she is going
to judge me. When you
The reason I am eager to share this information with
are a member of GAC,
everyone who reads The Phoenix is that I want other
you are not being
people who are where I was to know that they are not
judged, even if you have
trapped. I want them to know that it is possible to come
a relapse. People at
out of the dark; Grand Avenue Club is here for them.
GAC are always there
Secrets can keep you sick. I think that if I tell my story,
for you.
I can move forward. You never know whether your story will save a life.
I am also in the GAC
Women’s Group that
I want to talk to youth and I want to talk to women in
meets on Wednesdays.
prison, women who have been caught up in the system.
Mainly I am based in the Kattie reaches out by phone to
No one can say to me, “How would you know? You
Education/Employment fellow members.
have never experienced what we have.” But I know that
Unit (EEU). I water the
they are there because they have never had anyone talk
plants, make outreach calls to members of our unit who to them, and tell them what they have to do to stay out
haven’t come in lately, clean the ladies’ room, answer
of the system.
the phones and take messages, and they are even teaching me to use the computer, which I never knew anyThis testimony is about my life. I’ve been through a lot,
thing about before.
but all the sadness is over. It’s time to move forward.
M ILWAUKEE , W ISCONSIN
P AGE 3
Profiles, continued from page 1
previous TEs such as server for the Milwaukee Athletic
Club and cleaner for Redeemer Lutheran Church, he
plays in his band Suburban Radiovolution (when his
bandmates are in town). The band is doing a holiday
concert at GAC on Tuesday, December 23.
Brandon has joined the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association in Milwaukee to volunteer and network
to further his career. He is working with the Wisconsin
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation to aim for a
position in agricultural or other finance after his TE at
Derco ends. “GAC has motivated me,” he said, “and it’s
a great feeling to be working.”
Demario Satterwhite: Work is a Natural
A relatively new member--having joined GAC in May-Demario Satterwhite plunged into paid work opportunities quickly. He worked in the group custodian placements at Redeemer Lutheran Church and First Baptist
Church of West Allis. In September, Demario started a
TE at Outpost Natural Foods as a dishwasher.
While he mainly focuses on the work at hand, Demario
gets along well with the rest of the crew. Everybody’s
friendly for the most part—I talk to friends there, nothing major” he said. “I like just what the task at hand
is—washing dishes.”
GAC Adds New Group Placement TE
Starting in November, GAC has added a Group Placement to its employment roster: cleaning the Milwaukee County Housing Division’s new offices at 6th and
Walnut Streets. Three GAC members, supervised by a
GAC placement manager, will each spend three weeks
cleaning the facility three times a week, earning taxable
wages. Participating members will rotate every three
weeks. This is the structure of GAC’s other two Group
Placements, at First Baptist Church of West Allis and
Redeemer Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. This new
Group Placement will give even more GAC members
the chance to gain renewed or first-time paid work experience.
Dave Hanson: Keeping It Ship-Shape
Wearing his long hair in a business-like ponytail amid
buzz-cut, polite Marines, Dave Hanson spends his 25hour work week maintaining the Naval/Marine Corps
Reserve Center in Bay View to a military standard of
cleanliness. The job is provided through the custodial
services vendor, the Ada S. McKinley community organization. “Working has given me a feeling of purpose
again,” Dave said. “It just makes me feel good, with the
servicemen thanking me for a job well done and also
Grand Avenue Club supporting me through this work.”
A native of Milwaukee, Demario attended James Madison High School and received his diploma in 2008. Despite some ups and downs, he gained experience in food
service at Target and in food service, stocking, and cashiering at Walmart. In the long term, Demario would like
to continue his education at UW-Milwaukee in business
management. “I would like to work in management at a
store like Walmart, Target, or Outpost,” he envisioned.
Re-starting his career through the TE program with GAC
support helps him toward that goal. “Seeing people going through the same kinds of issues,” he said “gives me
encouragement.”
Transitional Employment
Individualized TEs are rotating six- to nine-month
positions with GAC employer partners that provide
GAC members with paid job experience and the guarantee that employers receive 100% absentee coverage. All training is handled by GAC placement managers.
Dave Hanson, ready to take
on the world.
This isn’t Dave’s first experience in keeping things
clean. He has previously
worked independently as a
freelance custodian and for
a Milwaukee funeral home
maintaining the public
spaces. With GAC support, in 2011 Dave handled
the housekeeping TE at
Wisconsin Athletic Club
and in 2012 prepared daily
lunch for the children at the
Renaissance Child Development Center.
Dave grew up in Kenosha where he went to Tremper
High School. He heard about GAC through a doctor
when he moved to Milwaukee and has been a member
for about five years. “My long term goal is to go back to
school” Dave said, to focus on a wellness-related field.
T HE P HOENIX
P AGE 4
GAC Makes Mark on World with
New Book
and how those Standards glue together a community
that is so vital to our lives.
By Michael Thorson
Printed and bound at a local press with the help of a
generous grant from the Greater Milwaukee FoundaFrom Seoul, South Korea through Salt Lake City, Utah tion/Mary Nohl Fund, TEACH was written, edited, and
to Helsinki, Finland, Grand Avenue Club is taking its formatted by GAC colleagues, and profusely illustrated
ideas to the Clubhouse movement for mental health
with members’ art. Within weeks of publication, GAC
and employment rehabilitation with the October publi- had sold and shipped more than fifty copies, with more
cation of the landmark orders pouring in every day, to Clubhouses in Finland,
3rd Edition of a book
England, Hong Kong, South Korea, Canada, Australia,
called “TEACH”—
Israel, and across the United States.
Together Everyone
Achieves Club House.
Through two previous editions over the past 14 years,
GAC published it with GAC sold hundreds of copies to Clubhouses in the
the aim of explaining to U.S. and abroad. As the only publication of its kind in
sister Clubhouses across the world, the TEACH 3rd Edition is a source of pride
America and the globe in achievement for all GAC members and especially
how we operate in light
for the more
of the 36 principles—
than 140 col“the International Standleagues who
ards”-- upon which the
participated in
demonstrated rehabilitathe discusThe front cover background of tive success of GAC and
sions that led
TEACH is a painting by GAC other Clubhouses around
to it and, as
member Daniel Peterson.
the world is based.
the book
notes, “whose
The dry term “training manual” (which evokes images
experiences
of three-ring binders collecting dust in office storage
and insights
rooms) does not fully capture the spirit of the book.
are expressed
“Where in the world is...TEACH?” From
left, Dominic Grillo, Alicia Wilson, Hugh
Printed in vivid color, TEACH is a compilation of
in its pages.”
Swofford,
and
Vance
Klim
put
pins
in
the
commentary, quotations, and art that brings to life
world and U.S. maps to mark the reach of
GAC members’ lived experience of the 36 Standards
TEACH.
Meet, Eat, and Find Quiet Time:
A GAC Student’s Experience
mental health challenges and
school. I don’t feel as alone
and isolated when I hear that
other students are going
By Franny Delzer
through similar situations. I
Grand Avenue Club has helped me in so many ways as always receive great advice
I continue on my educational journey. For the past few that I try to apply.
years I have been attending SWAP (Students With A
I also really rely on the study
Purpose), the support group for members going to
school, or interested in going back to school. At these room that GAC has set up for
meetings, I have learned a lot of helpful strategies about students to study in. I spend Franny takes a quiet moment
to study in GAC’s Library.
being a successful student. I have learned about admis- much of my time in there
sion applications, financial aid, studying, time manage- locked away from all the
ment, and most important to me, how to handle symptoms when they arise. It has been extremely helpful for Please see Meet, Eat, and Study, continued on page 5
me to see how other members like me deal with their
T HE P HOENIX
P AGE 5
Meet, Eat, and Study, continued from page 4
distractions of my apartment and school. The library at
my school is being remodeled so I am happy to have a
place to go. I have a hard time studying at my apartment because there are a million things I’d rather do
than study when I am there. Having a place to go gets
me out of the house and keeps me motivated.
Gallery Grand Extends GAC’s
Outreach Through the Arts
By Hugh Swofford
Since its beginning in March 2007, GAC’s Gallery
Grand has drawn on colleagues’ artistic talents to reach
out to the wider Milwaukee community. The Gallery,
housed on GAC’s 4th floor, is an effective way to get
members involved who
have a passion for art and,
via its exhibits and programs, introduces GAC to
new people who are unfamiliar with our mission.
The third thing that Grand Avenue Club provides is a
healthy, filling, and affordable lunch every day of the
week and dinner on Wednesday evenings. Having a
proper diet and eating healthy foods is very important
for the brain to function and to have the energy needed
to go to school. Also, I don’t have to do the cooking or
the cleaning if I don’t want to, so there is more time to
study!
organized a benefit
show at a Milwaukee
coffeehouse in September 2006 for the
nascent arts group,
now called the GAC
Art Collective. Colleen, who today is
GAC’s Mary Nohl
Artist in Residence
and gallery director,
said “the enthusiasm
of the artists and
Attending a Gallery Grand show,
from left: Deb Love; Bonnie Bruch,
a co-founder of and artist in Gallery Grand, and Jason Evraets.
those who attended the show was
so great” that it led to the creation
of Gallery Grand.
Through the affiliated GAC
Art Collective, members
create art in such media as
Gallery Grand’s efforts have filled
printmaking and xerograGAC with original art, mostly
Alicia Wilson exhibits her
phy. Their art is exhibited
done by
latest work, a print. Thank
in Gallery Grand and is the
memyou to Barbara Manger, a
backbone of its shows. Lowell-known Milwaukee artist
bers,
Colleen Kassner talks
who offered print workshops cal artists, typically closely
throughart over coffee.
associated with GAC, are
at GAC.
out all
also featured.
four floors of our building.
This instills pride in our physiSince October 2007, Gallery Grand has participated in
cal environment and lifts the
Milwaukee’s Gallery Day and Night event. GAC particspirits of all colleagues who
Barbara Manger works on
ipates three times each year, in April, July, and October.
work within it.
a print. As a volunteer,
Visitors to Gallery Grand are greeted by members who
she brought in her own
present the faces and voices of GAC.
materials to lead a printIn January 2006 a loose network of people who got together because they love art, including members and artists connected with GAC, organized GAC’s first art
show to celebrate the Clubhouse’s 15th anniversary.
Later that year they exhibited art in a special exhibit at
the Federal courthouse. Meanwhile, Colleen Kassner,
who had done a social work internship at GAC in 1996,
On Friday evening, March
6, 2015, Gallery Grand will
present an exhibit of art
about women by women in
conjunction with Women’s
History Month and International Women’s Day.
making project.
T HE P HOENIX
P AGE 6
GAC Reaches Out to Young Adults
By Michael Thorson
About a decade ago, Grand Avenue Club had
been hearing older members say that, had such a
place as GAC been available to them when they
were younger, they would not have abandoned
youthful goals and would have accomplished
more in their lives. GAC took this up as a special challenge to reach out to more “young
adults,” which we define as members age 18 to
35.
orientation I was enraptured by the Clubhouse
and found myself waking up early and coming in
every day I could,” said Cody Mazell, 23. GAC
continues to pursue initiatives that appeal to
young adults, such as visual media projects.
These efforts have paid off. Almost a quarter of
new members in 2014 are young adults. GAC
sees more young adults in regular attendance,
and young adults are fully integrated into the
Beginning in 2004, grants from such organizaunits. For example, the three members who
tions as the Elizabeth Brinn Foundation, the
started new TEs featured in this issue of The
Charles E. Kubly Foundation, the Faye McBeath Phoenix—Brandon Kenney, Demario SatterFoundation, the Northwestern Mutual Foundawhite, and Dave Hanson—are young adults, as
tion, and the Brewers Community Foundation,
is the featured GAC student, Franny Delzer.
among others, funded new young-adult outreach
efforts by GAC. These efforts have included
To promote camaraderie and help young adults
collaboration with MATC, UWM, and Marget to know each other better, GAC sponsors
quette University; presentations and coordinaYoung Adult Program outings such as October’s
tion with youth-to-adult transition teams at Mil- event at Fore! Milwaukee, last summer’s overwaukee Public Schools; and work with LEAPP, night trip to Blue Lotus Farm and Retreat Cena group of high school counselors that works on ter, and a Milwaukee Admirals game in Novemtransitioning youth.
ber 2013. “I’m forever grateful to have a place
to go where I can connect, be productive and
GAC does special tours and personalized orien- have fun,” said Grenesha Reed.
tations for young adults. “Immediately after my
GAC is not all work and no play. Below left: Dove Williams and
Flora Fox enjoy the serene sylvan setting of Blue Lotus Farm.
Above right: Jenny Teuscher and Tara Gulden mug for the camera
with Roscoe, the Admirals’ mascot. Below right: the young adults
group, tickets in hand, psych up for the Admirals game outside the
Bradley Center. Below center: Chris Doering gets ready to take a
swing at Fore! Milwaukee.
M ILWAUKEE , W ISCONSIN
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Heiser Lincoln Ford Revs Up
GAC Fundraising Drive
A queue of sleek Lincolns, engines
purring, lined Water Street on a
brisk October 9th as GAC members
and Heiser staff took potential buyers on test rides. Heiser generously
donated $50 for each test drive to
GAC, totaling $8,700. A special
thank you to Ruth Brash, who spent
twelve hours calling friends and
convincing passersby on the street
to help us reach our goal!
December 2014
210 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-276-6474
Fax: 414-291-0218
E-mail: [email protected]
W E’RE ON THE WEB:
grandavenueclub.org
The Phoenix was named for the mythical
bird that grew up out of the ashes of destruction. It is a symbol of life and hope.
Grand Avenue Club’s mission is to provide people who
have experienced mental illness with opportunities for
work, housing, education, recreation and friendship.
Grand Avenue Club is
accredited by Clubhouse
International and is a United
Way community partner.
Grand Avenue Club
210 E Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202