Play in the City

Strides for a Cause

"Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others." –Barbara Bush   

Mrs. Bush is right. All around us are people and causes that need our help. This is why I make an effort to be active in my community by giving time or donations to worthy causes. Two weeks ago, I road the 50-mile course in the 27th annual Miller Lite Ride for the Arts benefiting the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), and last weekend I participated in a walk to raise money for Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects one out of every 185 Americans. 

My family and I have been involved with the Lupus Foundation for many years. This has been a tradition that has meant a lot to us, especially since we have close friends who are suffering from Lupus. As a part of this walk, and volunteer for other foundation events, I’ve witnessed what this disease can do. Because of this, I’m more dedicated to helping those living with Lupus by donating time and money to improve their lives. 

A wonderful thing about Milwaukee and other cities are the year-round events dedicated to finding cures and raising awareness of life’s battles. Various walks or runs for cancer and other illnesses, education, and the arts, are just some ways Milwaukeeans support and give back to the community. Each year, as the number of donations and volunteers increase, I realize there’s much to be said about my fellow Milwaukeeans who are also striving to make a difference by giving.   

The 6th annual Strides for Lupus walk benefiting the Lupus Foundation of America, Wisconsin Chapter, Inc., was held on Saturday, June 9 at Mount Mary College with record attendance. This year’s Celebrity Chair, Toya Washington, WISN 12 News anchor, welcomed attendees with a kick-off speech applauding new results from Lupus research conducted over the past year. 

   

Those gathering at Mount Mary weren’t just the usual group of female college students, but the largest turnout to date of family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and lupus fighters volunteering to walk the one or three miles for a cause that affects 1.5 million Americans.

The Golden Key

Hi All-

Sorry for the delay. I appreciate your patience. It wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that STIR gave me the golden key (the password and account info) for Play in the City to start making this site “my own.” It’s going to take some time before it actually becomes that, so hang in there!

Until then, I want to take the comment barrage in a different direction, one that’s more productive. I advocate constructive criticism and would like this to turn into something positive before I officially get this rolling.

Since everyone is already reading and providing feedback, instead of telling me what you don’t like, I’d rather you take this opportunity to share your suggestions or what you’d like to see accomplished. Maybe there are some places you’d like me to explore and write a blog about, or perhaps you have more advice for a new blogger. If you’d like to contribute to this blog, please continue to offer helpful pointers and ideas that will make this site more enjoyable for all of us.

It’s going to take a couple days to bring this site up to speed. I’m excited to get this going and assure you a new blog is coming!

And the winner is...

After the controversial post about frontrunner Karen Cinpinski, the voting gap narrowed significantly. With close to 700 votes cast, Karen won with a margin of 42 votes.

So, congratulate Karen on her win...and click below to read her acceptance speech.

She'll start making the blog her 'own' next week, and we hope you stay tuned to see where she takes this thing.

It's Looking Like a Landslide

There is a clear frontrunner, her name begins with a "K" and rhymes with Darren.

Let's see if we can swing this like a Chicago election.  Vote early and vote often.

Winner to be announced soon...

Tell all of your friends and family that voting will end promptly at noon on Friday June, 8.  The winner will be announced that afternoon. 

Good luck!