Individuals, nonprofits and corporations committed to strengthening Milwaukee’s central city neighborhoods will gather soon for the 14th annual Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI) event to be held at the Pfister Hotel. The awards are sponsored by U.S. Bank, in partnership with LISC Milwaukee. “You will not find more entrepreneurial people than the people who are leading the efforts to rebuild our central city neighborhoods,” said Leo Ries, executive director of LISC Milwaukee. The MANDIs provide an opportunity for us to celebrate and learn from our city’s greatest talent.” Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing! Here are the finalists: BMO HARRIS CORNERSTONE AWARD (honors long-standing commitment) ACTS Housing For the past 20 years, ACTS has made strides in stabilizing the housing market throughout Milwaukee. What started out as a partnership between the city and St. Michael’s Catholic Church, ACTS is now a one-stop shop that provides home buying and rehabbing services for community members. ACTS, 2040 W. Pierce St., has assisted more than 1,500 households with a home purchases and more than 600 with home improvement projects. “Being highlighted as a finalist was a huge victory for us. Winning would be icing on the cake,” said Carl Quindel, executive director. Winning a MANDI “would highlight some of the work that is being done in the inner city by residents who a lot of times don’t know they are capable of doing such incredible things.” La Causa During the last 40 years, La Causa, 2040 W. Pierce St., has gone from a day care center caring for 19 children to a pillar of the south side community, where it now serves the social needs of more than 10,000 community members annually. The original day care center now offers infant and toddler developmental care, preschool, head start and after-school care to 1,200 children. The organization also runs a crisis nursery and respite center, a charter school and provides support for foster parents, behavioral therapy and crisis stabilization. “The (MANDI) recognition simply underscores our efforts and helps move us towards future successes,” said George Torres, president and CEO. “Our mission remains the same, to provide children, youth and families quality, comprehensive services to nurture healthy family life and enhance community stability.” Progressive Community Health Centers The Progressive Community Health Centers, at 1452 N. 7th St. and 3522 W. Lisbon Ave., work to meet the health and medical care needs of community members, regardless of their ability to pay. The centers also spearhead community outreach programs to address health issues such as high blood pressure, infant mortality and diabetes. “This is a just a great testament to the fact that we have grown so much,” said Sarah Andritsch, fund development and marketing manager, noting that the patient population has increased 41 percent in five years. Margaret Henningsen chats with attendees after the 2012 award presentations. (Photo by Kenya Evans) PNC TRAIL BLAZER AWARD (recognizes innovation) Select Milwaukee Financial Literacy Through Home Ownership The Financial Literacy Through Home Ownership program at Select Milwaukee, 4219 N. 16th St., provides tools to low-income and minority Milwaukee residents to stabilize their finances and reach their home-ownership goals. The program gives participants access to an individual development account, where every dollar saved is matched by $2 of federal funds and an additional $2 raised by the United Way of Greater Milwaukee. The program also offers a wide range of education, coaching and support for families purchasing homes. Winning a MANDI “would say about sustainable homeownership, that the dream is alive and well,” said Raymond Schmidt, the program’s executive director. Milwaukee Rising For the past four years, Milwaukee Rising, 2336-38 N. 44th St., has tackled the vacant property and foreclosure problem in Sherman Park neighborhood. Community members involved in Milwaukee Rising were able to encourage big banks that owned blighted property to help fund the effort. The result is that 27 properties have been rehabbed. Being a MANDI award finalist “is validation to the hundreds of volunteer leaders who led this campaign, that we can take charge of our own destiny and shape the Milwaukee we know and love to be a quality place to live for generations to come,” said Kathleen Patron, the lead organizer. Our Next Generation The Our Next Generation community center, 2411 W. Lisbon Ave., provides students with educational and cultural experiences to help them succeed in school and life.