Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Friday Nights at the Y

One important way our city can make a difference is through collaboration with other organizations and Friday Nights at the Y is one great example.

Beginning on Friday, May 29th, both Lussier Family East & West YMCA branches will be open from 8-11:30 PM on Friday nights for teens age 13-18 looking for a place to come together and simply have fun.  The branches will offer sports, dancing, and other fitness activities, engaging body, mind and spirit.

The Y is a great community partner and I am delighted that Madison Fire Chief Steve Davis and Police Chief Mike Koval have committed themselves and their officers to being involved.  It is a great way for officers and fire fighters to work and play with youth as we move forward to address racial and economic disparities between groups across the city.

I am very grateful to Carrie Wall, CEO and President of the YMCA of Dane County, for her work on this effort.  The Y is committed to bringing people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds together.  At the Y, youth development is a key priority and making sure kids have a safe place to come on a Friday night is a wonderful opportunity.

As a city, we have more work to do, but this effort of opening these doors to even more youth, especially to kids and families who need us most, is a positive step.

I appreciate the support that the community has shown. Please continue to show your support by spreading the word and coming out to the Lussier Family West branch, Friday, May 29th at 8:30 PM for the Kickoff of Friday Nights at the Y!

2015 Public Health Awards

Recently, Public Health Madison and Dane County held their annual Public Health Awards at Olbrich Gardens. The Public Health Awards are intended to recognize community members who have made significant contributions and demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting public health. Gloria Reyes, mayoral assistant, attended to present the awards on my behalf.

Congratulations to the below individuals and organizations who were this year's award recipients:

• Leadership Award: David Gundersen, DDS, MPH, Oral Health Coalition of Dane        Co. and First Choice Dental
• Advocacy Award: Covering Kids and Families-Wisconsin
• Leadership Award: Jason Garlynd, MS, Vocational Horticulture Program at Oakhill Correctional Institution
• Distinguished Service Award: Randall Brown, MD, PhD, UW School of Medicine & Public Health, Department of Family Medicine

Our Madison community is very fortunate to have such dedicated community members and organizations diligently working to promote quality public health practices and remove access barriers for all residents.

Check out some photos of our winners below!

Madison Senior Center Essay Reading and Ice Cream Social

In honor of Older Americans Month, the Madison Senior Center held their annual Essay Reading and Ice Cream Social. Madison Senior Center Director Christine Beatty and Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham kicked off the event. Eight talented sixth graders from Madison middle schools were selected by each of Madison's four Senior Coalitions for their outstanding essays detailing just a few of the many reasons why they love their grandparents. Congratulations to Melina Nguyen from Whitehorse Middle School, the citywide winner, who wrote her essay on her grandma being the biggest kid she knows!

Following the essay readings and the announcement of the winner, the group gathered for some ice cream and socializing!

Thank you to Debbi Mason for organizing the event!

Addressing the Digital Divide

The City of Madison is continuing to work diligently to address the digital divide and ensure that all Madison residents have access to either free or low-cost high-speed internet.  As technology develops and becomes increasingly innovative, the need to ensure that all youth have access to internet service to complete assignments, research topics of interest, apply to post-secondary education, and develop technological skills that can be put to use in future jobs and careers increases. I am confident that the City of Madison will continue to provide network connections at neighborhood and community centers, libraries, schools, and eventually, cultural centers. While these services are essential, there is still work to be done to ensure that all residents live, work, and play in an equitable Madison community.

June 7th Ride the Drive Looking for Volunteers

I am sharing a message from the Madison Parks Department because it's important.  The City has been able to host two Ride the Drives per year, one in the downtown area and one in a neighborhood.  June 7 is of course, the downtown event.  Parks staff, as well as those from Police, Traffic Engineering and others work hard to make this a great event, but we also need volunteers.

The City of Madison and Madison Parks are pleased to bring Ride the Drive back for its seventh year on June 7, 2015 from 10am – 3pm. Ride the Drive is a community event that turns a 5-mile loop of Madison's signature streets into a public promenade that is open to bikers, walkers, rollerbladers, and those out to share in the experience and fun atmosphere.

Please help support this great community event by joining our team of volunteers.

Assistance is greatly needed at the crossroad intersections along the route to ensure that participants can safely enjoy the event. There are a variety of other positions available including bike ambassadors, information station guides, set up and tear down volunteers and activity helpers. Shifts vary from 2 hours to all day; please consider joining us for the event!  Have more fun by asking a friend to volunteer for the same shift.

If you have any questions or you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail [email protected].

Thank you for your consideration and support of this community event!  Hope to see you Sunday, June 7.

Let's Eat Out!

Let's Eat Out!  2015 begins on Monday, May 4th.  If you are not familiar, Let's Eat Out! is a group of food carts with a mission of promoting and advocating for the success of local mobile food entrepreneurs, bringing neighborhoods together, and expanding access to local food.

You may be familiar with Meet and Eat, a program we established three years ago in the Meadowood neighborhood. It's been a great success, a way to get awesome food out and a way to get neighbors together. The City also sponsored Meet and Eat on the South and North sides of town.  I am grateful that Let's Eat Out organizers contacted me with their plan to take over the program and expand it at Let's Eat Out.

Let's Eat Out! brings a variety of Madison's food carts, including Slide, Banzo, and FIB's, into neighborhoods, getting community members in each part of Madison together to enjoy local favorites. The fun will continue all summer long until August 27th and I encourage you to join in!

Check out the link below for the dinner locations!

http://www.letseatoutwi.org/dinner-locations.html