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By Tarajee Rucker
Vice President of Human Resources
CFI was so proud on Friday to be among the nonprofits selected as finalists in the Biztimes Nonprofit Organization of the Year.
This award is given to a nonprofit organization in recognition of creativity and innovation in building sustainable organizational excellence in teamwork, outstanding dedication to the organization’s mission in the community, and organizational excellence in management and operations.
Other finalists were Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin Inc. and Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. Seeds of Health, Inc., was the winner in this category. Congratulations to all.
In our nomination, we mentioned three key initiatives we have been involved in this year. They are:
Partnering in Concordia 27: MCFI, an affiliate of CFI, is developing a fifth commercial production kitchen at 27th and Wells as part of the Near West Side Partner's Concordia 27 initiative. This transformative and vibrant community initiative addresses the neighborhood inequities of housing insecurity, health disparities, unemployment, transportation access, trauma, and food insecurity.
Expanding crisis mental health care services: MCFI’s Behavioral Health Services operates three Crisis Resource Centers in Milwaukee County, providing care to those in psychiatric crisis as the need for 24/7 stabilization services continues to grow in the community. However, the demand is ever-growing. As a result, CRC has expanded services to meet this need and partnered with the Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services, local hospitals, and police departments to connect people in a mental health crisis to life-saving resources.
Summer Meals: Every year, MCFI’s Food Services program participates in the Summer Food Service Program in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction and Hunger Task Force. It is essential that our community has access to fresh and healthy meals throughout the year, even when schools are out for summer break. Families in the greater Milwaukee area have always faced food access challenges, which have only increased since the pandemic. Our program stepped up to meet those challenges, serving more than 200,000 meals at parks and other community sites this summer.
Expansion of mental health services to children: In 2022, MCFI’s Behavioral Health Services expanded its services to provide treatment for children ages 17 and younger who are experiencing mental health issues. The clinic is supported by two child psychotherapists. The clinic is supported by Children’s Wisconsin and Milwaukee County’s Birth to Three provider agencies, and it has quickly become a vital resource as the number of children diagnosed with mental health conditions continues to increase..
We are proud of these initiatives, and our history of meeting the needs of our community. If you are interested in working for an agency that is innovative and community minded, please review our job openings here.
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