In an opinion editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Independent Sector President and CEO Dan Cardinali points to Milwaukee as an example of where charitable organizations have joined together to offer solutions to a community-wide problem.
Following the shooting of 23-year-old Milwaukee man, Sylville Smith, by a police officer on August 13, the community faced violent unrest in the Sherman Park neighborhood. In response, the Milwaukee city government released its Public Safety Action Plan. Community members protested that their voices were not included in the development of this plan, but as Dan states in the editorial, he saw hope when “20 different charitable organizations joined together to critique the city’s ‘good, bad and incoherent proposals’ for public safety.”
He continues:
“Too often, we think of “charity” in terms of handouts or even pity. But the charitable sector is so much more than that: It’s where people turn to make change, to have an impact, to voice their beliefs and live out their convictions. When we band together, we are stronger and more effective than we ever could be as individuals — and the charitable sector is where we find the space to do that.”
He calls on individuals to “jump in and start making a difference.”
Read more at jsonline.com.
