The Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation selection committee released the names of 15 finalists for five awards to be given out March 16.
MANDI honors individuals and organizations for their commitment to neighborhood development in Milwaukee. The awards banquet is hosted by Milwaukee’s Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
There are five award categories: the Public Space Award, which honors community-oriented use of public spaces; the Cornerstone Award, which goes to an organization for long-term commitment and effectiveness; the Navigator Award, which celebrates an individual for leadership and collaborative skills; the Trailblazer Award, which recognizes innovation in solving community problems; and the Building Blocks Award, which honors a real estate project.
Here are this year’s finalists:
Navigator Award — Larry and Sharon Adams, founders of the Walnut Way Conservation Corporation; Rodney Bourrage, Sr., founder and executive director of Operation Dream; and Richard Larsen, a community volunteer and retired president of Larsen Electric.
Public Space Award — Historic Milwaukee, Inc.’s Doors Open Milwaukee; Milwaukee County Parks & Partners’ Moody Park Revitalization; and the River Revitalization Foundation’s Turtle Park.
Cornerstone Award — COA Youth & Family Centers in Amani, Northside Housing Initiative and Safe & Sound.
Trail Blazer Award — ACTS Housing’s Foreclosure Reclamation Project, Rebuilding Together Greater Milwaukee, and First Stage’s The Wisconsin Cycle.
Building Blocks Award — Heartland Housing’s Maskani Place, Sherman Associates’ Paper Box Lofts, and the St. Ann Center’s Bucyrus Campus for Intergenerational Care.
The MANDI awards event will be March 16 at the Potawatomi Event Center at 1611 W. Canal Street.
