Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / News / Arts and Recreation / Alma Center recognized for innovative domestic violence program

Alma Center recognized for innovative domestic violence program

November 6, 2015 by Andrea Waxman Leave a Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
  • Open house attendees listen to Milwaukee Circuit Court Chief Judge Maxine White speaking about the importance of the Alma Center's work. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • Floyd Rowell, Wisdom Walk facilitator, and Terri Strodthoff, Alma Center founder and president, show off the center's Celebrating Solutions Award and mayoral proclamation designating Oct. 29 Alma Center Day. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • Attendees browse art donated by African-American male artists, teens working with ArtWorks for Milwaukee, noted local artists and others. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • James Mosley, Men Ending Violence class facilitator and Fatherhood Program instructor, plays a drum during the silent art auction. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • Alicia Conley and her daughter Kalise browse the art on display at the silent auction. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • George Meneese (left) and artist Willie Weaver-Bey view the nine paintings Weaver-Bey donated to the auction. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • The Wisdom Walk room contains many symbolic objects that have meaning to participants, including photos of family members. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • Wisdom Walk graduates Floyd Rowell and Paul Fowler socialize at the open house. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • Artist Bennie Higgins, an art donor and guest, adds to a community mural at the agency's entrance. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
  • This painting for sale at the auction was donated by artist Bennie Higgins. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)

Staff, graduates, local dignitaries and friends of the Alma Center gathered recently for a formal presentation of a national award created to highlight local programs that can serve as models for ending domestic violence.

A panel of family violence experts selected Alma Center to receive the Celebrating Solutions Award for its innovative approach to healing abusive men and breaking the cycle of intergenerational violence. The award, which comes with a $10,000 gift, was presented by the Mary Byron Project, a Louisville-based nonprofit that seeks to attack the root causes of domestic abuse.

Chosen from among more than 300 nominees, the Alma Center addresses abusive men as trauma victims. It works to help them heal through its Wisdom Walk to Self Mastery, a healing circle that draws on indigenous wisdom and current neurological science, and the Men Ending Violence program. It also offers classes to help men become better fathers and find employment.

In addition to the award presentation, an open house at the nonprofit’s offices, 2821 N. 4th St., included a silent art auction, community mural painting and testimonials by program graduates. Local African-American artists, ArtWorks for Milwaukee teen artists and other artists donated more than 150 pieces to the auction.

Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed the day Alma Center Day in Milwaukee.

Paul Fowler, who graduated from the Alma Center in April, said it took him five years because he dropped in and out. Like most of the men who are helped by the center, Fowler connected with it through the criminal justice system.

Violence toward intimate partners often leads to lost families, homes, jobs and freedom. “You come here, you’re angry, you’re embarrassed, you’re shamed,” Fowler said.

But his mentor and teachers stuck with him and he was finally able to achieve self-knowledge and control, and find peace, he said.

“Some people actually took the time to sit here and teach (us) why we are mad, what we can do about it, how we can talk to each other,” he said. “It’s like therapy. You get to sit here and talk to everybody and figure out what led (you) here.”

Facilitator James Mosley explained that men who are traumatized by pain and violence when they are young internalize the fight, flight or freeze response and it becomes automatic and, seemingly, as uncontrollable as blinking or sneezing.

Once these men have faced what they have done to themselves and to others, and also what has been done to them, they can understand how they came to this place and they can heal and change their behavior, Mosley said.

Most of the 250 men who Alma House helped last year were referred by one of Milwaukee County’s three courts devoted to hearing domestic violence cases. Offenders now meet with Alma House representatives at the time of sentencing. While earlier paths to the program resulted in three-month waits, the current setup allows the men to begin the program within two weeks. And the “show up” rate has gone from about 50 percent to about 80 percent, according to Terri Strodthoff, founder and president of Alma House.

The reason offenders are motivated to buy into the Alma House program when they begin is that staff members listen to them, Strodthoff said. They often express gratitude for that, she added, and they come to realize that people care about them.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Arts and Recreation, Carousel, Community, Home, Neighborhoods, News

About Andrea Waxman

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

UPDATE: Housing leaders say rental assistance funds are still available for Milwaukee County residents

5 things to know and do the weekend of Jan. 27

These students don’t have to miss school to see the doctor. They can just go down the hall.

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in