Amber Williams has dedicated time each of the past five years to give back to the community.
It started in her one-bedroom apartment during the height of the pandemic, when Williams raised money to fulfill Christmas lists for single mothers in her neighborhood.
Since then, the Marquette University graduate student and former Milwaukee Public Schools student, has raised thousands of dollars to buy gift cards for the MPS Homeless Education Program. The program provides the cards to students and families experiencing homelessness, giving them the flexibility to buy what they need.
“I want them to be able to experience nice things,” she said. “So fast-food places, restaurants and anywhere that they can get some new shoes or some new clothes but is also cool for them to have.”
Williams’ TikTok post asking for donations gained so much traction, she raised $3,700 this year – her highest total yet.
Gift cards give students extra support
Shoshanah Bruesewitz, the Homeless Education Program coordinator, works to ensure MPS follows the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal law establishing rights for K-12 students experiencing homelessness.
Bruesewitz said the program assists students with enrollment, transportation, school supplies and fees for school activities and also trains staff to offer other necessary services for students.
The mission resonated with Williams, who wanted to get practical gifts for students who don’t have stable homes and can’t always take large gifts with them. Gift cards, she said, are easy for students to take, use anywhere and get exactly what they want.
This year, she focused on food cards when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program disbursements were at risk in November, in addition to places they could buy clothes or shoes.
Bruesewitz said the Homeless Education Program is typically only able to support student educational needs or refer them to other services, so Williams’ work fills the gap with additional support around the holidays.
“It’s really nice to have anything extra to be able to give to our families and our students,” Bruesewitz said. “She just delivers (the gift cards) to us and we can just get that out to our students right away.”
From wish lists to gift cards
Williams’ friend Cassie Bonner has watched her work change over the years, from collecting gifts and delivering them to raising money for gift cards.
If she could describe Williams in three words, Bonner would say she’s kind, thoughtful and funny.
Bonner, who’s known Williams since 2019, said she’s impressed by her organization, dedication and growth in the ways she shares her fundraising.
“She’ll develop a graphic and that’s the graphic she uses for the whole season,” she said. “This year, I was so excited to see her talking about it on TikTok, and that got tons of attention.”
Hasn’t always been easy
The work hasn’t always been easy for Williams. During her second year of raising funds for homeless students she got pregnant and lost a parent.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to do this,’ and then I was like, ‘oh my God. I’ll feel awful if I don’t,’” she said. “What does it take for me, you know? I don’t have to do any physical labor or anything like that. It’s just organizing.”
On top of mothering her now 3-year-old daughter, she’s a graduate student and Trinity Fellow at Marquette University.
Despite her busy schedule, Williams still focuses on helping others.
“It was great that I raised $1,000 in the past, but I always felt like, man, is this really going to even help?” she said. “But they always express their gratitude and that just keeps me motivated.”
Alex Klaus is the education solutions reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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