MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER

  Though Joe Zilber is no longer here with us today, his presence is felt more
  than ever as the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative gains momentum. In
  September 2008, Joe spoke about his vision for Milwaukee:

  Recently, I took a drive through the neighborhood of my youth, around 10th
  and Meinecke, which used to be called Lee. I saw the old Lee Street School,
  where I went to grade school. I saw a neighborhood with some new houses,
  but also some in serious disrepair. As I traveled past childhood haunts, I
  thought about the fact that Milwaukee is at a critical juncture.

  Milwaukeeans have suffered the loss of too many good jobs over the past
  four decades. Our rates of crime, poverty, alcohol and drug addiction,
  neighborhoods in bad shape, individuals and families in conflict or despair,
  hunger and homelessness, are much too high. Such conditions make some
  people pessimistic.

  Others, like me, see promise in the shadows – and the opportunity to make
  a difference in Milwaukee that will be felt for generations to come. And that is
  why the Zilber Family Foundation has created the Zilber Neighborhood
  Initiative.

  Some of the Foundation’s resources will be used to strengthen local
  organizations and support neighborhood plans and projects in up to 10
  neighborhoods. Other resources will be used to tackle problems that cut
  across many neighborhoods, such as the need to increase family financial
  stability, or deal with violence and abuse, or help our children and youth
  succeed in school and develop into productive citizens.

  We’ve begun to work with local organizations in the Lindsay Heights and
  Clarke Square neighborhoods. Like me, they love the City of Milwaukee.

  I love our City’s people, her neighborhoods, and her potential. It’s going to
  take a lot of money, a lot of hard work, and a lot of heart to realize all of
  Milwaukee’s potential. I have heard from many, many Milwaukeeans who
  share my deepest-held hope – to see our city and its residents prosper. I
  believe that, working together, we can put Milwaukee on the path to prosperity.

  Joseph J. Zilber
  1917-2010