24th MANDI Awards Celebrate Milwaukee Success Stories
The annual "good news" awards showcase people, projects and organizations working to move Milwaukee forward.
Burnham Playfield after renovations. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
The winners of the 24th annual MANDI Awards left Potowatomi Hotel & Casino Aug. 10 with official recognition of the impact they are making on Milwaukee, and cash to expand their work.
The MANDIs, short for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation, are called the “good news” awards and informally described as “the Academy Awards of Milwaukee.”
“Winning a MANDI is a premier accomplishment for those working in community development in Milwaukee; just being nominated is a coveted achievement,” said Theodore Lipscomb, Sr., LISC Milwaukee executive director in a statement announcing the winners.
Nonprofit LISC Milwaukee hosts the annual awards show with sponsorship from U.S. Bank.
A series of awards recognize people and organizations working to improve and develop Milwaukee’s communities. Lipscomb said the awards “highlight the people moving Milwaukee forward.”
Nominations for the MANDIs come from the public and a volunteer selection committee picks the finalists, with two in each category.
Urban Milwaukee hosted online voting for the Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award, an additional award in which all nominees compete.
Award Winners
The Navigator Ward
- Given ” for an outstanding individual that has demonstrated and provided leadership and collaboration for change.”
- Winner: Coretta Herring for her work with Riverworks Development Corporation
- Runner-up: Marjorie Rucker of The Business Council, Inc.
The BMO Cornerstone Award
- Recognizes “a program or organization with a long-standing commitment to a neighborhood or neighborhoods and has demonstrated persistence and effectiveness over time.”
- Winner: Acts Housing
- Runner-up: Scale Up Milwaukee
The Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award
- Honoring “the creation or use of public space that contributes significantly to the overall well-being of the community.”
- Winner: Burnham Playfield Renovation by Milwaukee Recreation
- Runner-up: Green Tech Station
The Associated Bank Trail Blazer Award
- In recognition of “an innovative approach to a problem that is producing demonstrative results.”
- Winner: The Ability Center
- Runner-up: The Acts Housing Homeownership Acquisition Fund
The Chase Economic Development Award
- Recognizing “outstanding programs that stimulate economic and business development on a neighborhood scale.”
- Winner: Scale Up Milwaukee’s SPARC Program
- Runner-up: Business Development Hub at Riverworks Development Corp
The Husch Blackwell Building Blocks Award
- Recognizing “a real estate project that contributes significantly to the enhancement of the community—fulfilling a significant neighborhood need and demonstrating superior design quality.”
- Winner: Westlawn Renaissance Phase IV and VI
- Runner-up: Journal Square Block
The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment Award
- Recognizing “organizations working to eliminate health disparities through systems change,”
- Winner: Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
- Runner-up: MKE Fresh Air Collective
The Wells Fargo People’s Choice Award
- “An online social media campaign where the public votes for their favorite finalists across all award categories.”
- Winners: The Ability Center, Acts Housing and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
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