The New Year is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek ways to make life better for those around us.
Happy New Year from Urban Triage to you and your family! We know we're late with our New Year newsletter & acknowledgments; we've been super busy. We had a successful 2022, and we're confident 2023 will be just as successful in providing youth services and a pathway for entrepreneurs interested in growing and processing hemp. Please take a look below at what we're up to in 2023 and the impact we made in 2022.
Happy New Year!

Long days and busy schedules were common in 2022. Still, we were dedicated to the restoration required due to the triple pandemic we experienced in previous years: COVID-19, social injustice, and economic insecurities. From chaos and destruction, there’s only one thing left to do: create, which is what we did and will continue to do.

In 2022, we showed up and showed out, managing a $21 million housing contract, growing our staff to more than 25 employees, expanding our Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture Initiative, our Unhoused Neighbors Initiative, and developing and implementing our Supporting Healthy Black Youth workgroup through a partnership with Thoreau Elementary School, and continuing the work of our Supporting Healthy Black Families, Co-Conspirator Workgroups and consulting services.

I'm excited to announce that we will continue these efforts and launch other initiatives this year. By March, we will be launching our Youth Programming with the inclusion of a Youth Drop-In Center. Even more exciting is that we have secured a building with housing units, and around July, we will begin providing Youth Transitional Housing and Rapid Rehousing to vulnerable youth. Additionally, we have been approved for a Hemp License by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). We will expand our Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture workgroup to include the growing and processing of hemp for CBD and offer $2500 seed grants to entrepreneurs interested in starting agriculture businesses.

This newsletter showcases the difference we made as a community last year and the new things in store for us this year. Our work is made possible because of you, because of community. I am forever grateful and humbled by the support and commitment of our community to Black lives, the work, and the vision of Urban Triage. The success and development of our staff also humble me. The work would not be possible without them. I'm excited about what's to come.

Watch Us Work!
LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE WE AS A COMMUNITY MADE IN 2022!

We're committed to creating a positive impact in our community by fostering, developing, and strengthening Black economic power, Black families’ self-sufficiency, community leadership, advocacy, and family success. We want to share the difference we've made together, and the impact of community trust in our organization to deliver on our word.
In 2022 we accomplished so much; below are our highlights.

Short Stack Eatery Fundraiser
In December, Short Stack Eatery organized a Co-Conspirator fundraiser to support our Youth Transitional Housing program.

Giving Tuesday
We held our annual #GivingTuesday fundraiser to support youth services. We raised $51,315 in one day. What an accomplishment because of you.

Annual Urban Harvest Fest
In 2022 we held our 1st Annual Harvest Festival. It was a blast. More than 300 people showed up and showed out. We raised $20,000 in support of the operations of Urban Triage. The lineup included stilt walkers, aerialist performers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, face painting, cotton candy, popcorn, a jazz band--Cigarette Break (from Milwaukee), spoken word performers, a DJ, catered food, children activities hosted by the Children's Museum and shuttle services. The event was held at the Farley Center, which graciously provides land for our agriculture program at no cost to Urban Triage. We celebrated, laughed, and made history—a shout-out to everyone who attended.

Kickback
Our Annual Summer Kickback was on June 4, 2022. A summer celebration of Black excellence. We partied, and we laughed. It was an amazing family-centered event and experience. We hold the event annually at Penn Park--the southside of Madison. We distributed $5,000 in gift cards and supported 15 Black vendors; we had two jumping houses, a DJ, three food carts, a double dutch competition, a best dress competition, gave out 50lbs of free organic produce from our farm, face painting, popcorn and we had mascots and a kids activity area. It was lit; it was community in action. UW Health sponsored most of the cost, which allowed us to provide everything for free.

Black Panther
On 11/11/22, we held a Black Panther Movie Premiere and an all-white party following the movie to celebrate Black excellence and to imagine an African community that has not been touched by colonization. We sold out, and the movie was phenomenal.

Thoreau Elementary Partnership
We launched our first hybrid model of Supporting Healthy Black Families programming in partnership with Thoreau Elementary School. Our partnership allows us to serve 15 students and ten parents. We're in the school once a week for 2 hours providing tutoring support facilitated by Black MMSD teachers and transformative education and emotional support facilitated by Urban Triage staff. We meet with parents every other Saturday for 2 to 3 hours--engaging in parental skills, transformative education, personal leadership, and change development. At the same time, children receive Art expression training and skills development to support their emotional growth and expression through the arts.

Supporting Healthy Black Families' Agriculture
We expanded our agriculture program to include CSA boxes. We grew over 50 species of produce and flowers and distributed over 2,000Ibs of organic produce at no cost to community members. It was an exceptional growing season and our first year in partnership with the Farley Center. 

Across Programming
We increased our staff from 10 to 25. We served over 7,500 unduplicated individuals across all programming and distributed more than $15 million in direct support. We exceeded all goals and targets. We're excited to see what we achieve in 2023 with community support. 
NEW YEAR, NEW PROGRAMS, NEW GROWTH
Check out the amazing new things we have in store this year!

January is a time for fresh starts, resolutions, and goal-setting. Urban Triage is growing, and we are excited to introduce our new programs and goals for 2023, as well as our Black History campaign/fundraiser: High Five for Black History launching on 2/1/2023. For sponsorship package information please email Diana Shinall--Director of Development at dshinall@urbantriage.org.
Youth Programming
We'll be launching our Youth Programming in March. This will allow us to serve youth ages 17-24 years old experiencing homelessness, sexual violence, mental health crises, and other traumas associated with housing instability and homelessness. We'll provide housing, transportation to school, appointments, counseling services, etc. 

Youth Transitional Housing and Rapid Rehousing
In July, Urban Triage will open the first Youth Transitional Housing Facility in Dane County. The facility will house youth experiencing homelessness and provide additional space for our Youth Transitional Program.

Youth Drop-In Center
In addition to our youth housing supports, we'll also begin a Youth Drop-Center starting in March/April, offering support with resumes, job placements, essential needs, trauma recovery, navigation support, and case management. Urban Triage is rooted in centering those most vulnerable and filling gaps in services. Community is what we are, and we look forward to serving vulnerable youth in Dane County.

High Five for Black History
Next week we will launch our first campaign of the year: High Five for Black History. During this campaign, we will provide 5 fun facts daily about Black history and innovation while raising funds for Urban Triage's operations. The request is simple: anyone who desires can donate $5.00 in honor of Black History. High Five symbolizes a gesture of celebration, greeting, and congratulations. Staying true to our mission, we strive for greatness and centering humanity in all our work. We offer stigma-free support and services to all who are in need. Donate $5 and ask your network to do the same in support of Black Excellence.

Urban Triage is for the people by the people. You are the people that make our work possible. We'll use the $5.00 gesture of kindness to meet our goals of providing top-notch services to those in need. The donation form and information will go out next Tuesday.

Expanding Our Agriculture Program to Include Hemp
Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture is a 12-week agriculture leadership workgroup designed to empower and inspire breakthroughs and transformation in Black communities. Our workgroup teaches the basics of growing food and the entrepreneurial benefits/opportunities in agriculture. The workgroup provides services and training to adults and youth. With the hemp license, we will expand opportunities to families. Hemp offers a unique model to teach specialty crop farming to a historically underserved population often left out of emerging opportunities. We'll continue our CSA program providing free organic produce to the community. In our next newsletter, we'll provide an application to enroll in the workgroup, which kicks off in May.

Watch us work!
A friendly reminder that our workgroups will begin again in March of 2023. Be on the lookout for applications, and please join our waitlist ahead of time. Links are below.
Please join us in welcoming two amazing additions to the Urban Triage Administration Team. We want to introduce you to Diana Shinall, our new Director of Development, and Zandra Hagberg, our new Marketing Management Consultant. With these two additions, our team is nearly complete.

Diana Shinall, Director of Development
Diana joins us from Lussier Community Education Center, where she served as the Interim Executive Director. She worked tirelessly during the absence of a permanent Executive Director and made an impact using her experience and knowledge of working with minority contracts. 

Diana received her Bachelor's Degree in Management and Communication from Concordia University and has more than 20 years of experience working with nonprofits and entrepreneurship. 
Zandra Hagberg, Marketing Management Consultant
Please help us welcome back Zandra Hagberg, who joins us as our Marketing Management Consultant. Zandra was part of the original team at Urban Triage, serving as our Director of Marketing and Compliance. She has returned to provide marketing and development consulting support and coaching to our Marketing and Development team.

Zandra's non-profit experience includes serving as Senior Director of Marketing & Special Events for the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Chief Operating Officer for Focused Interruption, and Director of Marketing & Compliance for Urban Triage. We are excited to have Zandra back on the team and utilize her expertise in launching our new programming fundraising and development efforts.
JOIN OUR TEAM
We're hiring! Get involved and join the Urban Triage team.
For the People, by the People.