Froedtert in Action Volunteers Mentor Local Students

Froedtert in Action volunteers are investing in and making an impact with today’s youth from the Washington Park Neighborhood in Milwaukee. Every Monday afternoon, about eight or nine Froedtert Health staff members and leaders come to the Center for Advanced Care to volunteer their time and talents through companionship and homework help for 11 students from Our Next Generation (ONG) Neighborhood Center’s Outbound Learning Program.

John Pandl (left), board member of Our Next Generation and executive director of Human Resources at Froedtert Health, pictured with Drake (right), a student at Our Next Generation.

Julia Olsen (right), a clinical nurse leader in oncology at Froedtert Hospital, assisting Malayshia (left) and Kayoona (center) with their homework as part of the Outbound Learning Program.

Our Next Generation provides academic tutoring, enrichment programming and social support to thousands of students in the heart of one of Milwaukee’s most challenged communities. They see tangible results like better grades, higher high-school graduation rates, improved self-esteem, and positive attitudes toward the future. The Outbound Learning Program seeks to combine academic support and one-on-one mentoring with opportunities to expand students’ horizons beyond their own neighborhood.

Students are bused to participating corporate and community partner sites, where they are mentored by employee volunteers. The outbound learning activity is considered a reward by the students. This program exposes them to a variety of professional environments and potential career paths, while simultaneously providing them with one-on-one academic support and building meaningful relationships with mentors.

“Children are the future of our community,” John Pandl said. Pandl is a board member of Our Next Generation and executive director of Human Resources at Froedtert Health. “I have been on the board of directors of Our Next Generation for two years. Now that I am tutoring children coming to the outbound learning site at Froedtert Hospital, I am also able to participate in the efforts of the many dedicated volunteer tutors to help these children build a strong educational foundation for their future. It’s rewarding and fun!”

Jenni Cadman, director of Care Management and Care Transitions Department at Froedtert Health, shared that “being a mentor with ONG is a rewarding way to give back to these young children … to help them learn to see the possibilities within themselves and for the future. These are bright children who are motivated to do well, and I value the ability to be a part of this program to enable our next generation to succeed.”

Froedtert in Action reaffirms our health network’s commitment to give back to the communities we serve. It reflects a commitment to our mission while creating excitement about the various actionable and direct ways we give back as an organization.

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