| On December 7, the Wisconsin Community Fund and the Verna Hill - Dorothy Shannon Fund will be honoring community activists, Paul Kusuda and Rita Wlodarczyk (above), with their 2006 Community Change Maker Awards. The awards will be presented at the 10th annual Community Change Maker award ceremony, to be held at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 5:30-7: 00 p.m. The event is a benefit for the two funds. Paul Kusuda has a rich and diverse history and current life of activism for change. Paul was born in California and along with his family was sent to the Manzanar Relocation Camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. While there, he helped start a temporary school for the children whose education had been disrupted. Paul left the camp to continue his higher education at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. In Chicago, he met his wife Atsuko and they moved to Madison in 1951. Kusuda's career includes 35 years with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services, including 17 years in various positions within the Division of Corrections, from which he retired in 1987. He continues to invest his time and talents in a host of organizations and projects. He's been a leader in the National Association of Social Workers since 1955. Kusuda has also been an activist regarding aging and senior citizens including serving with the Dane County SOS Senior Council, Elderly Services Network of Dane County, TRIAD Project: Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, and the Dane County Area Agency on Aging Board. He worked in multiple positions for the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, which recognized Kusuda's work with an Award for Leadership in 2004. As an activist promoting Asian-American rights and culture, Kusuda was involved with the Madison-Obihiro Sister City and Japanese Sister Cities, Inc. He is a Life Member of Japanese American Citizens League, has provided leadership to the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans, and is a contributing writer to Asian Wisconzine. His contributions to the community have been recognized with numerous awards and most recently with Asian Wisconzine's 2005 Editor's Award and the 2006 Dane County Martin Luther King, Jr. Recognition Award. Rita Wlodarczyk has also been working for positive change in Wisconsin for more than half a century. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, she moved to Milwaukee with her husband Woody in the 1940s and was soon introduced to Wisconsin politics by working on the Frank Zeidler mayoral campaign. The Wlodarczyks soon moved to Madison, and Wlodarczyk has lived in Dane County most of her life since then. In addition to working and raising a family, Wlodarczyk has been involved with a range of political, civic and cultural work. In the political realm, she was a member of the League of Women Voters and served on its board, she's served as Chair of the Dane County Democratic Party and has been a delegate to the National Democratic Convention. She's a founding mother of the Wisconsin Women'sPolitical Caucus, she ran for Wisconsin Secretary of State, and she served on the Monona City Council for eight years. One of her proudest moments during her council tenure was the establishment of the Monona Senior Center. Evidence of Wlodarczyk's leadership is also apparent in the number of businesses and organizations she has worked for, served on the board of, and/or helped establish. These include the World Affairs Center, The United, Madison Development Corporation, UMOS, and the floating parish of the Community of John XXIII. She's served as president of Wisconsin AARP Vote and Wisconsin AARP. She's an anti-war activist, she marched on the picket line during the Madison newspaper strike in the 1970s, and walked with Father Groppi in support of welfare rights. In 1983, the YWCA honored Wlodarczyk as a Woman of Distinction for all her contributions. Wlodarczyk continues to co-host Senior Beat on Madison Cable Channel 12. -- From the Wisconsin Community Fund |
| Wisconsin Community Fund and Verna Hill-Dorothy Shannon Fund 10th Annual Community Change Makers |
 |
 |