In my Shoes by Barbara White

"Rebuild Together of Greater Milwaukee" Program allows trade workers and apprentices to rehab older home

Georganna Bond (front, first from center wearing glasses) with the crew of trade workers and apprentices who rehabbed her home. (B. White photo)

Barbara White learns how to repair a screen window from a crew member with "Rebuilding Together of Greater Milwaukee."

In the construction trades, three of the biggest things a construction worker must do is get plenty of rest and be in good physical shape and have a love for the job. Safety is another big issue.

Upon being hired, a person goes through a safety orientation where he or she will be quizzed afterwards as to what they learned. Then the person must sign a "Code of Safe Practices" which states that you will work in a safe manner, wear the proper clothing and properly discard your lunch trash.

At Gilbane Building Company/Gilbane Inc.--one of the largest privately held family-owned companies in the construction and real estate industry--there is zero tolerance for any risk taking, improper handling of equipment, or substance abuse. Everything is by the rules.

Believe it or not, there was a time construction workers could actually drink on the job. Today, there is zero tolerance as it relates to alcohol consumption. You could be terminated for any alcohol or drug use. Safety is such a big issue that if you do the wrong things the company you're working for could be fined between $250 to $1,000. If you should be given the opportunity to retrain for that same job and you lapes for a second time with a substance problem, the company will be fined and you will be terminated.

Sometimes chemicals are used during the course of a construction project that, if not handled properly or the proper equipment misused, person will not only injure him or herself, but the members of their crew as well.

After my day working as a construction worker, I found out that many apprentice and trade workers commit themselves to assisting with such community projects as home makeovers. It is here that apprentices gain a lot more experience and insight into the trades.

Recently I helped with the renovation of the home of Georganna Bond who has been living in and raising her children in the same house for over 50. Presently, Bond, her daughter Jerri Weathers and granddaughter Shacquilla Ashley, reside there. Bond lives in an area where crime is, unfortunately rampant.

Linda Sowell of the Gilbane Build Company greeted me and introduced me to Ms. Bond and the crew, which was already busy at work. I had the opportunity to see the floor plans for the renovation. The plans for each floor were laid out in the yard. Work was going to be done in the kitchen, the living room and bathroom. The front and back porches, windows and screens were also slated for repair.

Two new rooms were going to be built in the attic creating an additional bedroom and a family area with more closet space. In the basement, a family room was being built. Light fixtures were going to be repaired or installed and holes in the walls were going to be patched and painted. All of this was to be done in one day.

Close to 30 workers in all phases of the trades were on site at the Bond house. They were all working hard and as a team to make her dream come true. I need to mention that the temperature on this particular day was close to 90 degrees and really muggy. Nevertheless, when you have people who love what they do and who commit themselves to doing something, it will be done.

While the crew worked. I took time to chat with Georganna Bond, who is 69-years-old. She is a very cheerful woman with great pride who walked with a cane that she called her "girlfriend."

I asked her what she thought about what was going on at her house. She smiled and said, "I love it. It is giving me so much energy. I am so grateful to God and to the people (the workers) and my school."

I asked how she found out about the home make over. She said her school gave her the information. She kept mentioning "her school." I assumed she worked at a school. So I asked her was she a teacher, to which she said no.

Then she told me she goes to the school across the street from her home. The school used to be St. Leo's and now houses the Dominican Center, which has a number of programs, one of which is a reading program. "You see, I've never been able to read and now I can read a little bit," she said with a laugh.

I asked her how did she manage to work and raise four children without knowing how to read? "I had God and Jesus was my main subject," Ms. Bond answered. "I have a little mother wit and took the little wisdom I had and prayed and God helped me through to raise four children in this house. Some went to college and all of them graduated from high school."

Ms. Bond laughed again and said, "I can read now and I have my grand kids here. By the grace of God, I made it. I have some good teachers at my school helping me now."

Todd Helgudorf was the house manager of the project. He's also the superintendent on the Potawatomi Expansion Project. He explained the home makeover process to me. The organization doing the project is "Rebuild Together of Greater Milwaukee". Those who need help revitalizing their homes must go through an application process. It takes Rebuild Together of Greater Milwaukee about a month to go over what the needs of the homeowner are and what Rebuild Together of Greater Milwaukee needs to do. They then create a large wish list depending on the volunteer skill persons who are available.

He showed me how they have created a cutting area in the back yard, and that they are building Bond's daughter a new bedroom upstairs and a pantry. He also showed me the construction in the back and front of the house, the dry walling and the framing of the basement. On the first floor, the crew will install new handrails and floors. On the second floor, there will be a sitting area.

Michelle Skaor is the house leader who organized the volunteers. Shacquilla, Bond's granddaughter, is a freshman at Bay View High School. She said she is so happy to be getting a window in her room and a new floor.

She was instructed to be my tour guide. We went to the kitchen where new cabinets and light fixtures were being put in. In the bathroom, a new bathtub and toilet will be installed.

Next, we went into the basement where they had thoroughly cleaned it and put up walls for a family room. We are in the attic now where Shacquilla is showing me her room. She is a typical teenager. On her door were all her favorite singers, O'Ryan and his brother Omarie, B2k, J.Boog, Usher, Trey, and Bow Wow.

At the pace the workers were going they were definitely going to done in one day. I could now feel it. Shacquilla and I went downstairs to the living room and bedroom, which will be painted and new windows and screens will be installed.

Shacquilla pointed out to me that her grandma had her sitting room right off the kitchen.

Peggy Hillman and Theresa Stowers shared with me that they are in a training class of 12 with four of them being women. "I am going to stick with it," said Stowers. "I think it's awesome and good experience, as well as good networking." She wants to be a steamfitter or an engineer with Local 139.

Sidney Humphries says he joined the program because his sister is a real estate agent. "I do a little work for her. So I am here to learn more about carpentry so that I can help her more," Humphries said.

Bob Hamel, owner of B&D Contractors Inc., volunteers his time with "Rebuild Together of Greater Milwaukee." "The first time I did it (working with the program) I really enjoyed it," Hamel said. "I think we all should be doing more of this."

Tiffany McClemore does landscaping, carpentry and cement masonry. When I ask the workers why they do this, they said it gives them a sense of pride. Many of the trade workers sometimes come to the job with other co-workers and even their spouses.

I chatted with Cory Adams who is 15 and in the 9th grade at Wauwatosa West High School. I asked him why he was here working when most young men his age would rather be with their friends or playing sports on a Saturday. "My mom," he said. "Sherri told me about it and I thought it would be a neat thing to do and hang out with her.

I would not have been a good construction worker if I did not do my part and contribute a moment of my time to the rehab project. So I joined Ryan McDonald, a carpenter, who taught me how to reframe a window for replacing a screen.

It was a great day at the Bond house. Color did not matter, nor did age. It did not matter that a drug house was directly across the street or that bullet holes were once in the dining room wall.

What mattered that day was a 69-year-old woman by the name of Georganna Bond, who can now read a little bit because she trusted God and her little granddaughter who will now have a window in her own room with a sitting area near by.

Next Week I-Witness becomes an apprentice in the trades.

The truth about HIV and STDs

The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) is currently experiencing an increase in the number of phone call inquiries regarding HIV, hepatitis C (HCV) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). ARCW views these calls as an important, positive step to ensure people learn as much as they can about their health and STDs.

"This increase is likely a direct result of increasing awareness about the disproportionate affect HIV has in the African American community," said Michael J. Gifford, ARCW Chief Operating Officer. "Through our partnership with local radio stations and community newspapers, we are excited that more people are able to get the truth about HIV and how it is transmitted."

Through the Wisconsin HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Information and Referral Center (IRC), ARCW is also fielding questions on several other STDs such as herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. In 2006, more than 16,400 cases of STDs were reported in Milwaukee County alone. Because having an STD makes you more at-risk for contracting HIV, it is important people know as much as they can about STDs.

"STDs--including HIV--are transmitted through sexual contact or the exchange of bodily fluids, so it is important for everyone to realize what they do that may put them at-risk for a treatable STD like chlamydia also puts them at-risk for HIV which has no cure," said Angie Clark, manager of the IRC. "It is also important for everyone to remember that STDs are preventable."

People who have had unprotected sex, had multiple sex partners, have had an STD or have shared needles for injecting drugs should be tested for HIV. Free, anonymous HIV tests are available at many places in the community including ARCW and at mobile testing locations throughout the community.

"When it comes to something as important as your health, don’t trust information you might hear on the street or from your friends. Without knowing it, people often spread bad information about STDs and HIV while trying to be helpful," said Clark. "The IRC has a lot of great information about STDs and HIV that you can get by calling or stopping by."

The overall prevalence of STDs in Milwaukee is substantial. The combined rate of infection for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in Milwaukee is higher than that of Chicago, Minneapolis, New York and Los Angeles. And while African Americans comprise 25% of the population in Milwaukee County, they accounted for more than 53% of reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and herpes.

"Everyone has the power to limit their exposure to HIV and other STDs by using condoms when they have sex and by not sharing used needles or syringes," said Clark. "By taking personal responsibility for your health, you can reduce your risks and lower your exposure to STDs including HIV."

HIV disproportionately affects the African American community in Milwaukee. Almost 55% of all new HIV infections in Milwaukee County in 2006 were among African Americans. While advancements continue to be made in the treatment of HIV, and people are living longer, healthier lives with HIV, there is no cure.

Currently, chlamydia is the most frequently reported STD in Milwaukee with close to 10,000 cases diagnosed in 2006. If chlamydia is left untreated it can lead to pregnancy complications and pelvic inflammatory disease. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection and as such can be treated with antibiotics.

In 2006, there were more than 4,896 reported cases of gonorrhea in Milwaukee County with most infections occurring in young people aged 15-29. Early symptoms of gonorrhea are usually mild but if it is left untreated, gonorrhea can cause blindness, joint infection or deadly blood infections. Gonorrhea is also a bacterial infection and can be treated with antibiotics.

Herpes is another common STD in Milwaukee County with 1,043 infections reported in 2006. Herpes is caused by a virus and causes blisters or sores, which often recur after the initial outbreak. While there is not a cure for herpes, antiviral medications can prevent or shorten the timeframe for outbreaks.

If you have questions about HIV or any STD, call Angie Clark with the IRC toll-free at 1-800-334-2437.