by Community Shares of Wisconsin
On September 19, Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) will honor local leaders and organizations who are advancing social and environmental justice in our community. The annual Community Change-Maker Awards event will take place at Union South and online. The public is invited to attend the event. For tickets or to become a sponsor, visit communityshares.com. Tickets purchased in support of this event help Community Shares award $6,000 in donations to local nonprofits. Each of the six award winners will select a nonprofit to receive a $1,000 donation.
Change-Maker Award Winners
Mary Berryman Agard, nominated by Bayview Foundation
Winner of the Liesl Blockstein Community Leadership Award
Mary Berryman Agard is President of the Bayview Foundation and a board member of the Madison Senior Center Foundation. Professionally, Mary taught preschool, performed in and directed youth theatre, established the nation’s first municipal support system for early education and care, and managed arts development programs. She consulted in strategic, cultural, and civic planning, philanthropic management, and nonprofit development. Mary servedon the Madison Police and Fire Commission, the Madison Arts Commission, the City-University liaison committee, several committees for the public schools, the boards of two experimental schools, and numerous political campaign steering committees. She also founded the Monona Bay Neighborhood Association.
Brandi Grayson, nominated by Urban Triage
Winner of the Sally Sunde Family Advocate Award
Brandi Grayson is a revolutionary leader who founded Urban Triage in 2019 to address issues such as state violence, mass incarceration, housing shortages, and police brutality. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to over 20 employees and secured major contracts to assist and support vulnerable communities in Madison. Brandi has been widely recognized for her contributions and transparent leadership style, rooted in her commitment to core values. Her ability to navigate complex challenges and her deep connection with the community she serves makes her a powerful community advocate.
Maria I. Rodriguez, nominated by American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin
Winner of the Linda Sundberg Civil Rights Defender Award
Maria I. Rodriguez has been an invaluable force in advancing civil rights and social justice inWisconsin. She has an unwavering commitment to equality, advocacy, and community empowerment. Maria has dedicated her work (and all areas of her life) to positively affecting the balance of social, economic, and political equality whether it be in the larger realm of advancing awareness of civil rights and civil liberties amongst historically underrepresented and underserved communities or offering more targeted expertise in promoting equality and access in housing.
CSW Collaboration Award Winners
Tenant Resource Center and Legal Action of Wisconsin
In 2021, the Tenant Resource Center, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Community Justice Inc., and the UW Law School partnered to set up the Eviction Diversion & Defense Partnership (EDDP) with federal emergency funds distributed by the City of Madison and Dane County. The EDDP improves housing stability for Dane County tenants by providing housing support, housing counseling, court navigation, mediation services, and rental assistance. The program also refers eligible tenants whose housing stability is at risk to partner attorneys who provide legal representation at no cost to tenants.
CSW Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Michele Erikson
Michele Erikson believes literacy is a basic human right and has been working to improve literacy for nearly 40 years.
Since 1985, Michele has worked in literacy at the local and state level. At Wisconsin Literacy she supported, developed, and advocated for 70+ community-based literacy organizations statewide. Under Michele’s leadership the statewide coalition steadily increased, and Wisconsin Literacy members now serve more than 11,000 adult learners.
Early in her time with Wisconsin Literacy, Michele began working in health literacy by directing small projects with local literacy agencies to improve health understanding. In 2010, after receiving additional funding, Wisconsin Health Literacy was launched under her leadership. That work continues in Wisconsin and beyond with a focus on improving health outcomes and reducing health care costs by educating providers and patients on effective ways to communicate through a health literacy and health equity lens.
