Emily Erwin-Frank: Removing the shame from mental illness
byHaving been stigmatized herself in dealing with a mental illness diagnosis, Emily Erwin-Frank has set out to reduce harmful stigmas about the disease.
W2W
Denise Ney: Research helping real people
byBecause of Denise Ney’s work as director of the dietetics program at UW-Madison, patients with the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) now have tastier options to meet their extremely limiting dietary needs.
Angela Skalitzky: Making a difference, by design
byThanks to the savvy, determination and design skills of Angela Skalitzky, four nonprofit organizations have had massive, free makeovers in recent years.
Jonnah Perkins: Marrying sport, food and the land
byFarmer, activist, ultra-distance trail runner, mother. These are just a few of the facets that make up Jonnah Perkins, grower and creative manager at Vermont Valley Community Farm in Blue Mounds.
Doua Kha: Nurturing diverse identities
byDoua Kha has long struggled to reconcile being queer with being Hmong. Kha is now working to support other youth who may wrestle with issues of identity.
Ellen Merker: Helping disabled adults have healthy relationships
by“People with disabilities are just like the rest of us. They want to be in relationships. They want connections, and sometimes that means they want sex,” says Ellen Merker, owner of Heart Consulting in Madison.
Colleen Johnson: Helping people achieve the college dream
byAs director of development and community partnerships at the UW Odyssey Project, Colleen Johnson helps adults and children reconnect with their dreams—and that’s vital for Dane County’s economy.
Nicole Meadowcroft: Giving the “exhilaration of independence” to those in need
byNicole Meadowcroft remembers that one of the first times she saw a German shepherd, which she’d always wanted to have as a pet, it was working as a seeing eye dog.
ANNA MOFFIT: WORKING TO ‘LIFT ALL BOATS’ FOR STUDENTS
byHaving a son with a significant disability impacted Anna Moffit’s family so tremendously that she had to reinvent herself personally and professionally.
NICKI VANDER MEULEN: ADVOCATING FOR THE DISABLED
byGrowing up in Walworth County, labeled with Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit disorder and cerebral palsy, Nicki Vander Meulen was a disability advocate by age 7, fighting for her right to attend the local public school.