Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Meg Miller. Advocate. Friend.

It is with a heavy heart to report that Meg Miller, Respite Center extraordinaire, friend and advocate, passed away this morning, August 9, 2017 at Agrace Hospice.  In addition to many positive aspects that Meg brought to those that met her, she leaves behind the legacy of The Respite Center program at RISE (formerly Center for Families).  Meg helped to establish The Respite Center program as one of the community’s most treasured resources to support families experiencing high levels of stress.


During Meg’s 34-year career at the Respite Center, she helped countless families with crisis and emergency care for children, and without judgement, she empowered and advocated for parents to be the best they can.  Anyone that has walked through the doors of the Respite Center can see the impact of Meg's vision and leadership to make the Respite Center a safe place for kids. 


Below is the obituary she wrote some months ago. It’s funny and very much in her voice.


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Meg Miller lost her most appreciative audience when she died on Wednesday, August 9, …..Sad!
Meg was born on the 1st or 2nd of November 1951 in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin. Meg was fourth and favorite child of Isabel Grimm Miller and Victor Miller both whom preceded her in death, as did brother -in-law Rudy Pineda.  She is survived by her siblings, John (Kate Bonafield) Miller, Mary Miller Pineda,Jane Miller and Mark (Joan Ravanelli) Miller.  Other people who added joy to her life include many nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws, co-workers and friends. She loved them all.
Meg had a lucky life but the luckiest thing about it was her wonderful immediate family – husband, Mike Strader, son, Charlie Strader, and daughter, Maggie Strader. All of who are good people and will continue to live thoughtful and meaningful lives without her. Or else.
For 34 years Meg worked at the Respite Center, a 24-hour crisis childcare and parent support center. She was passionate about her work and grew strength from the incredible bravery, hope, and humor that she witnessed daily. Working at the Respite Center made her a better person and she hoped that any memorials on her behalf be made to the Respite Center, a program of RISE, 2120 Fordem Ave. Madison 53704. (Specify Meg/Respite in comment section for online memorials HERE)
Meg will be buried at the Nature Path Sanctuary on August 19th at 1:00 pm. All are welcome.
A celebration, with some sadness, of Meg’s life, will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 the evening of August 19th at the Goodman Center, 149 Waubesa Street In Madison. All are welcome to share a beverage, a bite to eat and a few good stories. The rumor is Mike’s buying!

Monday, May 22, 2017

Center for Families and Community Partnerships finalize merger with new agency name

Madison, WI, - May 20, 2017

RISE – Helping Community & Family Thrive. Community Partnerships and Center for Families announced the name and logo of the newly merged agency at our 5/19/17 Circle of Hope fundraiser. RISE was chosen as the new agency name because it symbolizes the determination, growth and optimism of both agencies. More importantly, it represents the resiliency of our program participants. The individuals and families we serve have overcome adversity, trauma, and tragedy. Our services and programs provide support, hope, and compassion to help people overcome barriers in their lives.

RISE serves over 6,800 children, families and individuals each year.  Our programs and services help those in our community most in need to overcome mental health and health crises, poverty, homelessness, academic challenges and more. The programs at RISE include: Parent Child Home Program, The Respite Center, Welcome Baby, Early Childhood Initiative, Children Come First, Transition to Independence, Court Ordered Evaluations, and Comprehensive Community Services. 

We will be rolling out the new name and logo over the summer.  A special thank you to Candorem for guiding the re-branding process and to Green Clock Films for producing our reveal video:











Contact information
RISE (formerly Community Partnerships and Center for Families
  Business office: 1334 Dewey Court – Madison, WI  53703 Ph. 608.250.6634 
  Secondary office: 2120 Fordem Avenue – Madison, WI  53704 Ph. 608.241.5150
  RISEwisconsin.org | Fed ID: 91-2064768

Other RISE locations (Early Childhood Initiative):
2225 Allied Drive #4 – Madison, WI 53711
3301 Leopold Way, #108 – Madison, WI  53713
5810 Russet Road, #3 – Madison, WI  53711
1632 West Main Street, #9 – Sun Prairie, WI  53589

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For inquiries, contact Julie Sheldon at 608.729.1142, julies@centerforfamilies.org 

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Merging for the Future (by Madison Community Foundation)

We are honored to be featured along with Community Partnerships about our recent merger in the Madison Community Foundation Spring newsletter. 

Image may be too small to read so we'll be sure to share the online article when it becomes available. If you receive a hard copy of the newsletter, jump ahead to page 6!




To learn more about the merger and to be part of the new organization name reveal, be sure to get your tickets to Circle of Hope today!  Tickets available at:
 http://www.community-partnerships.org/get-involved/circle-of-hope-2/

Monday, April 3, 2017

The Merger is Official. Now What!?


It’s official- we merged with Community Partnerships on April 1st, 2017! So where are the balloons and confetti? We’re waiting until Circle of Hope on May 19th to really celebrate and announce our merger details and new identity as one organization. Until then, you will see Center for Families and Community Partnerships continue to use our separate names and contact information. Over the next several weeks we will be working hard to re-brand all the necessary parts to our organizations and finalize all of the behind the scenes details. We can’t wait to celebrate at Circle of Hope! Until then, we’ve had a bit of fun with re-branding and the growing curiosity around it all. While our April 1st official merge date was a bit anticlimactic in terms of parties and celebrations, we did have some fun with the fact that April 1st was also April Fools Day.

Don’t worry, the logo was just an APRIL FOOLS joke! 
To see the real logo and full re-brand, reserve your tickets to our CIrcle of Hope event on Friday, May 19th.  Ticket info HERE.  $45/person.  Lots of fun!




Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Have you heard? We’re merging!



If you received our recent annual appeal letter, then you read that Center for Families is currently in the process of merging with another local non-profit, Community Partnerships, on 4/1/2017. This opportunity brings growth and enrichment for both organizations, as well as for our community. Through this merger, Community Partnerships and Center for Families will serve over 6,800 children, families, and individuals combined annually. Our programs and services will provide support, connection, education, and stabilization to some of those with the highest needs in our community that experience mental health and health crises, poverty, homelessness, children that are not succeeding academically, and much more.

This merger will offer increased support and infrastructure across programs so that we are able to reach more families, children, and individuals each year and provide a broader and more comprehensive array of strengths-based, individualized services with an integrated approach. While this is an exciting next step for the future of both organizations and our community, there is still much work to be done to prepare. We look forward to keeping you informed and updated on next steps in the coming months.

Save-the date: Friday, May 19, 2017
Circle of Hope will celebrate the merger of two leading non-profits in Dane County, Community Partnerships and Center for Families, as we unveil a newly combined organization! 


Learn more: http://www.community-partnerships.org/get-involved/circle-of-hope-2/

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Exclusive behind-the-scenes event

The Center for Families, the Board of Directors is honored to share with you our excitement that Center for Families is in the process of a merger with Community Partnerships, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to coordinate a system of care to advance mental health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities.  We believe that through this merger we will be able to provide a stronger continuum of care to children and families; be positioned to expand early childhood education and home visiting, and build mental health capacity throughout all programs. It is important to us that as a supporter, you are informed of this exciting news early in the merger process. 


To  learn more about the merger, we invite you to our Sneak Peek Event:



Click now to RSVP

For more information on Center for Families, visit our website.

Monday, December 19, 2016

2016 Year End Letter

As we approach the end of our calendar year, and as a valued supporter of Center for Families, the Board of Directors is honored to share with you our excitement that Center for Families is in the process of a merger with Community Partnerships, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to coordinate a system of care to advance mental health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities.  We believe that through this merger we will be able to provide a stronger continuum of care to children and families; be positioned to expand early childhood education and home visiting, and build mental health capacity throughout all programs. It is important to us that as a supporter, you are informed of this exciting news early in the merger process. As we move closer to the final date, we will keep you informed of the progress, and look forward to you sharing in the celebration and unveiling of the merged organization at the Circle of Hope event on May 19th, 2017.

We recognize that your contribution, past and future, is a strong investment into our family programs.  Our promise to you is that we are committed to building stronger families and stronger communities through this merger.

Respite and Crisis Care  Early literacy and School Readiness Programs  Home Visiting Programs  Parental Stress Support  Education in Child Development Support Groups/Workshops

We continue to need your support because there are still too many children growing up without a strong foundation and are not learning key life skills.    But Dane county’s most vulnerable citizens, its young children and their families, can, and are, receiving care and support through Center for Families family-focused, culturally responsive, and proactive programming.

Each day, we transform your support into a moment of peace and a piece of hope for local families.  Please consider a tax deductible gift to Center for Families.  Your gift will allow us to help more families thrive in safe, stable environments and through early literacy education.  Please contribute to our continued growth with Community Partnerships to better serve more members of our community!









If you would like to help support our cause, you may donate online, or send payment to:
Center for Families
Attn: Development Office
2120 Fordem Avenue
Madison, WI  53704

Sincerely,
Eileen Mershart, Interim Executive Director