MILWAUKEE, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Maggie Beckley of Aurora Health Care has been honored as YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee’s YMCA’s Black Achiever of the Year.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080806/AQW060)
“As Black Achievers, our adult volunteers serve as mentors to teenagers,” said Marsha Lee, Black Achievers director at the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. “They encourage and support African-American students to pursue and set high educational and career goals.”
With the support of their employer, volunteers in the program devote a minimum of 40 hours per year to programs in one of four areas: academic enhancement, career exploration, college preparation, and leadership development.
“It was so amazing to be named Black Achiever of the Year,” said Beckley, who works in finance at Aurora Health Care. “Starting out as a Teen Achiever, I received opportunities that taught me a lot about being a leader. I’ve succeeded in part due to that program, so it’s only natural for me to give back as an adult Black Achiever. I want the teens I interact with today to have the same opportunities and mentoring that I did. It’s a wonderful program.”
“Maggie is a great example of how investing in the community as a corporate citizen yields a positive return for the community and Aurora’s workforce,” said Chad Johnson, workforce planning specialist for Aurora Health Care.
“She exemplifies the success of ‘pipeline partnerships’ in the community. For instance, she was in the Teen Achievers program at the YMCA, then found out about the INROADS internship program for minority students. That led to an internship at Aurora Health Care and ultimately to her full-time role here. It’s a true success story,” Johnson said.
Since becoming a full-time Aurora employee working in finance, Beckley has been volunteering as an adult achiever and recently was highlighted in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story for her contributions to the Milwaukee community.
Johnson said: “By participating in the Black Achievers program, Aurora is helping to develop our future leaders and investing in our future work force. It’s also important that the work force reflects the communities we serve. Black Achievers helps us to reach out to young people who may want to stay in the community and work for Aurora and enables us to continue our commitment to diversity.”
Aurora will provide $2,500 in scholarships ($500 each) to college students interested in pursuing health care careers, which Beckley will give out at a dinner to be held in September.
About the YMCA Black Achievers program:
— The YMCA Black Achiever Program was founded in 1971 at the Harlem, New
York, YMCA.
— It was launched in Milwaukee in 1982 at the North Central Branch.
— Members are selected based upon their professional efforts, character
and dedication to community service. Each adult volunteer is sponsored
by a local business or organization to work with elementary, middle
and high school students for one year. At the end of that year,
volunteers are encouraged to continue their commitment through an
alumni network.
— Black Achiever volunteers are expected to devote a minimum of 40 hours
per year to programs in one of three areas: career, academics and
leadership development.
— Aurora Health Care has been a supporter of this program since 1985
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve the quality of care. Aurora provides care at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin
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Source: Aurora Health Care