Patch's Greatest Person of the Day

From a Fox Point native saving a Honduran baby to a Jewish Santa Clause brining some Christmas joy to those less fortunate - these are Patch's Greatest People of the Day.

Hundreds Walk to Help Audrey

Audrey Parrott was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and although her family has only lived in the school district for a year, hundreds banded together to raise more than $7,000 for her ongoing medical costs Sunday.

Roughly 500 people ran and walked Sunday, many with puppies in hand, to help Audrey Parrott, the 8-year-old Stormonth student who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in early October.  In just 2 ½ weeks, Nicolet High School students Jared Smith and Jessica Luecke organized the 5K Run/Walk to raise money to purchase Audrey a wig and help her family with mounting medical bills.  "I'm amazed that these high schools kids put this together as quickly as they did," Dan Westfahl, Stormonth Elementary principal said. "Seeing how the community has rallied around, we're estimating there's been 500 people here at least." Nearly a dozen tables were covered with gift baskets, signed baseball bats, Nooks and more for the raffle. As Audrey …

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Who Made a Difference in Your World Today?

Whether its a neighbor that fed your dog while you were out on Spring Break, or a friend that gives their time to help out at a soup kitchen on the weekend, share their stories in the comments section and spread the good news!

People in Fox Point and Bayside are doing meaningful things every day, and we think it's time the rest of the community hears about these good deeds. Whether they are volunteering their time with a local organization or quietly helping out a friend or neighbor, we would like you to recognize a local do-gooder in the comments section of this article.  Patch already recognizes people that make a difference in the community, so we may want to interview and write about the person that you mention for our "Greatest Person" feature with their permission. Even if we don't write a news story, you can give that person their five minutes of fame by telling their story here for other community members to read. So, go ahead, tell us who deserves a …

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Fox Point Native Raises Thousands to Save Honduran Baby

A 21-year-old puts her time and money into improving the lives of Hondurans and helping discover the cause of seizures attacking her seventh-month-old, Honduran goddaughter.

At four months old, Camila Flores began having seizures that violently shook her little body. Doctors in her native Honduras were not equipped to help her, and her mother, Chena Flores, was frightened about the effects the seizures would have on her daughter. But Sam Bear, a 21-year-old Fox Point native, stepped up and raised thousands of dollars to help bring Camila to America to discover the cause of, and treat, the baby’s terrifying seizures. Bear met the Flores family on relief brigade trips through Marquette University. Chena was the head of security for the brigades Bear participated in, helping administer medical care to Hondurans in need. But Bear and Flores became more than just friends during these trips, they grew to be family…

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Jewish Santa Crosses the Cultural Divide

Spending Christmas Eve with the less fortunate gives Bayside man and his family a new perspective.

"There's nothing like being Santa Claus in full Santa Claus garb, driving down the highway and having cars pulling up next to you just looking," Mark Shapiro said. For the third year in a row, Mark, executive director of the Jewish Community Center, will dress up as Santa and deliver hundreds of toys the Shapiro family have collected throughout the year to children at the Cathedral Center, an Milwaukee emergency shelter for women and families. In 2010, the shelter served 934 families, which includes 273 children. Those families make the shelter their home for the night, receive a hot meal, and then go back out on the streets the following day. "On Christmas Eve, we're not really dropping off needs, we're dropping off wants," Mark explained…

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Fox Point Man Steps Behind The Camera For Familes In Need

In its third year, Help Portrait Milwaukee gives free portraits to less fortunate people.

Under warm studio lights, people who have fallen during hard times sit before photographers and are shown a side of themselves they may not always see. They have just gone through a brief hair and makeup session and are now about to have their portrait taken for the holiday season. It’s all thanks to Help Portrait Milwaukee, a non-profit group run by 34-year-old Matt Heltsley of Fox Point. “The idea is that we take a portrait and give a portrait,” Heltsley said. This is the third year the group has been in action. The non-profit got started three years ago by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart. He called out to photographers across the country to take pictures for the less fortunate as a way to give back. Heltsley and fellow photographer…

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Volunteers Aim to Send 2,500 Christmas Trees to Troops

Trees From Home is about $3,000 short of their goal to send packages to troops this Christmas.

The mini pine trees come in a big knot, all squished together. On the top floor of Winkies, Julie Stuhlmacher detangles one and fluffs it into shape. She cuts a skirt from fabric, adds 20 ornaments to the small branches, and places a star on top. The tree goes into a plastic bag, and into a cardboard box. Soon it will board a plane bound for an anonymous U.S. soldier stationed somewhere halfway around the world. With the help of hundreds of volunteers and donors, Stuhlmacher hopes troops will receive 2,500 such trees this holiday season, reminding them that they are appreciated back home. The local non-profit, Trees From Home, was about $3,000 short of their $47,000 goal Wednesday, making them about 300 trees short of their goal of 2,500. …

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Pick of the Patch: The Bayside Police Chief Shows Commitment

Chief Bruce Resnick is recognized for his 30 years of service at the Bayside Police Department.

Born and raised in Bayside, 54-year-old Bayside Police Chief Bruce Resnick has some village history under his belt, and even more history with Bayside’s public safety. He started in 1974 as a volunteer firefighter, moved on to work the overnight shift at dispatch, and was hired full time in 1981.  That means 2011 marks his thirtieth year of continuing service, and the village was quick to recognize it. And Resnick, who describes himself as someone who avoids the limelight, certainly enjoyed the acknowledgement. “Just even getting a proclamation from the village board I thought was really nice of them,” he said.  “They even got a cake.  Just to take the time to recognize your commitment to the community I thought was a great thing.” Along …

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Pick of the Patch: Walk in Tommy Talesnik’s Shoes

A true American story of a Bayside man from Russia.

On Aug. 25, Tommy Talesnik was working in his basement Shoe and Luggage Repair Shop, in the Ogden Center, 8828 N. Port Washington Rd., when he heard a loud noise. The upstairs ceiling had collapsed and the sprinkler system flooded the building. Talesnik spent the day outside, waiting to hear the fate of his shop, but he wasn’t allowed to see the damage until five days later. His shoe repair shop, opened 25 years ago, was a mess. “Everything was wet. It was heartbreaking,” he said. There was a lot of damage to machines, supplies, and retail items. The shop was closed for five months for repairs. What did Talesnik do during that time? “Worry,” he said. But five days ago, Tommy’s finally reopened. “Ogden and company came through for me and …

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Pick of the Patch: Laurel Bear, From Honduras with Love

A Fox Point woman finds time to be a mother, run two specialty clinics, and take care of Hondurans in need.

Some might suggest Dr. Laurel Bear has bitten off a bit more than she can chew.  That would be everyone except, of course, Dr. Laurel Bear. As a mother of three, Vice President of the Nicolet School Board, an assistant professor at the Medical college of Wisconsin, and a pediatrician running two clinics at the Children’s Hospital, Bear certainly has her hands full.  However, there’s one more thing she decided to add to her resume: international volunteer. This year marked the sixth year Bear and her husband, who is also a physician, flew to Honduras with the program Global Brigades to help those in need.  During the week-long venture, two days are designated entirely to travel and four days entirely to work.  On a normal day in Honduras, …

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