MILWAUKEE — “Everybody kind of knows everybody. I’m not totally in your business, but I know who you are.”
Ruth Moore reflects on her 40 years of living and working in Milwaukee's Havenwoods neighborhood.
“Working in your neighborhood you get out of school, you see your students. You say hi to them. You walk down the street. Hey, if they not making the right choices, ‘get yourself together. I know your momma.’"
Ruth Moore does not just live in Havenwoods. She has dedicated much of her life to looking after the community and knowing her neighbors.
"When I first moved in on my very first day, Ms. Ruth was the one that greeted me," neighbor Kathy McRae said.
Knowing and introducing oneself to all the neighbors has a reverberating effect throughout the area. Communities succeed when everyone works together. From the neighbors to the schools to the organizations.
And it’s not just Ruth that knows everyone in her neighborhood. The whole community is connected.
“So we kind of know a lot of people in the neighborhood," Cheryl Paetow-Whitney, Ruth's neighbor, said.
When you can combine living, working, and playing within a community, you get all the resources you need in one place and that makes a neighborhood thrive.
The My Block series explores neighborhoods in and around Milwaukee through the eyes and experiences of the people that live there. Where we go and who we talk to is all up to them. There is no script to follow. In this edition, I met with Ruth Moore so she could show me the Havenwoods neighborhood and how she sees it.
“Hi, My name is Ruth Moore. This is Havenwoods. Welcome to My Block.”
Ruth and Dean Moore
Ruth Moore lives off Silver Spring Drive. Her home is inside what's known as the Havenwoods Neighborhood Improvement District (NID). The goal of a NID is to improve residential quality of life with various initiatives and financial grants for projects like roof replacements.
Ruth and her husband Dean Moore have lived in their home since 1991.
“The neighborhood is, say a good neighborhood good community to live in to raise kids. I’m part of the neighborhood. The school I worked there for 17 years," Dean Moore said.
Ruth, Dean, and their children are all Milwaukee Public School graduates.
The neighborhood has a mixture of long-time residents and newcomers. Ruth had a unique opportunity to see her neighbors grow up since she worked in the neighborhood school.
"My neighborhood has lots of friends, neighbors. That we all know each other's names. We are long-time residents from five years to sixty years living here," Ruth said.
Red Ribbons
Since she has lived here so long, she feels personally attached and committed to the neighborhood. She wants to see it succeed. One thing Ruth likes to do is beautification projects. To add a bit of color to her street, Ruth ties ribbons to the trees.
"Cause everybody thinks you can't do anything to the city trees, but you can," she said.
She started a few years ago and now other neighbors have pitched in to put up more ribbons. It has even crossed over onto other streets too.
“It’s pretty. I’ve seen other neighborhoods do it, and I’m like well I want that on my side. I don’t want to drive to Glendale or Whitefish Bay looking at their decorations when I can have it on my block," Ruth said.
The neighbors have become big fans of the ribbons.
Cheryl Paetow-Whitney and William Whitney
“She changes them for each of the seasons and it really evens up the neighborhood if you don’t it just becomes a little mundane," William Whitney said.
Whitney lives directly across the street from Ruth. He's married to Cheryl Paetow-Whitney. William has lived in Havenwoods for 25 years, and Cheryl has been there for about 45 years.
“I think I like most about (the neighborhood) is the help you get. We're getting up in age now, and so when it comes to the outdoor shoveling or lawn keeping or that kind of thing our neighbors are always there," Cheryl said.
Cheryl and William appreciate the support they get, but for as much help they receive they give just as much back to the community.
"We're big soup eaters, so normally if I make soup I will call Ruth over, and say I’ve got a pot of soup if you want to come and get some. And she’s kind of enough to not make me walk that way she walks the way," Cheryl said.
Kathy McRae
For as many long-time neighbors as there are in the area, Havenwoods continues to attract new homeowners like Kathy McRae.
“When I first moved in on my very first day, Ms. Ruth was the one that greeted me. Her and her husband greeted me in the alley. Told me who they were. Introduced themselves so to me that was a plus.”
Kathy didn't know where she wanted to move, one thing stood out to her about Havenwoods.
“I didn’t know anything about the neighborhood. All I knew it was across the street from the police station and that was enough for me," McRae said.
Just a few blocks away is Milwaukee Police District 4. McRae said it helps her feel safe knowing there is a strong police presence in her neighborhood.
Lighthouse Youth Center
Another calming presence in the area that's only a short walk away is the Lighthouse Youth Center.
We're an after-school program. We’re open 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. It’s free for any kids that want to come. Our age group is 10 years old to 18 years old," Billy Chojnacki said.
He's the site director for the Havenwoods location. There are three after-school centers in Milwaukee. The other two are in the Polonia and Garden Homes neighborhoods.
Before Billy was working at the youth center, he was brewing beer commercially. Ruth also volunteers here.
“I realized this is the best way to impact our community. Obviously, the youth are our future. I know it’s a cliche, but it's true," Billy said.
Any child between the ages of 10-18 can walk in to play video games, get a meal, do homework, play air hockey/pool/foosball, or use one of their computers.
"This place is safe, and when kids need somewhere to go this is a place they can come. If they need somewhere to work on their homework, they can come here," Chojnacki said.
Richard Kluge Elementary School
Ruth had one last stop on our tour of Havenwoods. We went to her old workplace, Richard Kluge Elementary School.
"I'm proud to be an MPS graduate. Worked at MPS, and live in your community. I had both worlds, and then my husband worked there too, so it was great. So I guess you could say we are public servants to the heart," Ruth said.
Which is why she felt it was crucial we visited the school. The Kluge School is unique within MPS because it's a 'creative arts specialty school', according to the website. That means there is an emphasis on the arts like music and painting.
"Cause I wanted to give back to the community I came from. I come from a line of educators. Mothers, aunties, other family members that have been part of the education system in other parts of the country," Principal Keushum Willingham said.
The school will be undergoing a large construction program that will turn its outside blacktop into a multi-featured learning and playing space. The redevelopment will include two outdoor classrooms, a performance space, stormwater management systems, and gardens. Principal Keushum said the project will turn the majority of blacktop space into green space.
"It's going to be a total different space than what we have right now," he said.
As is tradition, the last word is always given to the tour guide of the My Block story. Before that happens, though, here is how you can be part of the series. Reach out to James Groh to nominate your neighborhood or a neighbor to be featured in the next story. You can fill out this submission form or contact him at james.groh@tmj4.com or call/text at (414) 254-8145. The series has gone to 20 neighborhoods in Milwaukee, Glendale, Waukesha, and Eagle.
Now, back to Ruth.
"Is there anything else you'd like to add about your neighborhood?" TMJ4 reporter James Groh asked.
"We take pride in our neighborhood. I think that's the biggest thing - being comfortable, and taking pride in your neighborhood, and reaching out to other neighbors to socialize together, yea."
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