Grand Avenue Club
Now celebrating 28 years, Milwaukee’s Grand Avenue Club has helped nearly 2,000 adults with mental health issues find employment, be successful in education and engage in creative pursuits while providing a supportive and caring atmosphere. The Grand Avenue Club (GAC), one of about 300 of its kind worldwide, was founded in Milwaukee in 1991 by community organizers. The club’s employment program began two years later, and its education program launched in 1998.
Located at 210 E. Michigan St., GAC is housed in a former bank that was built in 1857. With four floors, the club’s numerous amenities include a spacious art gallery and studio, a café with a commercial kitchen and a neatly organized library (complete with two old-fashioned fireplaces) with fiction and nonfiction books and DVDs. In the coming months, GAC plans to open Michigan Street Boutique, an upscale resale shop, in its basement level. The shop will be open to the public and sell clothing and household items.
GAC has 450 members: individuals who receive the club’s services. These members bring different experiences and skills to the table and have the opportunity to work in various club departments, including retail, business and culinary. Members can also engage in creative pursuits, among them art and writing. “There are many different success stories,” says GAC founder and executive director Rachel Forman. “We are run by members and staff working together; we are not a traditional service model.”
Erik John Karpf—who joined GAC in April after moving from New York to Milwaukee—feels that the club’s staff is encouraging, helping members stay motivated. He considers the club “a little-known gem.” “It’s healing, to say the least,” he says.
‘We Help Each Other’
Claudine Jackson, a GAC member with nearly 30 years of customer service experience, works in the club’s retail and business area on the first floor, which, with the help of staff members, is preparing members to work in Michigan Street Boutique. Members perform retail tasks, such as sorting clothes, and learn customer service and point-of-sale skills. “Our ultimate goal is to train people in retail business and sales. We try to build confidence,” Jackson says. A club member since 2005, Jackson says GAC has offered her a safe haven. “I lived with mental illness for years. Here, people understand what I’m going through. Everyone is very supportive. We help each other,” she explains.
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“The only difference between staff and other GAC members is that the staff members have keys,” said Maria-Elena Lepesqueur, a member since 2012. A retired nurse, Lepesqueur said her experience with the club has been very positive. “It’s a safe place to come. It’s helped me grow, personally,” she adds.
The club’s second floor café serves members free breakfast, such as cereal, pancakes and muffins, and lunch (including soup and salad bar) for $2. Staff member Jenna Houillion, who began working at GAC as an intern, is now lead supervisor of the club’s culinary unit. Thanks to club members, some of whom have valuable culinary experience, the café produces tasty and diverse cuisine, including pork spring rolls and Creole chicken with cornbread and greens. Partners Outpost Natural Foods and Just One More Ministry provide the club with fresh produce.
“We’ve been able to make some really great food and have healthier options as well,” Houillion says. “This is a communal point in the clubhouse. We see everyone for breakfast and lunch.” GAC organizes temporary work placements typically lasting up to nine months for members. The club’s work partnerships include law firm Foley & Lardner, Outpost Natural Foods, Colectivo, Derco Aerospace and the Medical College of Wisconsin. “We like to work with people who never thought they would be employed,” Forman says.
Offering Hope and Opportunity
With the help of club members, Joe Schultz, a program coordinator who has worked at GAC for 24 years, organizes and edits Phoenix, a public relations newsletter published quarterly by the club. He feels that the employment program is invaluable, adding that “it offers hope to people and opportunities to go into paid employment in the community.” Six-year member Kevin Ellis, who enjoys helping out in different club departments, agrees. “It’s provided structure in my life. It’s given me a sense of family and has also challenged me to make goals for myself and take baby steps to meet those goals,” he says.
The club fully understands the essential link between creativity and wellness. GAC’s fourth-floor art gallery features art by members and local Milwaukee artists, among them Peggy Caulfield and Miriam Sushman. The club often hosts several art exhibitions a year.
In 2017, GAC volunteer and former intern Brittany Mahlberg started an art studio on the club’s fourth floor. The cheery studio is stocked with everything from paintbrushes and acrylic paints to construction paper and even features two sewing machines. “Art therapy has been at the back of my mind for a long time. It’s so awesome to be a part of such a positive community,” she says. “It just seemed like a good idea to have an open space for people to come and make art.” Besides art, the club also hosts a writing therapy group.
GAC’s Young Adults program (for members ages 18-35) offers a host of fun activities. These youthful members attend Milwaukee Brewers games, roller skating, golfing and picnics in local parks. “We have a very active evening, weekend and holiday program. There are many, many ways to be involved,” Forman adds. “We’re eager to recruit people who would like to take advantage of the opportunities offered.”
For more information about the Grand Avenue Club, call 414-276-6474 or visit grandavenueclub.org.