Originally from the Chicago area, Rick discovered Milwaukee while receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from Marquette University, and has lived in the Milwaukee area for most of his adult life. He has been a volunteer youth volleyball coach at St. Sebastian Parish for more than 25 years.
In 2011, Rick and his wife Lisa led the volunteer effort to build the Cherry Street Community Garden, working with SET Ministries and the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM). In 2016, Rick and Lisa were honored as Volunteers of the Year by HACM. And, in 20018, Rick helped establish another community garden at HACM’s Riverview apartment building.
As a donor and then volunteer with SET Ministry, he learned about the challenges facing people in central city Milwaukee and the benefits of community-based trauma informed care. Unfortunately, shortly after a merger and renaming of the organization to Unison, the organization closed its doors in March 2019. Still dedicated to the mission, Rick spearheaded the founding of BloomMKE to continue this work.
Rick is excited to lead BloomMKE’s efforts to expand the powerful model of combining the health and social benefits of community gardens with trauma informed care programs for both adults and children in Milwaukee.