Mito Kudaka

The Intercultural Relations Coordinator (IRC) had a wide impact

and outreach in the community through a variety of programs

and services. In 2005, Mito Kudaka provided 43 different

presentations reaching out to about 3946 individuals in the

community. These presentations were either to the minority

populations in the Fox Cities or to the community at large interested in learning more

about the diversity within the Fox Cities.

In his role as IRC, Mito also participated and graduated from the Leadership Fox Cities

program, established through the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce. The Leadership

Fox Cities program enabled Mito to leverage the City of Appleton’s and the Appleton

Police Department’s presence in educating and outreaching to the community at large

about diversity. These new relationships and others provided opportunities to be more

effective in the performance of this role.

Partnerships were created that enabled programs to be implemented successfully:

• Partnership with Latino Link, Inc. to case manage and educate Latinos to obtain

their DL’s.

• Grants provided 150 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction at SEARS Driving

School in Appleton.

• Case management load of 250 clients.

• Citizens volunteered 202 hours implementing this program. (4 educational

community sessions, grading written tests, registering program participants, following

up with case management, etc.)

• 22 individuals have acquired their DL’s in 2005, via case management through

this program

• Special thanks to E.S.T.H.E.R. [Fox Valley Interfaith Organizing Group], Carlos Herrera from St. Therese Church, and Carmen López community volunteer.

•

By J.E. Espino
Post-Crescent staff writer

The concept is simple: Stand up for what you believe in and maybe someone will take notice.

Across Wisconsin, thousands of people took part in demonstrations Tuesday demanding immigration reform that ultimately would lead to rights for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

In Appleton, a convoy of demonstrators made Plaza Azteca its gathering grounds in the Fox Valley.

Organizers led some 60 protesters to a Green Bay rally. The event, called “Protest Convoy,” included cars and trucks painted with pro-USA signs as drivers circled downtown Green Bay blocks for about 20 minutes, honking their horns.

It occurred as the Green Bay City Council and the Brown County Board consider steps to curtail the hiring of undocumented workers by area businesses.

“I think it was very successful,” said Chico Ramirez, director of the Multicultural Center of Green Bay.

Across the country, participation was not expected to be as high as last year when marches and boycotts drew more than 1 million protesters.

“We want there to be reform for those of us who are already here,” said Maria Luisa Ceja, who with her husband, Mario Ponce, have been living in Wisconsin for 11 years and are undocumented.

The Bear Creek couple had been given permission from work to attend the rally.

“We want for our people to be able to travel safely to and from Mexico, have legal status and not hide,” Ceja said in Spanish.

It’s about making a political statement and creating community awareness.

“The agony has been too long,” said Luis Bello, march coordinator. “They (federal officials) keep talking about it (reform), but we don’t seem to get anywhere.”

Legalization would open the doors to employment, said Jose Samano, a merchant from Mexico City who has been living in the Appleton area for the past seven years.

He has been struggling this year landing employment.

“I apply for jobs, but the response I get is that I need to visit a Social Security office. How can I get a Social Security number if I am not here legally?” he asked in Spanish.

In December, Luz Granadeño, a Salvadoran immigrant, and her husband will have been in the United States 15 years. The couple lives in New London and is here with work permits.

“With a work permit you can’t go anywhere, but work,” she said in Spanish. “A permit is only good for a year, and if you don’t get renewed, that’s when everything ends.”

Granadeño is optimistic the movement will lead to federal legislation being drafted for legalization.

Mobilization is imperative when things that are taken for granted are being taken away, such as obtaining a driver’s license and in some parts even a library card, said Carlos Soriano of Neenah.

“We’re getting to the point you’re not safe anymore… If the government is thinking about protecting this country, taking away driver’s licenses and (other forms of identification), that’s a big mistake,” he said.

Demonstrators in Milwaukee waved U.S. and Mexican flags as they danced and sang. Some carried signs calling for “justice and dignity for all immigrants” and proclaiming “no human being is illegal.”

The Wisconsin Restaurant Association urged its 7,000 members to support workers who wanted time off to attend the rally or otherwise recognize the cause, president Ed Lump said.

“We’re not encouraging a boycott or that people walk off the job,” Lump cautioned. “We’re encouraging employees to work with their employers to find meaningful ways to show their support.”

Restaurant worker Rocio Castro, 33, of Milwaukee, a Mexican immigrant, said she hoped the demonstration would encourage lawmakers to “please just let us live legally here.”

Stewardship saves parish money

By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent

	Stewardship Stewardship: A Way of Life is the diocesan thrust. It invites Catholics to acknowledge that all of life is a gift of God and to respond through prayer, service and sharing. This series will look at ways to do that.

APPLETON -- Staff effort at St. Therese Parish allowed the parish to engage in stewardship, conserve energy, save money - and win a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency.

St. Therese was one of two congregations in Wisconsin and one of four nationwide to receive the Energy Star Congregations Network Award for 2004. It was the only Catholic parish in the country to receive the honor. Award winners were announced late in 2005.

Barbara Miller, parish business administrator, said the parish was nominated for the honor by Rapid Improvement Associates, Madison, which installed an energy monitor to identify high energy use areas in the 39,000-square-foot structure, which was built in the 1920s. There was no charge to the parish to install the monitor, Miller said.

An EPA news release said the award was given for "effective reduction of energy costs resulting from upgrading facilities or implementing Energy Star recommendations during 2004."

Through upgrades and changes in how staff used energy, St. Therese saved 57,900 kilowatts of electricity, 5,900 therms of gas and $5,100, Miller said. Their efforts also prevented the emission of 163,600 pounds of carbon dioxide and were examples of how to be good stewards of the environment, the news release said.

Fr. Bill Hoffman, pastor, and Miller said staff willingness to make changes in their behavior contributed to the savings.

"It was an educational thing for our staff. They've been very supportive in it," Fr. Hoffman said.

How to save More information on ways parishes can save energy is available on the EPA website: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_congregations, including a downloadable guide, "Putting Energy into Stewardship." The website also includes information on technical support and congregations and small businesses - including St. Therese Parish, Appleton - who have received Energy Star awards.

"The whole staff has been very cooperative and very helpful," Miller said. She also praised Appleton Christian School, which rents the former St. Therese School, for its participation.

One change by staff was turning off lights when leaving rooms. Fr. Hoffman goes further - he relies on natural light when working in his office during the day.

Miller said the energy monitor identified peak usage times. The parish paid its electrical company extra for peak usage; this amounted to $300 to $900 a month.

The church, cafeteria and gym were the biggest energy users. To save energy, Miller said, daytime classes in the gym and events in the cafeteria are conducted in natural light. Both facilities are surrounded by windows.

Energy saving improvements to buildings were:

1. The new roof installed on the church and parish offices includes two inches of poly insulation.

2. A new, more efficient boiler was installed.

3. Steam taps were cleaned and repaired or replaced to assure efficient distribution of heat throughout the building.

4. T8 fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts were installed in some fixtures.

5. Motion detectors were put in restrooms to control lights.

Miller said future upgrades include a new boiler in the former convent which now houses Catholic Charities offices. One of that building's two hot water heaters will be shut off.

Between April and November of 2003, St. Therese sought assistance from Focus on Energy and Rapid Improvement Associates. It also participated in the Wisconsin Energy Stewardship Collaborative sponsored by the Wisconsin Interfaith Climate and Energy Coalition and the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, the EPA noted on its website.

Fr. Hoffman has discussed how St. Therese saved energy with other pastors and with the ACES/Xavier board. "We were able to drop energy costs by 5, 10% or more by wise use of energy," he said.

Location: 213 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Appleton, WI

Utility: We Energies

Size & Use: 39,000 square feet among several buildings and uses, including the church,

offices and a school, portions of which date back to the late 1920’s. Some 36

work in the facilities today. Heat is natural gas.

We are able to pinpoint our peak times.”

Some Changes Made So Far:

Tentative Conclusions: The actions and awareness promoted by the Wisconsin Energy

Stewardship Collaborative initiated improvements starting in summer 2003; the use of the SenseDat

Meter™ starting in August 2003 helped staff monitor performance and manage peak use intelligently.