GE Volunteers Give Back to Milwaukee and Waukesha Public Schools with 15th Annual Community Service Day

For the 15th year running, GE Healthcare employees in the Milwaukee-area will participate in what is the largest, single-day GE volunteering event in the world by helping 15 Milwaukee Public Schools and 5 Waukesha Public Schools get ready for the new school year.

WAUWATOSA, WI. – For the 15th year running, GE Healthcare employees in the Milwaukee-area will participate in what is the largest, single-day GE volunteering event in the world by helping 15 Milwaukee Public Schools and 5 Waukesha Public Schools get ready for the new school year. Over 2,500 volunteers from local GE businesses will work with nearly 600 MPS and WPS staff members to help paint, clean, organize and provide landscaping for local schools.

What all began at Clarke Street Elementary School in 1994 with just 50 volunteers and only a couple activities has grown exponentially in numbers of volunteers, projects and communities impacted. This year, for the first time, GE volunteers will also be assisting elementary and high schools in the Waukesha Public School system. Today, GE volunteers will look to dedicate almost 18,000 total hours improving the learning environments of the schools in our community.

“Community Service Day is an opportunity for us to give back to and engage in activities to strengthen the educational foundation of the communities we live in,” said Mark Vachon, President and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Americas region. “I want to thank our employees and the Milwaukee and Waukesha Public Schools for what has been an on-going 15-year commitment to this wonderful program. By creating more positive learning environments, we are truly changing the lives of our community’s students.”

This year, each school has at least one major showcase project, including Morse Middle School where nearly 100 volunteers are upgrading the baseball field with new infield soil and rebuilding the team benches. Over 200 volunteers at Waukesha South High School are helping build a concrete staircase between the softball and soccer fields, providing a much-needed safety improvement at the school. Other major volunteer activities throughout the day include creating a learning center for a special education room at Hopkins Street Elementary, repainting playground lines, painting fences and bathrooms and helping teachers set up classrooms for the new year.

“GE Healthcare’s Community Service Day has provided an immeasurable benefit to Milwaukee Public Schools,” said MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos. “It is a community partnership that adds great value for the students and teachers in the schools. We are very grateful for the work and help of the GE Healthcare employees and MPS staff who make this day such a success.”

In 15 years GE employees have provided more than 120,000 hours of volunteer service to schools in Milwaukee and among many projects have painted more than 350 murals for numerous elementary, middle and high schools in Southeastern Wisconsin.

B-roll and live volunteer interviews anytime between, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Best visuals at Clarke Street Elementary, Burdick Elementary, Northwest Secondary and Waukesha South HS (Earlier interviews at school sites upon request).

Schools involved in this year’s project include:

Milwaukee Public Schools:

Auer Avenue - 2319 W Auer

Burdick – 4348 S Griffin Ave

Clarke Street - 2816 W Clarke

Hayes – 2431 S 10th Street

Hopkins - 1503 W Hopkins

Keefe Avenue - 1618 W Keefe

Kluge – 5760 N 67th Street

LaFollette - 3239 N 9th Street

Starms – 2035 N 25th Street

Westside II - 1940 N 36th

Bay View High School - 2751 S Lenox

Custer High – 5075 N Sherman Blvd

Morse Middle – 4601 N 84th Street

Northwest Secondary – 5496 N 72nd Street

Riverside University High School- 1615 E Locust

Waukesha Public Schools:

Bethesda – 730 S University Dr

Hillcrest – 2200 Davidson Road

Hawthorne – 1111 Maitland Dr

West High School – 3301 Saylesville Road

South High School – 401 East Roberta Ave

ABOUT GE HEALTHCARE:
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.