Thanks to $50,000 from Chris and Jennifer Abele and money raised by a coffee collaboration between Colectivo and the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation, 22 basketball courts at 11 Milwaukee County Parks have been re-striped and got new nets, and bleachers were replaced at the Dr. King Community Center in King Park.
Chris Abele is a former Milwaukee County Executive.
A dollar per bag sold of Colectivo and the team’s Bucks in 6 Blend Coffee collaboration last season generated more than $26,000 for the project.
According to a statement from the Bucks, the courts that got new paint and nets were selected based not only on condition of the courts but also the ranking of the parks on Milwaukee County’s racial equity index.
Courts ranked higher were prioritized, “to ensure the greatest equity impact possible.”
The work at the 11 parks comprised phase one of the project. Further locations will be upgraded in 2023.
In addition to striping, the courts also were painted with a Colectivo logo that includes Bango and the “Bucks in 6” catch phrase.
Here are the 11 parks that saw work completed this year.
- King Park – two full courts
- Kosciuszko Park – one half court
- Madison Park – two full courts
- Atkinson Triangle Park – two full courts
- Carver Park – two full courts
- Zablocki Park – one full court
- Berrien Park – two half courts
- Mitchell Park – four half courts
- Doyne Park – one full court, two half courts
- Holler Park – one full court
- Popuch Park – two half courts
"Milwaukee Parks Foundation is excited about the investment from the Milwaukee Bucks, Colectivo and Chris and Jennifer Abele, dedicated to one of the most well-loved amenities in our Milwaukee County Parks system: basketball courts,” said Milwaukee Parks Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Stoner.
“This investment ensures that all of us have access to improved spaces to come together in a healthy way, especially in parks that have seen historic disinvestment.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
