Community Shares of Wisconsin: 2025 Community Change-Maker Awards

On September 11, Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) will honor local leaders and organizations who are advancing social and environmental justice in our community. At a time when many organizations are shying away from diversity, equity, inclusion, sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, and other social justice issues, Community Shares of Wisconsin and its nearly 70 member nonprofits are proud to honor leaders who champion these causes and continue to do what is right.

The annual Community Change-Maker Awards event will take place at The East Side Club in Madison from 5-8pm. The public is invited to attend the event. Tickets purchased in support of this event help Community Shares award $6,000 in donations to local nonprofits. Each of the six award winners will select a nonprofit to receive a $1,000 donation.

Tickets are a suggested donation of $50. To sponsor the event or purchase tickets, visit communityshares.com.

Change-Maker Award Winners

Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner, nominated by Rooted
Winners of the Liesl Blockstein Community Leadership Award

For decades, Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner have used their resources to safeguard public lands to ensure that the public has access to viable, beautiful open spaces. Their work through Rooted (and its precursor organizations) encompasses Troy Farm and Gardens and McPike Park in Madison; Clarence & Cleopatra Johnson Park, Brown Street Academy, and Alice’s Garden in Milwaukee; and ultimately the construction of the Badger Rock Center, which houses a neighborhood center, middle school, and now is home to the Lori Mann Carey Elementary School on Madison’s South Side. Through Rooted, Mary Ellyn and Joe continue to connect the community through food, land, and learning.

Joyce Hall, nominated by Freedom, Inc.
Winner of the Sally Sunde Family Advocate Award

Joyce Hall is the Lead Gender Justice Advocate, Program Coordinator, and Organizer for Survivor and Victim Services at Freedom, Inc., as well as a mother of seven. Her lived experiences are a testament to her organizing power and unshakable resilience. As a survivor herself, Joyce made the courageous decision to leave a domestically violent household to protect herself and her children. Today, she provides emergency crisis response, court support, rapid rehousing, and interpersonal violence mitigation for Black, Southeast Asian, queer, youth, and low- to no-income survivors. More than that, she uplifts survivors, helping them transform into leaders within her programs and the wider community.

Ximena Linares-Rodriguez, nominated by Tenant Resource Center
Winner of the Linda Sundberg Civil Rights Defender Award

Ximena Linares-Rodriguez is deeply committed to providing community-centered solutions and equitable access to resources for tenants. She goes above and beyond to ensure Spanish-speaking families can navigate and access critical tenant resources. Recognizing the barriers faced by immigrant communities, Ximena and Tenant Resource Center’s Associate Director, Chrisbelly, partnered with Joining Forces for Families to launch Madison Area Partners and Allies (MAPA). The monthly MAPA events bring together a diverse mix of providers and allies who offer culturally and linguistically responsive support, including bilingual staff and access to a language line. Ximena also collaborated with Dr. Carolina Sarmiento, Dr. Revel Sims, and students from the Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies program at UW–Madison to survey tenants who had accessed TRC services, centering the lived experiences of Latinx renters in Dane County.

CSW Collaboration Award Winners

Wheels for Winners and Bayview Foundation

Bayview Foundation supports its culturally diverse, low-income families in realizing their aspirations by providing affordable housing, fostering cultural pride, and building community through the arts, education, and recreation.

Wheels for Winners supports bicycling through an earn-a-bike program and free bike repair events. The organization provides refurbished bicycles to riders of all ages who earn their bikes by performing 10 hours of community service.

Bayview and Wheels for Winners understand that bicycles are most beneficial when integrated with culturally relevant services, arts, family support, environmental stewardship, housing advocacy, and food security. Thus, the long-time partnership between the organizations has proven to be a natural and impactful alignment.

Wheels for Winners and Bayview collaborate each year to organize a vibrant spring bike distribution event at Bayview’s community center. Wheels for Winners also partners with Bayview to provide free bike repair clinics and to train Bayview staff to make basic bike repairs for residents.

The partnership between Wheels for Winners and Bayview Foundation has also fostered crucial conversations regarding the definition of community service, because it was clear that Bayview children were serving their community in less formal yet equally significant ways, such as caring for siblings, translating for their parents, and assisting neighbors.

CSW Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Denise Matyka, nominated by Project Home

Denise Matyka has always had a deep commitment to social justice. She has dedicated more than 40 years to empowering communities through nonprofit leadership. Her journey began as a field organizer for the National Organization for Women (NOW) Equal Rights Amendment Campaign in Oklahoma. In 1982, she returned to Wisconsin and was elected NOW’s youngest state president. From 1985 to 1994, she worked to create Community Shares of Wisconsin with Nicole Gotthelf and Marianne Morton. The three led a successful merger of Madison Sustaining Fund and Aid to Wisconsin Organizations to form Community Shares of Wisconsin.

After a period of working in major donor fundraising for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, she joined Project Home in 1996 as Executive Director. Project Home doubled its staff and more than tripled its budget during her 29 years leading the organization. Project Home serves people with limited income in Dane and Green Counties with weatherization, home repairs, and accessibility modifications.

Denise is a longtime volunteer and has served as chair of the City of Madison’s first Housing Committee, chair of the Wisconsin Women’s Network, and chair of the New Harvest Foundation.