Greater Milwaukee Men

The throngs of geeks, nerds, and dorks - of whom I am proud to consider myself - keep impressing me with various ways they find to fit philanthropy into their lifestyle. Another great example of this is that DC Entertainment - creators of American icons like Batman and Superman - is utilizing a program called We Can Be Heroes  to help the people of the Horn of Africa. In an area where they are experiencing the worst hunger crisis in 60 years, DC is matching donations to their partners  in the efforts to solve the problem: Save The Children, The International Rescue Committee, and Mercy Corps. Examples of donation amounts and what they can do for the people in need are:

As you may have heard, Craig Counsell, Brewers infielder and Whitefish bay native, retired from playing baseball only to join the front office of the Brewers . The Brewers announced Craig joining the Brewers front office as Special Assistant to the General Manager. Apparently Counsell's first love for baseball was managing, not playing, but I am sure the skill and dedication he brought being a player, and that experience, will make him a great front office man in whatever aspect he finds himself in the coming years. it doesn't hurt that Counsell  follows in the footsteps of his father, John, who worked in the Milwaukee front office for eight years himself.

DRAFT Magazine just released their 2012 list of America's 100 Best Beer Bars . Seeing as Milwaukee is a beer town, brewing and drinking, I expected to find a few bars from Milwaukee on the list and had a few ideas of who might make it. As it turns out, in all four Milwaukee bars made the list, two by the same ownership and three of the four in the neighborhood of Bay View along the Kinnickinnic Ave (aka KK) corridor. From Bay View Palm Tavern and its sister bar Sugar Maple both made the list as well as Roman's Pub . Palm and Roman's are situated on KK further south in Bay View, while Sugar Maple is on the north end of Bay View on E Lincoln just a few doors in from KK. The final bar is not far, just north in Walker's Point - Bomb Shelter on 2nd street, 1 block south of the Allen Bradley tower. Now four may sound a little low for how much beer is brewed and consumed here, but the selections are split into 4 regions with the Midwest having 25 - that is 16% of the b

Tonight at Shank Hall   British Invasion : Substitute (The Who tribute), and Shattered (Rolling Stones tribute) play a benefit for  Guitars for Vets , a local Milwaukee-based non-profit organization that 'enhances the lives of ailing and injured military veterans by providing them with guitars and music instruction.' Through self-expression and the healing power of music, it is our intent to restore the feelings of joy and purpose that can be lost after suffering trauma.

Potosi Brewing Company and the Iron Horse Hotel are teaming up to help out a local hero tonight. You can't come up with much better of a Well-Met type of event. A local brewery, a non-profit to boot, the epitome of local Milwaukee coolness for a location, and serving a deserving man.

The Major League Baseball Players Trust  and Volunteers of America  are working with high school students across the United States, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico, are working together to inspire and train the next generation of volunteers through a program called Action Team . The two organizations teamed up in 2002 to encourage high school students to get involved in their communities and help those in need. Action Teams, composed of Major League baseball players and high school students, work together to encourage students to volunteer. High schools can get in on the action at any time, and the Action Team is constantly growing. To date 38,500 high school volunteers have helped more than 142,000 people in their communities. It is always good to see professional athletes get involved and promote activism, fundraising, and volunteering, but this program is especially great since it seeks to start with young people while still in somewhat formative years and get them involved ear

In case you missed it, Mark Tauscher - offensive tackle for both the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers before - took out a large advertisement in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel this past Sunday. Tauscher was born in Wisconsin and played a total of 16 years for Wisconsin college and professional football. He was cut by the Packers this past July due after rotator cuff surgery that ended his 12 year career. Unlike some other not-to-be-named athletes that can't let go, Tauscher ended his career gracefully and never said a word against the Packers' move. You can see his ad  here .

The American Heart Association has released a brilliant ad campaign to promote people trying CPR when it is needed. The message is basically that bad CPR is better than no CPR. To get the point across they have enlisted Ken Jeong who plays the part of Ben Chang on the NBC comedy series Community and is really a doctor. In a hilarious video featuring Jeong [below] they go over the basics:

Since 1970 January has been declared National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, and with good reason.  Above all other times of the year, it’s the month that presents the most challenges in recruiting people to give blood.  Changing weather, busy holiday schedules, increased cold and flu symptoms and even the winter blues can keep the most dedicated blood donors from making or keeping an appointment to give.  Yet winter weather can lead to more traumatic injuries on icy roads and may increase the need for blood.