Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_4845" align="alignleft" width="643"] Lynda Kohler, president and CEO of SHARP Literacy, earned her bachelor of science degree in recreational leadership from UW-La Crosse in 1983. Here she is pictured with SHARP students at Catholic East Elementary in Milwaukee.[/caption] Children in Wisconsin’s hospitals trying to heal and urban Milwaukee school children learning to read and write are all better off because of a UW-La Crosse alumna. Lynda Kohler, ’83, has used her 25 years of corporate business expertise to expand the reach of two Wisconsin non-profits that serve children. Kohler was president of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin before becoming president and CEO of SHARP Literacy in 2012. SHARP is an enrichment program for urban Milwaukee school children that aims to help them become confident, capable readers, writers and researchers. “She has a strong business sense and is not afraid to step out into the community to get involved,” says Jan Lennon, a long-term board member of SHARP Literacy. Lennon encouraged Kohler to apply for SHARP’s leadership position after watching her lead a successful capital campaign for Ronald McDonald House Charities that doubled the size of the house, offering 350 more families a year a free, comfortable place to stay close to their children who are receiving medical care at a nearby hospital. Prior to leading these non-profit causes, Kohler served 25 years at Midwest Airlines where she climbed the corporate ladder to director of airline partner services. She was active on community non-profit boards, which opened the door for her transition into full-time work for non-profits. “I want to make a difference and really give these inner city kids an opportunity to be successful,” says Kohler regarding her leadership of SHARP. “I want to give kids the same opportunity that I had growing up.”

Closing the achievement gap for Milwaukee school children

Kohler grew up in a middle class family in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and went to school in a strong public education system from kindergarten through college, she says. But not everyone has those privileges, she adds. Many of the children SHARP serves come from impoverished backgrounds. About 91 percent of the children they serve qualify for free and reduced price lunch. SHARP students often come from tough neighborhoods of urban Milwaukee where reading scores and graduation rates have traditionally lagged. Compared with the performance of 20 other urban districts across the nation in 2013, Milwaukee Public Schools ranked in bottom six for reading. The average graduation rate for seniors at MPS was about 61 percent for the class of 2013 compared to an 88 percent average among Wisconsin’s public schools, according to Department of Public Instruction data. “If kids get engaged in learning at a younger age and see that learning can be fun, I hope we can move the needle,” says Kohler.

How SHARP supports urban Milwaukee schools

SHARP aims to move the needle for Milwaukee’s schools by providing teachers with tools and reaching students through non-traditional means. SHARP is based on the idea that kids become engaged through interactive experiences and incorporation of the visual arts. SHARP Literacy has been in partnership with the Milwaukee Art Museum since it began nearly 20 years ago. Students in the SHARP go on field trips to museums and other venues, meet professional athletes and even participate in researching and creating their own book, which is professionally published and marketed in the “We Love to Learn” series. It also becomes a gift to all the young contributors. Along the way, children connect with new and higher-level vocabulary words in a range of environments. “They are not just writing down vocabulary words, but the words are coming to life for them,” says Kohler.

Kohler’s contributions to Wisconsin literacy

[caption id="attachment_4846" align="alignleft" width="700"] Lynda Kohler, left, with Brown Street students who are drawing pictures from the SHARP Literacy “We Love To Learn” series book, “Great Lakes Adventure: Salmon’s Journey Home.” The book was printed during Kohler’s first year at SHARP.[/caption] SHARP’s continued success is in large part because of Kohler’s collaborative spirit and community connections. Those connections have led to fundraising opportunities and new partnerships and programs, according to SHARP board members. “By continuing to grow the SHARP Literacy program, she is bringing awareness of the challenges of literacy that we address,” says Lennon. Her connections from transporting athletic teams with Midwest Airlines have led to players from major Wisconsin teams inspiring kids through SHARP’s programming. She’s also expanded new summer programming opportunities and out-of-the classroom partnerships with museums. Under Kohler’s leadership, the student population SHARP serves has increased by about 500 kids, now reaching 7,000 kindergarten through 5th grade students in 31 Milwaukee schools. She’s added new, innovative staff and board members, reduced expenditures and found new ways to gain public exposure for SHARP. She has done this while keeping a balanced budget, says Doug Erlacher, current board chair for SHARP. Today 78 percent of every dollar raised for SHARP goes toward programming. That programming has had measured success: 72 percent of all SHARP students improve their vocabulary by four or more words. “She is competitive in a very positive way. She sets goals and does what she can to achieve them and keep the ball moving forward in so many ways,” says SHARP Board Member Dan Meyer. “She doesn’t stand still. Good is not good enough.” Kohler’s contributions to the community through SHARP and other venues haven’t gone unnoticed. Kohler received two prestigious community awards in 2014. She was named a Woman of Influence by the Milwaukee Business Journal and she received The Driven to Achieve Award, and was also nominated for other prominent awards. Kohler says the awards validate the work of the non-profits she has served. It’s work she is grateful that so many others are committed to as well. She points to her “mission-driven” staff and donors in the community. “The community has really rallied around urban education and made it a priority,” says Kohler.

UWL Influence

Lynda Kohler, ’83, says some of her stamina comes from her time as a hurdler on UW-L’s Women’s Track Team. While in college, she was an athlete, student and managed a part-time job as a fitness instructor at the YMCA. “UW-L helped ground me and helped me find that balance,” she says.

Get the latest SHARP book

The 12th book published in the “We Love to Learn” series was "There Grows the Neighborhood: Agriculture in the City,” a book about the urban agriculture movement, the food crisis in America and the benefits of urban gardening. Students help research, write and illustrate SHARP books. The 12th book was created in cooperation with Will Allen, owner of Milwaukee's Growing Power. Students in SHARP met with Will Allen, toured his urban Milwaukee farm and learned about foods grown in Milwaukee gardens as part of research they did for the book. The book was unveiled at Miller Park last year. “For those kids to go out on the field and be recognized in front of all of those fans — that’s what it’s about,” says Kohler. “It’s about creating experiences for our kids so they’ll be inspired to continue to learn.”