IN THE SPIRIT OF THE FOUNDERS AWARD WINNER ‘Getting Involved with Intention’ Amani resident Mitchelle Lyle is growing a future for Amani youth in Amani with Hydroponics STEM Program
Each year the Dominican Center honors one indi- vidual or organization for our “In the Spirit of the Founders Award,” which recognizes those whose work and service in the Amani neighborhood aligns with that of our founders, the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. This year we are honoring Mitchelle Lyle, a longtime Amani resident work- ing to grow a green future for kids in Amani. Like DC’s founding sisters, Mitchelle saw a need in her community and is working to fill it. She created a hydroponics education program that helps promote and provide immediate access to fresh produce in food insecure zones like the Amani neighborhood. The program kicked off in the summer of 2023 at Dominican Center with 16 participants. Students learned agricul- tural education, black agricultural history, the components and functionality of hydroponics and basic botany. The program will grow in size in 2024 and will dig deeper. “Amani is one of Milwaukee’s 13 food insecure zones and the im- pact is evident in poor health indicators, which in some cases are almost twice as high as the city’s average,” Mitchelle said. “As the program develops, I want to double down on and sup- port the youth and their journey to a healthy
lifestyle. This opportunity opens so many doors for them to make positive impact where it mat- ters most – in themselves.” Her work towards her growing goals start- ed long before she became an engineer or a successful entrepreneur. “I have some of the fondest memories of being able to pick my own snack from my grandmother’s garden,” said Mitchelle. “It was so special, and I kept that habit of choosing a healthy snack with me into adulthood. When I had a soil garden, I allowed my nieces and nephews to pick what they wanted as well. It’s an informal family tradition!” Michelle has been connected to DC since child- hood as well, but she reconnected as an adult through her volunteer work at the Center and her involvement in the Block by Block initiative. “This is when I was reminded of the Domini- can Center and all they did. I met the staff who were so warm and welcoming. That turned into attending the monthly meetings, to volunteer- ing for neighborhood clean ups, to just being involved as much as possible, whether I was asked or not. Really a snowball effect of getting involved with intention,” she said.
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