LOTUS LEGAL CLINIC INC

✅ WI is home to approx 308,000 immigrants, including approx 70,000 undocumented residents. ✅ WI immigrants contributed $963.9 MILLION in combined state and local taxes, and $1.5 BILLION in federal taxes. ✅ WI's celebrated dairy industry would collapse without the hard work and dedication of Latino immigrants. Wisconsin's immigrant community not only strengthens our state's economy, they contribute to the rich and diverse cultural tapestry that make our local and state communities interesting and dynamic places to call home. #nationalimmigrantsday2024 #humanrights #immigration #stoptherhetoric

LOTUS is partnering with both paid and volunteer writing facilitators to bring fresh content from various perspectives to meet the incredibly unique needs of the community of survivors we serve. Check out our latest newsletter for more information! https://lnkd.in/eEbvQHDZ

With mixed emotions, we announce the departure of Austin Reece from his role as Director of LOTUS’ Therapeutic Arts Program. After five years, Austin has chosen to pursue new opportunities and take the next step in his professional journey. Since 2019 Austin has been the driving force behind LOTUS’ Therapeutic Arts Programming, bringing integrity, vision, creativity, and an empathetic connection to the writers that truly made the program a one-of-a-kind experience for everyone who participated. While we are sad to see him go, we are excited about the new opportunities that await Austin and are confident that he will continue to achieve great things in his future endeavors. LOTUS’ dedication to providing creative and impactful opportunities for survivors to seek justice and healing beyond the legal system remains as steadfast as ever. As LOTUS plans for the future of the Therapeutic Art Program, we are intentionally seeking out collaborations with artists, writers, facilitators, and others that will expand the program, reimagine the way we approach the arts as a means of healing, and better meet the culturally specific needs of the extremely diverse community of survivors we seek to serve. Be on the lookout for LOTUS calls for collaborations with trauma-informed writing facilitators and artists to support its Untold Stories Workshops, Rise + Thrive Artist collaborations, and other new and exciting opportunities! Please direct inquiries regarding the Therapeutic Arts Programming to Heather@LotusLegalClinic.org

LOTUS' collaboration with Chris Porterfield and Field Report, "Trust in Movements Made", is on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's list of 12 new Milwaukee albums to listen to in October! 🎉 https://lnkd.in/gSnrcGQp #milwaukeemusic

Join us at Woodland Pattern this Saturday the 21st, for the reading and launch of Untold Stories writers Ashley Williams’ and Pita Daniels' poetry chapbooks. This event is free and open to the public, so please join us in celebrating the power of the spoken word. https://lnkd.in/g8am_HB7

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! *advance tickets are still available on Eventbrite! Important info for attendees: -doors open at 6pm for mingling and auction bidding -7pm Darren Garvey takes the stage as the opener -8pm Chris Porterfield and the writers perform the music and poetry featured on "Trust in Movements Made" https://lnkd.in/gPxsrndA

JUST ONE MORE DAY until LOTUS’s Rise & Thrive Concert Fundraiser! Join us TOMORROW at The Cooperage in Milwaukee to celebrate our writers' creative journeys and experience their poetry as interpreted through original music composed and performed by Chris Porterfield and his band Field Report. This event has provided an amazing opportunity to share LOTUS’ mission and the impact of our programming with a broad and diverse audience including an in-studio interview with Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski! https://lnkd.in/gcQkbMNQ YOU can invest in LOTUS' programming today! -By event tickets at https://lnkd.in/gPxsrndA -Register for the auction at https://lnkd.in/gMuQec_V -Buy a copy of the new EP at https://lnkd.in/gCgkxn6j -Interact with and share this post to help spread the word! Advocates and direct service providers - use promo code: ADVOCATE50 when checking out for a 50% discount on event tickets! We are grateful for your dedication, your passion, and your collaboration.

"I met a couple times with the five different writers for the five different songs. Just meeting with them as human beings, members of our community, people who have families and friends, and go to work. They’re us. Hearing about their experiences, you get to know someone and suddenly your heart is more open to them. I wanted to defend them and the stories they labored on to broadcast their experience to the world...It wasn’t going item-by-item through suffering and struggle. There’s an echo of that, but most of it is: life is hard, but it can be pretty good sometimes." -Chris Porterfield, 2024 Artist in Residence Experience this beautiful and deeply humanizing creative collaboration as we celebrate the emotional and creative journeys of our writers and the launch of Field Report's new EP, "Trust in Movements Made", September 12th at The Cooperage. Tickets on sale now: https://lnkd.in/gPxsrndA https://lnkd.in/gSG2g2zj

Whether you're a seasoned gym goer, a total newb, or just looking to try something new, LOTUS' virtual auction has what you're looking for. Get your burpee on Legacy Gym MKE, feel the burn at Burn Bootcamp White Fish Bay, get centered at Empower Yoga, or strap in for an afternoon of fun at Adventure Rock, Inc. Get in on the action TODAY! https://lnkd.in/gMuQec_V 100% of auction proceeds benefit our work with survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence in Wisconsin.

"It's really heartbreaking when you get close enough to a big problem to see the faces and hear the individual stories of some of these things these people have experienced, and the bravery it takes to tell these stories in order to bounce off of them and into the next chapter," Porterfield said. "I am a firm and deep believer in the power of art and writing, and for a legal clinic to embrace that holistic approach to healing is very moving to me." -Chris Porterfield, 2024 Artist in Residence Thanks to Piet Levy at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for this extremely thoughtful article about LOTUS' Therapeutic Arts Program and our September 12th fundraiser at the Cooperage. Tickets are on sale now ($40 in advance/$45 at the door) at https://lnkd.in/gPxsrndA https://lnkd.in/gTaGHYYj #milwaukeemusic #milwaukee