Wentz-Graff Media

Storytelling: Faces Of The Recession

For a while it seemed the Milwaukee area escaped the worst of the recession. But when the economic downturn hit the area with layoffs and business closings--the financial worries etching lines into the faces of many across all walks of life. 

  • Chrysler employee Robert Earl grimaces as he leaves the Kenosha Engine Plant on May 1, after learning that Chrysler will be closing the plant.  Chrysler, like the GM and Ford, hovered on the verge of financial collapse this year. The engine plant employs 800 people. Earl has worked for the company for nearly 30 years. saying {quote}A lot of people are optimistic. I myself, I don't know. I'm teetering on the edge.{quote}
  • Kim Reinhard (left) and her husband Tom spend their last days working at The Rusty Skillet. The pair have worked there as waitress and chef for the past 12 years, and their three teenage children are employed there as well. The service industry has been his especially hard with the recession, and the restaurant will be closing it's doors, leaving the entire family of 5 out of work.
  • Latisha Repinski of Kenosha (left) calls to cars to honk their horns in support, while picketing with her grandmother Barbara Repinski at the Chrysler Engine Plant in Kenosha. Barbara Repinski has worked at the plant for 30 years. Workers and community members picketed outside the plant, urging Chrysler to reconsider restructuring the plant instead of closing it and expanding a facility in Mexico.
  • A parent's unemployment can cause serious concern for their children, and it's written all over Clare Posto's face as the nine-year-old listens to her mother talk about her job search. Thursday was Take Your Child to Work Day, and participants in a support group for job seekers brought their daughters to the meeting so they could learn how their parents are searching for employment. {quote}I didn't know what you had to do to find a job,{quote} said Clare to her mother Dotty, who was previously employed with Harley-Davidson. {quote}Now I understand what you have to do.{quote}
  • Outfitted with new backpacks, two brothers shop for school clothes as they attend the Back to School Boost. Many charity organizations like Lutheran Social Services who sponsored the event, have seen an increase in families needing their help. Area businesses like Kohls donate clothing, school supplies and other items for the program.
  • With the loss of the family income, many parents are not able to continue sending their children to private schools. A sharp decline in enrollment in the past few years is forcing schools like Holy Angels School in West Bend to make tough decisions. Holy Angels will be combining many of their classes with another private school that is also struggling. School principal Mike Sternig gives high fives to students in the hallway.
  • Crystal Welsh holds her son Kimathi Burrows, 3, in their Milwaukee home. A strong turpentine smell plagues the neighborhood and the house where Welsh lives with her six children is in a high crime area. She believes the smell has one of her children to become ill but she is unable to secure a financial stability needed to move her family to a better place.
  • It was supposed to be their dream home, but it's now a housing nightmare. Mike and Shelley Willis's home has been framed when their builder, Monarch Homes, filed bankruptcy and all work was halted. Liens have been placed on the home by contractors who were hired by Monarch and had not been paid. The Willis' cannot take out any more loans, and do not have the cash to complete the construction.
  • Many new faces appeared this year at Repairers of the Breach, a support center for the homeless and those in need. The center offers support to help find jobs, food, clothing, and connections to local resources. But one of the biggest things they can offer is the emotional support needed to get through these tough times.
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