Case Studies
Transforming innovative ideas into reality.
Kinship Community Food Center
MKEGRIND has maintained a transformative partnership with Kinship Community Food Center since 2023, providing comprehensive support for their innovative Healing Workforce Training Program. This ongoing collaboration demonstrates our ability to evolve with organizations as they grow and scale their impact.
• Comprehensive program summaries and overviews for grant writing and marketing
• Quantitative and qualitative assessments for three workforce training components (Culinary, Agriculture, Grocery Operations)
• Personal development assessments for Human Development, Financial Literacy, and Coaching components
• Standardized measurement systems to track both skill acquisition and personal growth
• Designed and facilitated a culturally relevant, trauma-responsive 6-month Human Development Program, including alignment for healing circle and personal coaching integration
• Provided program development support and curricular content creation
• Assisted with capacity building through strategic visioning and community partnerships
• Created training materials for board members, volunteers, and staff
• Implemented community and governmental relations strategies
• Developed and facilitated personal coach training, focused on trauma-responsive and developmental relationship-building approaches
What some of our partners had to say
Charlie Uihlein, Executive Director, Teens Grow Greens
"Dr. Wilson brought to the team an aire of competency, the ability to connect to multiple team members; and also she broadened our reach across Wisconsin. She had the vision to see where she believed our program could go and why it would be beneficial--and really laying out that framework for it. Because of Dr. Wilson, our program developed a new apprenticeship program. She really did that, creating the framework, pulling in multiple partners, and working with the Department of Workforce Development so that we could have that program set up in a clear fashion—so there was flow from the internship to the apprenticeship. In addition, Dr. Wilson was able to help with team cohesiveness and suggest professional development to build more of a team culture so that [the] TGG team wasn’t so isolated and people were working together."
Dominic Inouye, Internship Director, Teens Grow Greens
"I miss working with Dr. Sylvia Wilson...Her contributions to our organizational culture were invaluable–and spurred us to continue critiquing and transforming our culture into one that values Love, Learning, and Integrity–and lives out those values daily. Dr. Sylvia Wilson [is] an astute listener, experienced academic, and a compassionate soul. And none of this [program expansion] would have been possible, I don’t think, if Sylvia had not suggested, nay insisted, that [we] examine our organizational structure and do so by first examining ourselves."
Vincent Noth, Executive Director, Kinship Community Food Center
"The MKEGRIND team played a key role in helping Kinship trust and pursue its passion to launch a new healing and community focused workforce training program. Dr. Sylvia personally coached us on how to uncover and align the genuine values to guide our approach. MKEGRIND attends to program design in human development with deep compassion and care. They match their competency of trauma and marginalization with a resonant hope for healing and transformation. They are great listeners, collaborative, and systems focused. I am grateful to know and work alongside them!”
We're always seeking new partnerships with organizations that share our vision for healthy individuals creating healthy communities. Whether you're looking to integrate human development principles into your programs, collaborate on community building initiatives, or explore innovative approaches to adult learning, we'd love to explore how we can work together.
Interested in partnership? Contact us to discuss how we can amplify each other's impact while staying true to our unique strengths and missions.