Meet Kimberly. Kimberly Eubanks works in human resources at Walnut Way, the resident-led nonprofit organization based out of Milwaukee’s Lindsay Heights neighborhood.

“We are into environmental stewardship, community engagement outreach, and catalytic development,” Kimberly says.

She supports Walnut Way’s Growing Youth Leadership program, which aims to place the city’s young people into environmental career paths.

A human resources professional, Kimberly started at Walnut Way in December 2019 just before the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

She is also a member of Coalition on Lead Emergency, which advocates and educates to reduce lead-related health risk in Milwaukee. Bioavailable lead is toxic, particularly to young people and pregnant women, and can harm brain development. Major routes of lead exposure in aging urban areas like Milwaukee include paint and dust, contaminated soil, and leaching from old plumbing fixtures and pipes.

Walnut Way’s programs have benefited the community, Kimberly says, for example in converting vacant lots into vegetable gardens and fruit orchards that provide healthy food options in the city’s food deserts.

There is also “phase II” of Walnut Way’s Innovations and Wellness Commons, which clusters community health resource providers in a relatively new three-story building at 16th and North. Wellness Commons tenants include Milwaukee Wisconsin Area Health Education Center, Milwaukee School of Engineering Scholars program, Benedict Center Sisters Program, United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee, and local African American practitioners including a counselor and dietician, according to Walnut Way’s website in 2022.

Kimberly recalls the joy people experience discovering local produce grown in Walnut Way gardens and orchards.

“Learning never stops,” Kimberly says. “When you’re teaching someone…you have to understand you’re going to have to learn to love to learn. Because it’s never going to stop. That’s what inspires me. So, when I get excited about something, I want somebody else to get just as excited about it as I am.

“When we’re picking our cherries from our cherry trees, the neighbors are like, ‘Those are really cherries?’ Just being able to share the information with the community, it makes you feel good. It really does. Then they start thinking about healthier options and eating differently than what they had before.”