As a kid, Sanders assumed all communities were similarly convivial. Only later did she realize how lucky she’d been. Now the executive director of Safe & Sound, a nonprofit that helps residents to connect with each other, local law enforcement, and city and state officials, Sanders spends her days working to engender that same sense of community across Milwaukee.
During her tenure at Safe & Sound, Sanders has helped introduce a series of programs that encourage conversation and connection. One crowd favorite, Barbershop Mondays, brings young people together in a salon environment for fresh cuts and open conversation. Another program led to neighbors writing a cookbook together. No matter the shape, all Safe & Sound programs share one common goal.
“It’s about bringing people together. If individuals are not connected to each other, a community is not going to work,” Sanders says.
