Over the course of his 25-year radio career in Milwaukee, Eric Von became widely known as a trusted voice of the Black community.
“Eric believed that if people were informed, they would do better,” said his widow, Faithe Colas, president of Von Communications. “They would make better decisions about their lives, about the city.”
That is a passion Helen Ambuel shared with Von, though the two never met. Through a gift she made to the Foundation in 2023, Ambuel is honoring Von’s legacy and helping support the next generation of journalists of color.
The Eric Von Broadcast Fellowship Endowment Fund that Ambuel started supports the Eric Von Broadcast Fellowship, which was created at WUWM in 2017 and is designed to address the underrepresentation of people of color in broadcast journalism. Before his death in 2016, Von had worked on “Precious Lives,” a two-year project with WUWM about gun violence and young people in Milwaukee.
The yearlong fellowship employs college graduates of color interested in broadcast journalism. Fellows contribute content to WUWM’s radio and digital
platforms. The paid position includes salary, benefits and mentoring from other WUWM staff.
Ambuel got to know Colas as a member of WUWM’s advisory board. Ambuel joined in 2015 and Colas joined three years later. It was at a meet-and-greet event at Colas’ house, which introduced prospective donors to the fifth Von Fellow, when Colas suggested the idea for an endowment. The concept resonated with Ambuel, who, as a WUWM listener, got to know Von through his work on “Precious Lives.”
“I want to support good journalism and accurate information,” Ambuel said. “NPR represents that. I felt like a public radio station needs to reflect the community; it needs to represent the community, and it needs to be the community.”
The timing was fortuitous. Ambuel was on the board of a family foundation that was dividing. Some assets were going to create a donor advised fund that would be advised by her and her cousins, leaving her resources to invest in community.
For Colas, there was no other option but the Foundation to house the fund. She had worked for a Foundation grantee, partnered with the Foundation on the ThriveOn Collaboration, served on its Marketing and Communications Committee and had given to several charitable funds over the years. The Foundation also supported the fellowship in 2022. The program, which seeks to bring a diversity of perspectives and stories to the air, aligns with the Foundation’s values of racial equity and inclusion.
“I know the impact that the Foundation has in the community,” she said. “It has been consistent in its message of helping people of all walks of life. That resonates a lot with me.”
The stories covered through the fellowship have reflected the entire community, Colas said. Topics have ranged from youth homelessness in Milwaukee to the impact of the state’s Latino community to how a national caregiver shortage is affecting LGBTQ+ older adults.
To date, the fellowship has launched the careers of five fellows. But the two women have their sights set on something much larger — to have a similar fellowship at every public radio station.
“This endowment changes people’s lives,” Helen said. “It changes the stories we hear. It changes the world.”