2013 Black Excellence Awards Honoree Margaret Hollmon
Margaret Hollmon Interfaith RSVP
Volunteerism
Milwaukee native Margaret Bell Hollmon has always wanted to help others. It drove her to earn her bachelor of science in social work at UW-Milwaukee in 1972. She found employment as a case worker at the former St. Michael’s Medical Center. But there was always something else, a desire to teach, and to help those with learning disabilities. Both desires lead her to get her teaching certification in 1979. She would follow that career path for the next twenty-five years.
Margaret worked for Milwaukee Public Schools for four years. When her husband, Ralph, found a job with the state government, the Hollmon family moved to Madison and Margaret found employment with the Madison Metropolitan School District. The Hollmons returned to Milwaukee in 1988. Margaret returned to MPS that year, and continued to work there until her retirement in 2004.
Despite being retired, Margaret has not stopped working with those in need. For the last twenty years, Margaret and Ralph have rented out three of their own rental properties to families with moderate incomes. Calling the endeavor Home and Consulting LLC, the Hollmons are able to rent out the properties at about half the market price.
Among her accomplishments are working as a master tutor for Retired Senior Volunteer Program, where she tutors MPS students in reading skills and trains other tutors; Milwaukee Succeeds, which is committed to providing educational opportunities to Milwaukee youth; and being a math instructor for Nonpublic Educational Services Inc.
For the last ten years, Margaret has “adopted” an impoverished family. The family, which has ten children, has been provided with food, clothing, and other material support by the Hollmon family. Of all her accomplishments, this one is dearest to Margaret. It is one of many acts in a long life of community service.
Among the accolades she has been awarded include the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators, and being rated as a distinguished teacher, the highest designation, every year she has worked for Non-public Educational Services Inc.
