Tuesday, December 25, 2012
A one-woman army for the brain-injured, Alberte received high praise from readers who admire her dedication and positive attitude.
Lisa Alberte is about five feet tall, and has cemented my theory about short women: beware, because we're on a mission. (Full disclosure: I'm 5'0.5) The director of Acres of Hope and Aspirations, a five-acre farmette nestled amid homes along Durham Place in Muskego, Alberte seems to do the impossible with almost nothing. Dedicated to working with patients suffering from brain injury and cognitive disorders, Alberte also incorporates 'creatures of rehab' to foster their therapy. These animals as well often have disbilities, making her a rescue for such creatures. Despite setbacks due to animal deaths and other 'breaches of security' that have resulted in the loss of several animals over the course of the year, Alberte's attitude is focused …
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Winlom Woods' enjoyed well-wishers at Jammin' on Janesville who helped him celebrate another great year in his amazing life story.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Local vet who was severely injured during his service in Iraq will celebrate a birthday on July 6, which also is Jammin' on Janesville. Stop out by Animal Doctor to wish him the best and say thanks!
Monday, May 28, 2012
We're recapping the stories we've heard this week from local veterans, who humble us all by their sacrifice. Missed one? Here's a chance to catch up.
It bears repeating: freedom isn't free. This past week we've had the honor to tell stories from four local veterans from three different wars, and whether it's been their health, their livelihood or a large piece of their time, sacrifice is the common denominator for them all. So, it's worth repeating the offer to listen in to their stories, to reflect, remember and be grateful. Winlom Woods - an Iraqi War veteran who was shot in the head and is still struggling to reach a new normal in the world. Art Benotti - a Vietnam Veteran, who spent about four years at sea in support of the troops in various theatres. Marion Belohlav - a 'fallen' soldier, whose story is made more poignant in her passing earlier this year. Michelle Hancox - a Vietnam…
Monday, May 21, 2012
Veteran of America's most recent conflict deals with aftermath of head injury, maintaining a positive attitude and grateful to be alive.
Pictures tell a story of the before and after in the life of an Iraqi War veteran, who is continuing to deal with his injuries at Muskego's Acres of Hope and Aspirations. "The first picture is very powerful one since it is Winlom, an Iraq Veteran who was shot in head in the Iraq War praying at the VA cemetery in Milwaukee," said Lisa Alberte, who owns and runs the rehab facility on five acres. "His prayer is for those that lost their lives and he is thanking God he is alive and is not one of those that perished despite being shot in head." Alberte responded to Muskego Patch's call for veterans stories in the week leading into Memorial Day, in hopes we would consider featuring him again "to bring his spirits up and feel like he is not …
Monday, January 9, 2012
Acres of Hope was featured in the news shortly after a shooting left a congresswoman severely injured, and others dead. What progress has been made in a year?
Editor's note: In a local news scope, there's a lot to garner our attention, but we're glad for our readers who give us a heads up on local ties to national events. Much of the info provided below is thanks to Lisa Alberte, RN, with Acres of Hope and Aspirations, a brain injury rehabilitation facility nestled in a residential area of Muskego. Alberte was featured along with her patient, Winlom Woods, shortly after Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 18, 2011. Jan. 8, 2012 marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic shooting of 19 people at an event in Tucson, Arizona. The day was an effort of “Together We Heal” that commemorated the first anniversary of that tragic day in 2011, when U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D…
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Acres of Hope combines the comforts of home with aspects of animal therapy, and this idea may be catching national attention for its success.
Acres of Hope and Aspirations was recently toured by a military family who has been instrumental in testifying at U.S. Senate Committee of Veteran's Affairs in Washington D.C., in defense of veterans with brain injuries due to their son's own brain injury that he sustained while in the Iraq War. Justin Bunce, a purple heart Lance Marine Corporal, sustained a severe brain injury from an IED during his second combat deployment in the Iraq War in 2004. Bunce lost his right eye in the blast and shrapnel entered his skull just above that eye and passed through the front of his brain, penetrating the frontal lobe. The effects of this brain injury and his deficits are much like current resident Winlom Woods, which Acres has helped since 2006. …
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Muskego reunion brings three soldiers together, but isn't so ironic when you understand the brotherhood
Lisa Alberte, the energy behind Acres of Hope and Aspirations said she'd never forget the phone message she received regarding one of her patients. On the other end of the line was Army Sgt. James Whitted, a fellow member of Winlom Wood's unit who had also been injured the night Woods suffered a gunshot wound to the head in Iraq in 2006, and whisked away by chopper for aid. "I just got goosebumps when he asked me about Winlom and that he had been looking for him," Alberte said. She had been caring for Woods' brain injuries and was featured in a picture with him as part of a story done on her recent Nurse of the Year award in 2008. Whitted recovered from his own injuries from an IED (improvised explosive device), and was still on active …
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Students, teachers and special guests gather at the flag to honor the sacrifice of many, then and now.
Lake Denoon Middle School commemorated the anniversary of 9/11 on Friday in a brief, but meaningful ceremony. Gathered around the base of the flagpole under overcast skies, the students heard from School Resource Officer Eric Nowicki, who read a poem called "The Day the Sky Stood Still" as well as from Lisa Alberte, an RN who assists brain injured patients at Acres of Hope and Inspiration. Alberte brought two veterans, Winlom Woods and Dave Halula, who were injured; Woods was shot in the head in Iraq, and Halula, a Muskego High School grad, was injured in a car accident just a week before his deployment. She told the kids that the men were a living testament to the continuing impact that 9/11 has for many. "This day changed many lives …
Monday, September 5, 2011
Muskego rehabilitation center sees the aftermath of 9/11 in its patients, and vows to never forget
Lisa Alberte plans on a 9/11 memorial at her facility that serves brain injury survivors, along with a memorial for a young boy who died from a brain injury just a year before. However, the memory of that date is one the RN who operates 'Acres of Hope and Aspirations' in Muskego said her patients deal with every day. The five-acre property was once a private residence built by historian Alton Boldt in 1968. Boldt constructed the log cabin while a main house was built on the property, which features a pond, waterfall grotto and small barns. Alberte, a registered nurse who has made brain injury rehabilitation her focus, said that 'Acres' is a sanctuary for many from a harsher "real world" that doesn't always know how to respond to people …
Denise Konkol
9:44 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
I echo that - knowing what you've gone through, it seems like thanks is almost not enough, but too often people forget. more ›