MILWAUKEE – At MacDowell Montessori School in Milwaukee, the genuine excitement from these young students was palpable.

A winter surprise

What we know:

That’s because the Milwaukee Brewers and their Famous Racing Sausages stopped by as part of the team’s “Frozen Sausage Tour.”

“Recognizing and acknowledging the importance of education, together with celebrating our Brewers fans across the entire state just gets us out in the winter and allows us to say thank you and to remind kids that we know it’s the depths of winter, but baseball is coming and to bring them a little touch of the Milwaukee Brewers,” said Marti Wronski, Brewers Chief Operating Officer. 

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And who better to represent the Brewers than infielder Caleb Durbin and pitcher Chad Patrick.

The duo spent time talking to the student beforehand. They had one main message in mind and that was the importance of education.

“They just see us on the field and there’s a lot more to us than just being an athlete,” said Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin. “We went through the whole school system, some of us up through college and that was a big part of our life that I don’t think a lot of, definitely a lot of kids don’t really realize that we’re in their same position at one point.”

“It’s cool just to you know, give back and let these kids know you know, that your teachers are important,” said Brewers pitcher Chad Patrick. “School is important and just be respectful to them.”

Learning never stops

What they’re saying:

The pair reminded the students that they are no different from them. After all, even as professional baseball players, they’re still learning everyday from Brewers manager Pat Murphy.

“When you have one of the best teachers in the world kind of helping you with your craft, it gives you confidence,” said Durbin. “We feel like Murph prepares us better than anyone else that can do the job. There’s a lot of confidence going into the offseason that he’s got our back.”

“We’re just students of the game,” said Patrick. “You know, we’re learning everyday and whether you’re stepping in his office and he’s giving you a lot of advice, or whether it’s you know, the other coaches around us, giving us advice too, we’re always winning.”

Honoring educators

Big picture view:

To further emphasize the importance of rewarding educators, the Brewers honored teacher Heidi Henriques, who received the Grand Slam Teacher Award.

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MacDowell Montessori School also received a $1,000 check from the team. 

To add to the excitement, the Brewers’ Famous Racing Sausages finished the day with a race around the gym. 

“The Brewers take every one of these moments to heart and we hope that we get to share a little something special that might stick with some of the kids,” said Wronski.

The Brewers also made stops in Green Bay and Madison.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention on Monday night was conducting its yearly homelessness census.

Volunteers took to the streets to count how many people in Indianapolis are experiencing homelessness. The count includes people living in shelters, transitional housing, and unsheltered locations.
The count is federally mandated and has been required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development since 2005.

Along with the count, volunteers carry clothing, hygiene items and other supplies.

Volunteer Aaron Shaw said, “Out there on the streets, they run into a lot of issues and a lot of chaos and problems. We just like to be out there to give them somebody to talk to, a bridge between them and the services that are needed.”

The data will be used for annual planning and to find which areas in the city need the most resources.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.