Refua Medicinals, a blend of traditional Chinese medicine and modern nutritional science that Shalem Healing’s founder Dr. Robert Fox created is also located in the historic Harambee building. The building has been undergoing significant renovations since September 2019. The ideas for Sam’s Place, Shalem Healing, and Refua Medicinals came directly from Harambee residents through a series of “Chat with Bader” events organized by the foundation to get to know neighbors and hear ideas on what would enhance the quality of life for local residents.
Sam’s Place
Opening as early as February 22, Sam’s Place, an eatery and jazz café, will be a unique place to enjoy good food and drinks; socialize and meet; enjoy an array of entertainment, including live jazz; and learn about coffee and jazz. Sam’s Place will offer customers a full menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner; specialty fair trade organic coffee; both classic and signature Espresso drinks; as well as smoothies, juices and tea.
Sam Belton, the owner of Sam’s Place and jazz musician, was born and raised on Milwaukee’s north side and knows the local community well. Belton has been particularly interested in seeing the area revitalized.
“We are continuing a culture in our jazz café where neighbors of all backgrounds feel welcome, can relax and forget about everything else while they’re enjoying freshly ground coffee or food inspired by jazz legends,” said Belton, who also owns CITY.NET Jazz Café, Milwaukee’s Jazziest Coffeehouse located in downtown Milwaukee. “We want to be a cornerstone of vitality in the Harambee neighborhood. My hope is that we continue to make progress and people see, feel and talk about how special this space is.”
Abyssinia Coffee Roasters, which Belton started in 2007, offers “small batch air roasting.” All of the café’s coffee is roasted onsite and will be offered at the café, for retail and wholesale purchase. The coffee will be Kosher certified. Sam’s Place will also offer specialty coffee tastings and host classes and workshops on coffee.
Belton plans to use the café to bring live jazz back to Milwaukee’s central city. On Friday and Saturday evenings, Sam’s Place will host some of the best, well-known jazz musicians — both locally and nationally, including Belton who has been a professional musician for over five decades. In addition to jazz, the café will also host poetry, ballroom and stepping dancing, and spoken word. Sam’s Place features a community room for rental for private meetings and events.
Sam’s Place currently has five employees and Belton is looking to hire additional staff from the Harambee neighborhood in the coming months.
Sam’s Place’s hours of operation will be 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday–Thursday; 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for Sunday brunch. Customers can also order through Uber Eats and Grub Hub. Sam’s Place will offer limited dine-in options in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on social distancing, and a walk-up window is available for coffee and food pick-ups.
Shalem Healing, Inc.
Located on the second floor of the newly renovated two-story building in Harambee, Shalem Healing is a community-oriented health care practice treating all members of the family, from children to adults. Shalem Healing combines both eastern and western medicines, and looks at patients’ health from a holistic perspective to determine the best treatment for the patient, honing in on and treating the cause of what is affecting the patient not just the symptoms. The clinic has been operating at the new location since September 2020, providing a variety of science-based health care services to the community, including daily COVID-19 saliva-based testing for schools and COVID-19 vaccinations.
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Shalem Healing is not a typical clinic – its goal is to provide easy access to high-quality health care for all members of the community, no matter the ability to pay, insurance, race, creed, or background. Since low-income neighborhoods typically have little to no access to health care and are affected by chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension at a disproportionately higher rate, with their health care model, Shalem Healing provides quality health care, family by family.
Dr. Fox and his team focus on developing a relationship with the patient, spending 30 minutes to an hour or more for a patient visit. Dr. Fox believes good health care education is at the heart of good health care; when a family is educated about good health care practices, the children will grow up with healthy habits and practices are passed on to future generations.
“We want to have a real relationship with our patients and work together in a partnership to attain optimal health and wellbeing,” said Dr. Robert Fox, who founded Shalem Healing in 2003. “We want to treat our patients through the most natural, holistic, and integrative approach we can. We lean more toward herbal, dietary-based treatments, and use non-traditional alternative therapies. Ultimately, we hope to see a beneficial change in the local communities’ overall health and would like to see this model replicated in other communities.”
Shalem Healing’s health care services include pediatric primary care, adult, family, and women’s health care. Conditions Dr. Fox and his team treat include: allergies, attention deficit disorder (ADD), autism, Crohn’s disease, chronic migraines, degenerative joint disease, diabetes, eczema and various skin conditions, fibromyalgia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), infections, Lyme’s disease, muscular dystrophy (MS), pain management, rheumatology, stroke recovery, traumatic brain injury recovery, and more.
Shalem Healing’s health care clinic hours are Monday and Wednesday 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Community members looking to schedule an appointment with Shalem Healing can call 414-640-5433.
Refua Medicinals
Also located in the historic building is Refua Medicinals. Dr. Fox developed Refua Medicinals for his patients, which will now be available to the general public. Through his studies in traditional medicinal roots and herbs, Dr. Fox combined his knowledge of both ancient practices and modern scientific principles to create these extracts. This blend of traditional Chinese medicine and modern nutrition science has been made for Dr. Fox’s patients since 2001, with significant improvements achieved in patients’ health.
“I am excited to welcome the opening of Sam’s Place, a jazz café restaurant along with Shalem Healing and Refua Medicinals to the Harambee neighborhood,” said Milwaukee 6th District Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs. “The community was a part of the planning process assisted by Bader Philanthropies hosting several visioning sessions with the residents. It is a development that the community played a role in and demonstrates that neighborhood voices were heard and now, the resources they need are accessible and available.”
“Sam’s Place, Shalem Healing and Refua Medicinals are signs of progress and transformation,” said Daniel J. Bader, president and CEO of Bader Philanthropies, Inc. ”Sam Belton and Dr. Robert Fox are humble individuals committed to bringing people together and offering opportunities for them to nourish their hearts, minds and bodies. They persevered to open their doors which is a testament to the stamina needed to transform our neighborhood amid a global pandemic.”
This project was funded with a program related investment from Bader Philanthropies. Through this project, Bader Philanthropies continued its commitment to working with Milwaukee-based minority-owned and women-owned contractors, engaging minority-owned JCP Construction, LLC as the general contractor and American Design, Inc. (ADI) as the architect for the project.
“Harambee is a close-knit community of families and neighbors who know and care for one another,” said Frank E. Cumberbatch, vice president-engagement of Bader Philanthropies, Inc. “And, Sam’s Place, Shalem Healing and Refua Medicinals bring that spirit and way of being with them. We look forward to seeing them become a part of our neighborhood fabric in the days and years ahead.”
About Sam’s Place
A Milwaukee-based eatery and jazz café, Sam’s Place will be filled with the captivating sounds of the jazz greats and education on the origins of coffee, located at 3338 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in the Harambee neighborhood. Featuring its specialty coffee through its roasting division, Abyssinia Coffee Roasters, patrons can enjoy coffee, classic and signature espresso drinks, tea, smoothies, juices and so much more. Sam’s Place’s menu will meet the diverse needs of appetites, providing affordable meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Private events and meeting spaces will also be available. Sam’s Place is the second location across Milwaukee for CITY.NET Jazz Café, Milwaukee’s Jazziest Coffeehouse, currently located at 306 East Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. For more information on Sam’s Place visit samsplacejazz.com.
About Shalem Healing, Inc.
Shalem Healing, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit clinic located in Harambee offering a wide range of integrated and holistic health care to more than 3,000 patients annually, including the uninsured and underinsured. Each year, Shalem Healing Inc. provides more than $200,000 in charitable care, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals, and continuously works to increase its capacity to meet the health care needs of the community. For more information, call 414-640-5433.
About Refua Medicinals
Refua Medicinals is a for-profit entity that offers nutraceutical and dietary supplements for consumer use. At the company’s core is an unwavering commitment to support the health and vitality of the local community. Refua Medicinals embraces wellness, ingredient purity, health care accessibility and community sustainability. Profits help support Shalem Healing’s mission of providing free or affordable integrative and holistic care to Milwaukee’s uninsured and underinsured patients. For more information and to order, visit refuamedicinals.com.
About Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
Milwaukee-based Bader Philanthropies, Inc. is a philanthropic leader in improving the quality of life of the diverse communities in which it works. The organization funds innovative projects and programs, convenes partners, and shares knowledge to affect emerging issues in key areas. Since its founding in 1992 as the Helen Bader Foundation, the organization has committed more than $375 million in grants and program related investments, such as loans, loan guarantees, credit enhancements and equity investments that advance its charitable mission. For more information on Bader Philanthropies, visit bader.org.
LINK TO ACTUAL ARTICLE: https://communityjournal.net/sams-place-shalem-healing-and-refua-medicinals-open-in-historic-harambee-building/