OSHKOSH – U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) announced today he is launching two new ads highlighting his work with the Joseph Project, a faith-based initiative in Milwaukee his office helped start to connect people to job opportunities and provide them with the skills they need. The ads feature interviews with Markeitha Smith, wife of the late Pastor Jerome Smith Sr. of Greater Praise Church of God in Christ in Milwaukee who co-founded the Joseph Project with Senator Johnson in September 2015.
“During my time serving Wisconsin both in the manufacturing sector and in the Senate, there has always been a need for more workers, yet unemployment rates have remained high in many Milwaukee neighborhoods. We started the Joseph Project to help close that gap in a meaningful way,” said Senator Johnson. “After Pastor Smith passed away last April, I recommitted to carrying on this project and following his vision for helping people better their lives. I am grateful to his wife Markeitha for her friendship and her willingness to speak out about the important work being done through this effort.”
In the first ad, Markeitha Smith discusses meeting Senator Johnson and his passion for the Joseph Project.
“I never would have thought that Ron Johnson would be someone that I can say is family,” said Smith. “He actually took the time to step in the door and support my husband and the program.”
In the second ad, Smith talks about her interactions with Senator Johnson following the loss of her husband and her time getting to know the senator over the last several years.
“When I lost my husband, he made sure he reached out to me. He made sure I had everything that I need,” said Smith. “The best advice I could ever give a person is, before you listen to what somebody else has to say, please get to know a person for yourself.”
The ads are part of a statewide broadcast and cable network ad buy. To learn more about the Joseph Project, visit the organization’s website at https://www.josephprojectwi.
