Kathy and Joseph Madrigrano Jr. have donated $20,000 to the Gateway Technical College Foundation Inc. to be used at the Joseph and Kathy Madrigrano-supported Center for Sustainable Living to help raise awareness on the dramatic expiration of millions of bees in the last decade.

Called colony collapse disorder, experts say this problem has the potential to affect the world’s food supply as plants are deprived of their main pollinator.

“My wife, Kathy, and I have made other contributions for the betterment of the Kenosha community, including the Center for Sustainable Living at Gateway,” said attorney Joseph Madrigrano Jr. “We realize that the population of bees in Kenosha – and the world – is in danger. What better way to benefit the Kenosha community’s environment than through these efforts?”

Awareness will include a mural on the side of the center, developing informational bee signage, planting bee-friendly gardens and developing and delivering programs aimed at discussing the disorder and possible steps which can be taken to fix it.

“Joe and Kathy Madrigrano are champions for our community,” said Gateway Technical College President and CEO Bryan Albrecht. “Protecting our bee population is an investment in the health and wellness of our community. This is a unique and important opportunity to educate our community on the important role bees play in sustaining our ecosystem.

“It is our hope that this generous gift will grow into a communitywide effort to highlight the importance of bees and our collective environmental responsibility.”

Madrigrano said they have researched the issue through media reports and other publications, and hope efforts like the one at Gateway will be a piece of the puzzle to bring resolution to the issue.

“I think people will come to realize that this is a problem that needs to be addressed not only on a local basis, but global basis, as well,” he said.

The gift will be endowed, providing an ongoing means to support this programming effort.