LWPTSA Council was pleased to present the first You Rock! award of the year at our April 2025 membership meeting to Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary PTSA in recognition of their multifaceted winter 2024 community giving campaign.
Wilder PTSA’s Week of Giving took place from November 18 to 22, offering three ways for families to support the community:
- A food drive benefiting Hopelink
- A giving tree supporting Wilder families in need
- A pajama donation drive for Treehouse for Kids
In celebration, students were invited to wear pajamas to school at the conclusion of the week.
The Wilder community’s response was overwhelming and inspiring, with 526 food items donated to Hopelink and 100 pairs of pajamas donated to Treehouse for Kids! Wilder PTSA also added Thanksgiving food staples to Wilder students’ Pantry Packs, ensuring that their families had extra support during the holiday break.
The giving tree directly benefited 12 Wilder families in need, with donations including mattresses, bedding, clothes, toys and other items. To protect students’ privacy, gifts were listed on a SignUpGenius anonymously by family and family member (example: Family A – Girl 1, 8 years old; Family B – Adult Male). Gifts were labeled accordingly as they were dropped off at school, and Wilder’s principal and counselor were responsible for discreetly distributing the collected items to each family.
Additionally, the Wilder PTSA organized a holiday meal drive before winter break to support Wilder families in need. The drive collected whole turkeys or hams, shelf-stable items (such as boxed milk, boxed potatoes, canned vegetables), as well as dinner rolls and butter, and pies and cookies. Thanks to the generosity of the Wilder community, the wish list was quickly fulfilled, and Wilder’s principal once again partnered with the PTSA to discreetly distribute the items. Wilder PTSA provided coolers with ice for the meat and dairy, and created gift baskets of the other items for each family to pick up.
LWPTSA Council is proud to recognize Wilder PTSA and the Wilder Wolves’ efforts to show love to their community! Congratulations, Wilder PTSA! You Rock! Learn more about LWPTSA Council’s You Rock! awards.
