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Cornelia Day Wilder Appleby 1868 - 1903 (click image to enlarge)

In 1953, the name of the charity was changed to the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, and in 1974, the geographic service area for the Foundation was expanded to include not only the City of Saint Paul, but also Ramsey, Dakota, Washington and Anoka Counties.

Upon the establishment of the Wilder trusts, the directors of the new charity grappled with how to best serve the persons of Saint Paul as the Wilder family directed in their wills.

They adopted a policy of avoiding duplication of the work of other social agencies and providing services not otherwise available in the community. The most critical needs facing the city at the turn of the century were believed to be inadequate health and child care.

The following is a sampling of early Wilder programs and activities designed to meet those needs.

The Wilder Relief Department was established in 1906 when a direct cash gift was given to a needy family. As this new service took shape, policies were established to ensure that the needs of the recipients were legitimate and could not be met by family members or others in the community. Cash relief was given only to persons suffering chronic illness, the effects of aging, or what was then termed, "worthless husbands". The Foundation operated the Relief Department for almost 40 years, until government assistance programs took over.

Public health nursing was one of the earliest programs financed by Wilder. In 1906, a trained nurse was engaged to visit the ill in their homes. The Wilder Visiting Nurse Department operated for 37 years until it was transferred to Ramsey County nursing department. Continue...