Title
Courageous Stories
Highlighting community stories of courage, strength and resiliency
Section
Homework Starts with Home Provides Rental Assistance and Help with Pandemic Safety
When the pandemic arrived in Minnesota, Antonia Coleman gave her family members kits with masks, hand sanitizer and wipes to ensure that they were as protected as possible from the coronavirus while on the go. Then Antonia brought the idea to work. Read this story »
Remembering Paul Verret
Paul Verret dedicated nearly his entire life to Saint Paul. Through his career, his influence, and his personal generosity, Paul had an immeasurable impact on Wilder’s many community partners and our program and service participants. Sadly, Paul passed away in June 2020. Read this story »
Wilder Supporters Share Why They Give
Generous donors like Faith Her, Mike and Kathy Buendgen, Ilse and Omar Akbar, and the Mayer and Bongard families share how and why they support Wilder.
Read this story »
Wilder Volunteer Loves Giving Caregivers a Break
Longtime Wilder volunteer Johanna (Jo) Stammeier-Toole has given over 1,000 hours of her time to the Wilder Community Center for Aging. Jo first started volunteering in the Adult Day Health program. When the program closed in summer 2020, she then volunteered to work with a new caregiver respite program, Wilder Connect. Read this story »
Wilder Research Helps St. Louis Park Understand and Find Solutions to Food Insecurity
Food insecurity—not having reliable and sufficient amounts of affordable, nutritious food—may be an unfamiliar term, but the problem is not new. Food insecurity is tied to poverty, but is also impacted by transportation, low wages, housing and health care costs, and access to grocery stores. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, food… Read this story »
Wilder Mental Health Forges New Ways of Connecting with Telehealth
In a usual year, Wilder provides mental health and recovery services to more than 2,000 children, families and adults in the mental health clinic at Wilder Center, in schools and in the community.
2020 was no ordinary year. Read this story »
How Wilder Is Adapting to Meet Community Needs
Through a global pandemic, the unrest and community pain following the murder of George Floyd, and economic and financial uncertainty, Wilder has adapted and innovated to continue critical services that help families thrive. Here are some examples of how Wilder met the needs of families and the community in 2020. Read this story »
Hlub Zoo Taught Graduate Pahoua Moua It’s OK to Ask for Help
Amid the stress and uncertainty of fifth grade, Pahoua Moua found a safe place in a little room on the top floor of Jackson Elementary School in Saint Paul. In 2011, Pahoua was one of the earliest participants in Hlub Zoo, a Wilder school-based mental health program for students of Hmong and Southeast Asian heritage. Her sister and some… Read this story »