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Courageous Stories
Highlighting community stories of courage, strength and resiliency
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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.
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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 »
Community Equity Program Alum Triasia Givens Advocates for Education
Triasia Givens joined Wilder’s Community Equity Program in fall 2019 because she wanted to join with others to create change in the community. Triasia is the co-chair of the Black Parents Advisory Council of Minneapolis Public Schools and a student in the Master’s of Advocacy and Political Leadership program at Metropolitan State… Read this story »
With Schools Closed, Classroom Therapists Connect with Students and Families Using Telehealth
When Governor Tim Walz ordered schools across Minnesota closed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, therapists in an innovative mental health partnership at Wilder made quick adjustments to figure out how to bring a therapeutic classroom into students’ living rooms. Read this story »
Achievement Plus Finds New Ways to Support School Communities during COVID-19 Closures
Students and families at Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School can get food and basic medical, mental health and dental care alongside classroom learning and academic instruction. Through Achievement Plus, a partnership with Wilder and Saint Paul Public Schools, Dayton’s Bluff builds on the trust and relationships families… Read this story »