Inaugural golf event for WEA Member Benefits Foundation raises $35,000

Save the date for next year’s golf outing: August 5, 2024

THANK YOU to all who attended and contributed to our inaugural golf event to support school-based mental health programs in Wisconsin’s public schools on August 7 at The Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove. What a day! We hosted nearly 200 participants, including 109 golfers plus another 90 who joined the group at dinner. This was an incredible turnout, raising nearly $35,000 for school-based mental health!

According to a 2021 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction survey:

However, accessing mental health care is a challenge. The National Survey of Children’s Health (2020-2021) found that 46% of Wisconsin school children with mental health conditions had a somewhat or very difficult time obtaining care.

The funds raised at the golf event will enable WEA Member Benefits Foundation to add a new school district to our mental health funding initiative this fall, helping more students access mental health services in Wisconsin public schools.

A few of the pilot school districts we’ve been supporting had this to say:

Save August 5, 2024 for our next golfing fundraiser—we would love for even more of you to join us! Follow the Foundation on Instagram and Facebook or visit weafoundation.org to stay up to date.

Student art contest winners announced!

Art can be a positive influence on mental health. At our golf event, we announced the ten winning artists from our annual contest and the Loeymae Lange Award winner, Samantha MacRogers, an 8th grader from West Salem. Congrats to all!

Visit our art contest page to sign up for information about the 2024 contest.

Seventh Annual Student Art Contest and new endowment

Now in its seventh year, the WEA Member Benefits annual Student Art Contest, sponsored by WEA Member Benefits and WEA Member Benefits Foundation, Inc., is underway.

First, we have some exciting news to share! In honor of the late Loeymae Lange who taught art at Cooper Elementary School in Burlington, Wisconsin, for 30 years, an endowment has been established by Dr. Paul and June Lange to help support the Student Art Contest for years to come. This generous endowment is in memory of Paul’s sister, Loeymae. Her love for the arts and all she did to inspire students will live on through this wonderful gift. We thank the Langes for the additional financial support to our art contest and hope other individuals will join in donating to the Foundation to help fund future opportunities for budding artists.

For this year’s contest, monetary prizes will be awarded to 11 individual student winners, and the “Loeymae Lange Memorial Best in Show Award” will be given to one student artist whose art exemplifies originality, expression, use of artistic elements, principals of design, overall presentation of artwork, and message.

The contest runs through May 6. More information about the art contest, including contest rules, eligibility, and art entry information is available on the student art contest page.