Ninth Annual Student Art Contest
Whimsical Wonder is the theme of the ninth annual student art contest sponsored by WEA Member Benefits and WEA Member Benefits Foundation, Inc.
Young artists are encouraged to think outside the box and embrace the theme in their unique and imaginative ways, exploring new concepts, experimenting with different mediums, and pushing the boundaries of their imaginations. This could be something like a carnival where curiosities come to life or floating islands suspended in the sky. The choices are as boundless as the artist’s imagination.
Monetary prizes from WEA Member Benefits Foundation will be awarded to 11 student winners, with one student artist receiving the “Loeymae Lange Best in Class” award. The “Best in Class” award is named in memory of Loeymae Lange, a former art teacher at Cooper Elementary School in Burlington, Wisconsin. Her brother, Dr. Paul Lange, and his wife June continue to honor Loeymae’s legacy by establishing an endowment gift to the Foundation to honor her love for the arts and all she did to inspire students. Her legacy will live on through this generous gift in the form of monetary prizes for art contest winners.
The deadline to enter the 2024 student art contest is Friday, May 3, 2024. Finalists will be announced soon after the contest closes in May. For more information about the art contest, including contest rules, eligibility, and submitting art, visit the Student Art Contest webpage.
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:
- 52.2% of students reported having anxiety.
- 33.7% of students said they were sad or hopeless every day.
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:
- This has taught us how to approach local funders—something we’ve never done before. (Racine)
- This funding forced us to think about student mental health in a whole new way. (Appleton)
- This is helping us partner with community resources to serve our students better. (Madison)
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.