During 2024, the Woodchucks sought to continue to give back to the community through various donations and fundraisers.
The Woodchucks once again partnered with Ruder Ware to present Woody’s Reading Club. Woody’s Reading Club is a reading program that involves area schools, allowing students to earn prizes including a ticket to a Woodchucks game. In the spring of 2024, 235 different classrooms in the Wausau and surrounding area participated in the program! The participating students were recognized at three different games throughout the season.
We wanted to recognize different local groups and individuals who continually seek to make a difference in their community through specific promotional nights and at each game. During the season, we recognized area teachers at two Teacher Appreciation Nights, allowing them to enjoy the game free of charge. We also held a Military Appreciation Night and a First Responders Appreciation Night to recognize these individuals for all they have given to their community and country. At each home game, we had a WisDOT Hometown Hero, which included military members, firefighters, police officers, etc. They were recognized during our pregame ceremonies for their service to their country and community. We also had a Cellcom Field of Dreams Team of the Night, which brought local youth teams from all sports to enjoy a Woodchucks game and be recognized on the field with the Woodchucks during our pre-game ceremonies. Lastly, we had our Connexus Credit Union Organization of the Night, which recognized various community organizations for their service in bettering their community.
Through special community initiatives, the Woodchucks were able to financially support various community organizations. The Woodchucks partnered with Crystal Finishing for our Walk with the Woodchucks program to make a donation for every time a Woodchuck player walked at home, totaling $10,000. We also partnered with K-Tech for our Home Run Heroes program to donate to Bridge Street Mission for every Home Run a Woodchucks player hit at home. We were able to raise $5,000 to support their move to Pied Piper Plaza for a one-campus location. Finally, the Woodchucks partnered with Executive Cleaning to donate to Jireh Food Pantry for every run driven in by the clean-up hitter for a total of over $1,500 this season.
Other area organizations were able to fundraise at different Woodchucks games through our fundraising ticket packages for local youth sports teams, high school bands, and other non-profit groups. Through these fundraising efforts, we were able to raise over $31,000! The Woodchucks also donated over $1,500 worth of in-kind donations for various community organizations to use for raffle prizes for fundraising events throughout the Northcentral Wisconsin area.
The Woodchucks wore one specialty jersey this year to fundraise for the Safe Kids Marathon County Program. Through the auction and raffle of these game worn jerseys, we were able to raise and donate almost $4,000.
Woody Woodchuck, the team mascot, appeared at many community events this year to show his support for local causes. This included 4 youth baseball clinics hosted in various communities across the area. In partnership with Wisconsin Chevy Dealers, Woodchucks players, coaches, and staff helped facilitate these camps for over 425 youth baseball and softball players. We’ve also had the pleasure of helping our community members in other ways, whether it’s through field trips and tours of the stadium or even a vow renewal on the field!
Thank you so much to our partners, local businesses, the community, and the Macdonald family for your continued support! We hope to continue to give back in 2025 and for years to come.