Congratulations to Operation Wildcat and Wildcat Foundation for receiving the Community Champion Award!

There's an old proverb that states 'It takes a village to raise a child', meaning that an entire community interacts with 'our' children to experience recreation, growth, and develop in a safe and healthy environment. In Mechanicsburg Area Parks and Recreation, we are privileged to have not only one, but two nonprofit organizations that focus their goals on the whole child. Both of these organizations programs are funded through charitable donations, special events, fundraising activities, and donations from families and businesses throughout our Mechanicsburg community. While Operation Wildcat utilizes resources in our community to help students and families in need, Wildcat Foundation's guiding principle is to enhance the educational, cultural, social, and athletic/ recreational development of the students of the Mechanicsburg Area School District. The result is millions of dollars in our campus buildings, programs, grants, activities, educational venues, sporting facilities, indoor and outdoor facilities and assistance in supplying basic needs such as shelter, food, and clothing. Our school district is the epitome of a 'village' working together to serve the needs of all in our district. The Mechanicsburg Area Parks and Recreation is the 'gateway' and distributor of many of their endeavors.

The Mechanicsburg Area Parks and Recreation Department is grateful to work cooperatively with these fine women that are always working for our community, Operation Wildcat, https://www.operationwildcat.org/

Leslie Collins and Maureen Ross.  The Wildcat Foundation, https://www.wildcatfoundation.org/ and Holly Rider Laufer, Executive Director.

The Award was presented virtually this past March, during the PRPS Annual Conference.