Post Messenger Recorder -

'Tis the season for giving, and the Green Bay Packers Foundation is no different! This organization has readily given back to Wisconsin communities from its onset in 1986, and the School District of Belleville is grateful for its recent generosity. On December 8th, District Administrator Nate Perry joined other selected grant recipients at a guest luncheon in the Lambeau Field Atrium to receive a check for $5,000 to help provide additional opportunities for his school district.

Belleville Schools received the grant due to the efforts of Rebecca Johnson, who serves as the Director of Student Services, the Director of Teaching and Learning, the ADA Coordinator, and the Homeless Liaison. She wrote the grant proposal in the hopes that Belleville families would be able to have events beyond the school day where they can better connect and engage as a community, and so that Belleville teachers could be more balanced and happy in the work they do to better serve their students each day.

Johnson says, "I wrote the grant to continue to work towards offering whole community activities and family nights. This is a way to connect and grow a more supportive community. The grant would also fund continued work towards staff wellness and providing more opportunities towards this as a staff."

Her grant proposal was accepted by the Green Bay Packers Foundation in the project area of Staff and Student Mental Health and Wellness, and will also support continued efforts to help with staff wellness needs. The proceeds of this grant will fund five family nights, including giveaways and snacks, Staff Wellness/Appreciation, including a Yoga instructor stipend, PIYO scholarships, motivational speaker, and monthly staff appreciation acknowledgements.

The Green Bay Packers Foundation is something to truly be celebrated as it works hard to give back to the community it calls home. It was started by Judge Robert J. Parens during his time as President of Green Bay Packers, Inc., and has distributed $1 million annually in the funding of grants that serve civic and charitable groups in Wisconsin. The mission of the foundation is to support "charities possessing one or more of the following goals: perpetuates a community environment that promotes families and the competitive value of athletics; contributes to player and fan welfare; ensures the safety and education of children; and/or prevents cruelty to animals." To this end, the School District of Belleville's needs fit the bill!

Perry is thrilled to have his school district honored in this way and is grateful for the opportunity to offer families and teachers in Belleville more opportunities to enjoy one another: "The school district is extremely thankful for the generosity of the Green Bay Packers organization in its outreach efforts. Usually, the Packers bring Cheeseheads across the country together - giving us hope and making us smile. The activities that this Packers' grant will fund should do the same on a local level for our Wildcats and their families."

In this season of giving, the Green Bay Packers Foundation has done a tremendous job in their work to remember Wisconsinites by helping smaller communities. In helping school districts in rural areas have the needed resources to come together and engage, the work of the Packers Foundation only helps to build stronger relationships between the schools and the families that they serve. Belleville looks forward to all they will be able to do for its community and teachers in 2023 thanks to this wonderful charitable grant award.