Worlds on Our Shoulders

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Patti Chilsen, CWP Assistant Program Director, learned a lifetime of public service from her favorite teacher. Her Dad. His life of public service and philanthropy paved the way for her career in the teaching arts. She recently wrote of her admiration for her dad, Walter John Chilsen, in the Wausau Daily Herald.

I hope I am an apple that didn’t fall far from my parent’s tree. My father has been a civic leader my whole life, and my mom too, since she has always supported my dad. In some small way I try to follow in my parents footsteps, striving to do more good than harm in this world by helping those who have less advantage than I. That’s how I found my way to Community-Word Project. Having a voice and using it to make a positive difference in one’s community is a big part of what we explore with our public-school students.

Even small individual changes impact not only the community, but the world at large. One person working to improve his or her community can affect change for the better. That is what my dad and mom taught me. I plan to carry on the legacy.