Join the cause
We believe our Advocates have the power to make the world a better place, and supportive parents, grandparents, and mentors play a vital role. Your involvement—driving, supervising, or organizing—empowers our Advocates to leave their mark on the organization.
We invite parents, grandparents and mentors to step up and lead these events and programs. Your experience and enthusiasm help shape our future. Let’s make a difference together!
Are you at an event right now?
Events you can help with
Winter Team Building (Early January)
The specific event varies from year to year. Please reach out for more details.
Pump Up and Clean Up (Late January and February)
Leadership teams plan this and present information about, becoming an advocate, in the schools.
Knock Down Hunger
Leadership teams plan this and present information about, becoming an advocate, in the schools.
Advocate Recruiting (April-May)
Leadership teams plan this and present information about becoming an advocate in the schools.
Children’s Festival (May 10, 2025)
This is a newer program and the kids assist with games and collect Change for a Change. This could be broken into 2 shifts.
Ice Cream Social (First week of June)
This is a one time event. We have recently planned this at Mountain Bay Elementary and Doepke Park, but open for suggestions. Normally 90 minutes the week after school gets out. We use the day as a get to know you Team Building opportunity.
Movie Under the Stars (1-2 days in the summer)
We partner with TDS, the advocates will be walking around the crowd before the movie starts collecting change for change and possible food donations.
We are asking for parents (adults) to take a group of advocates and walk with them in a crowd of people. You may have to answer any questions that come up if the advocate is unsure of the answer, and to be there to support them. This event really gets our advocates to step out of their comfort zone, ask for donations and talk with people about Peyton’s Promise. All donations collected will go right back into the local community to buy food for the local food pantries.
Concert on the Square (Varies — July 10, 2025)
The advocates will be walking around the square collecting cash/coin donations, possible food donations and Pop Tabs for Sophia.
Sophia Van Ermen was a young girl that needed an organ transplant, and her family stayed in Milwaukee at the Ronald McDonald House. After she passed away, her family asked others to pay if forward to help other families who may need a place to stay. When she passed her cousin who was a Peyton’s Promise Advocate started this project. The pop tabs are recycled and turned into dollars which are then donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield. Our goal this year is to collect 1000 pounds.
We are asking for parents (adults) to take a group of advocates and walk with them in a crowd of people. You may have to answer any questions that come up if the advocate is unsure of the answer, and to be there to support them. This event really gets our advocates to step out of their comfort zone, ask for donations and talk with people about Peyton’s Promise. Once they have collected some donations, they will return to the van and hand off the donations to the designated individuals and they can walk around again. There will be wheeled trash bins donated by Harter’s that will be used to dump and store the pop tabs in. All donations collected will go right back into the local community to buy food for the local food pantries.
Pop Tabs for Sophia (During our Concert on the Square but collect all year)
This involves working with Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield.
Leadership Training (Second Tuesday in August)
This varies from year to year, but gives our leadership an opportunity to plan out the year. We have had speakers in the past.
Advocate Day of Training (Second Wednesday in August)
The advocates have a fun day of events that include icebreakers, speakers, team building activities, Community Service Project, ice cream truck, food pantry introductions and learning more about all the programs that are offered through Peyton’s Promise.
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with taking pictures, videos, interviews, and reels throughout the day. If we could get two parents to take videos and pictures, one parent to take reels throughout the day and two parents to interview and video advocates.
Throughout the day we ask the parent volunteers to walk around, join a group, visit with the advocates, and assist wherever you feel comfortable. We will need parents to assist with lunch, cleaning up and the Community Service Project.
REI Sunflower Garden (Fall)
This could be a great Team Building Opportunity. Cut flowers and present bouquets to hunger partners or supporters.
Fall Harvest Fest 400 Block (First Saturday of October)
We partner with Wausau Events, advocates will be collecting cash and non-perishable donations as well as talking with kids at the event and helping them pick out their pumpkins. Parent volunteers, you may have to answer any questions that come up if the advocate is unsure of the answer, and to be there to support them. This event really gets our advocates to step out of their comfort zone, ask for donations and talk with people about Peyton’s Promise. All donations collected will go right back into the local community to buy food for the local food pantries.
Community Halloween Event- Monster Bash (Mid-end of October)
We partner with the Mountain Bay Metro Police Department, this event features more than a dozen bounce houses, games, candy for the kids and goodie bags for the adults. The advocates will be collecting spare change for ‘Change for Change’ and non-perishable donations. They will also assist running game stations during the party and assisting at bouncy houses. This is a wonderful opportunity for the advocates to share what Peyton Promise does in the community and to inspire and interact with other kids in our community.
Parent volunteers, you may have to answer any questions that come up if the advocate is unsure of the answer, and to be there to support them.
ADRC Senior Snow Day Meals (Beginning of November)
We partner with Crossroads County Market, advocates will be collecting cash donations and selling $5.00 or $10.00 paper bags. If an individual grabs a paper bag for purchase they will take the bag to the cashier when they are done shopping, and they will ring it up with the rest of their items. Crossroads County Market keeps track of the donations from the paper bag sale. All donations collected will be used towards a large ADRC (Aging & Disability Resources Center of Central Wisconsin) Meals on Wheels food purchase. Every year Peyton’s Promise donates two meals to around 900 individuals in our local community that are signed up to receive meals on wheels. These meals are shelf stable meals which may include items such as: canned beans, canned vegetables, cans of soup, tuna. These meals are helpful in the winter months when the weather is less than desirable, and warm meals cannot be delivered by the ADRC volunteers.
Elves Stocking Shelves-(First Saturday in December)
We team up with our local grocery stores the first Saturday in December from 10 am to 2 pm. Each store will have between 3 to 5 advocates collecting food and cash donations for local pantries. At each location, you will receive a bag full of supplies, which includes a list of items to purchase and a donation bucket for cash donations.
We encourage every advocate to step out of their comfort zone and ask patrons of the grocery store to purchase at least one item from the list and return it to you when they are done shopping. We, of course, will also accept cash donations. Each dollar donated during the holiday season will be matched by AbbyBank up to $2,000.00. At the end of the event, one of the Hungry Partners (Food Pantries) will come around 2:00 pm to collect the food donations.
Eat for the Hungry (Second Thursday in December)
Parades
We are asking the adult volunteers to walk in the parade with our advocates and make sure all advocates stay with the group and keep up the pace. We are going to have advocates focus on collecting donations (food and cash donations), smiling and waving to the crowd.
- Marathon Days (Sunday of Labor Day Weekend)
- Wausau Christmas (First Friday in December) Walk with WSAW collecting food
- DC Everest Homecoming (TBD, likely September)
Did you see an event that you’d like to assist with?
Giving as a family
Riley family
My brothers and I have been part of Peyton’s promise for years. We love being able to give back to the community, by collecting food for families in Marathon County. We have been able to be more involved with this program due to my Mom’s love of fitness as well as having her attend and help with so many community events. I feel like having our Mom invested in this program has made our involvement more successful. I highly recommend encouraging your parents to get involved with you and make a difference in our community as a family.
Jackson Riley, Wausau West
Pease family
My brothers, sister and I have been a part of Peyton’s Promise for as long as I can remember. We are all grateful for the opportunity to help those who are in need. This program has shaped our mindsets as a whole. My mom is a school advisor at John Muir, and she encouraged my brother and I to be a part of the Leadership team. I can confidently say that without her support our family would have been way less active in the cause. From contacts to start drives in our schools to pitching in moving food she has been an asset. For this reason I full heartedly believe that other advocates should get their families involved to continue making the world a better place.
Carley Pease, Wausau West