8 ordinary Wisconsinites who performed extraordinary acts of kindness in 2025
These eight Wisconsinites went above and beyond to spread kindness in their communities this year.
Sometimes it can seem like the world is full of negativity and anger, but that’s not always the case. There are plenty of kind and generous people in the world—and that was proven by the many Wisconsinites who performed extraordinary acts of kindness this year.
It doesn’t have to be over-the-top to be an extraordinary act of kindness. This year, countless folks went out of their way to comfort grieving people or take up extra work to help support sick colleagues. Some residents did go over the top, like a Kenosha man who beat an NBA superstar one-on-one and won $100,000, only to donate it all, or the Milwaukee woman who has written more than 900 inspirational notes and hidden them throughout the city.
No matter the size of the act, the effort and meaning behind it are well-appreciated throughout Wisconsin.
1. Malachi Knox
Wisconsin mail carrier Malachi Knox went above and beyond what his job duties required earlier this year when delivering a very important package to Krysten Klapatauskas. The Wausau resident was expecting the delivery of her 10-year-old dog Stoli’s ashes after she died from cancer on July 4. In addition to dropping off the ashes, Knox sat on Klapatauskas’ porch with her, and the two talked and hugged before Knox continued on his route.
It wasn’t just a random delivery for Knox; the mail carrier was very familiar with Stoli and would often stop to pet the dog while on his route. Klapatauskas said in an interview that it brought her “peace” that Stoli’s ashes were delivered to her by Knox.
2. Molly Schafer
Before graduating this year, Waunakee High School senior Molly Schafer didn’t hang out much with her classmates, but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t spend plenty of time thinking about them. The high school senior painted 44 portraits of her classmates as part of her senior project, and gave them out before graduating.
Schafer’s social anxiety led her to believe that most of her classmates didn’t like her or didn’t want to be friends. She used this covert painting project as a way to combat those feelings—and it was an act that her classmates appreciated. Schafer created portraits of 44 student-athletes playing nine different sports, including football, lacrosse, and tennis.
3. Paul Voight
In October, Typhoon Halong made its way across the Pacific Ocean, first having a tremendous impact on several Japanese island groups before making its way across the ocean and causing destruction along the western part of the state. The typhoon brought winds of more than 100 miles per hour to Alaska, as well as record flooding, with water levels reaching more than six feet in some places. Throughout the state, one woman died, and thousands of Alaskans were displaced as a result of the storm.
Less than a week after the storm dissipated, American Red Cross volunteer and Marshfield, Wisc. resident Paul Voight was catching a flight from Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, which would take him up to Alaska to help with relief efforts. Voight has been volunteering with the American Red Cross on disaster relief missions for three years, and this trip to Alaska was his 25th deployment. The Wisconsin resident was estimated to be in Alaska on his volunteer deployment for two to three weeks, primarily building shelters.
4. Katrina Lord
Over the past nine years, Milwaukee resident Katrina Lord has written more than 925 inspirational notes. They’re not for anyone in particular—instead, she hides the notes throughout Milwaukee and leaves them for strangers to find as part of her project Milwaukee Love Letter. Each letter features a quote from writers like Hunter S. Thompson or Laura Ingalls Wilder, actors including Sarah Jessica Parker and Benedict Cumberbatch, and other noteworthy individuals, such as David Bowie, as well as a personalized message from Lord.
Lord said that creating the “love letters” is an easy way to spread positivity throughout the city, and has inspired others to start leaving their own inspirational notes throughout Milwaukee and other cities. She has said that she has no plans of slowing down her note-writing in the future.
5. Tristan Jass
Kenosha resident and YouTuber Tristan Jass is best known for his impressive basketball skills, including trick shots that have gone viral several times, but after a one-on-one showdown with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, he’s also well-known for his extreme kindness. The winner of the match, produced by YouTuber MrBeast, received a $100,000 prize, and when the Kenosha resident beat the NBA superstar, he was determined to give it all away.
Jass gave $10,000 to the Shalom Center, a non-profit organization based in Kenosha that offers services for people experiencing homelessness, including individual and family shelters, a soup kitchen, and a food pantry. Jass said he was giving the remaining $90,000 to nine fans, who could win it through giveaways he would post on YouTube.
6. Terri Betts
Many crocheters make scarves for their friends and loved ones, but Chippewa Falls resident Terri Betts took her crochet projects a step further this year, leaving them tied to light posts throughout the city’s downtown area. Each scarf came with a note saying it wasn’t lost; instead, it’s available for anyone looking to stay warm.
Betts estimated that she spent more than 400 hours crocheting the 60 scarves, which each took around seven hours to make, and that she spent all of that time crocheting just out of a desire to help the community.
7. James Ronaldo Meyer
James Ronaldo Meyer, of Rice Lake, hasn’t always called Wisconsin home. For the first bit of his infancy, he lived in Guatemala, before Wisconsin couple Arlaina and Damon Meyer adopted him. The Wisconsin teen gives back to his birth country through building homes, and this year, Meyer worked on building his 13th double-unit home in El Sacabastal, Palencia, Guatemala.
For the past nine years, Meyer and his family have been raising funds to build homes alongside the mission group Food for the Poor. He hopes to raise enough money to build a 14th home by the end of the year.
8. The staff at Urban Olive & Vine
There wasn’t just one single person who went above and beyond to perform an extraordinary act of kindness at Urban Olive & Vine, a New American small plates restaurant in Hudson, Wisc. Instead, it was the restaurant’s entire staff, mostly teenagers, who stepped up to keep the place running when Carol Trainor, the restaurant’s co-owner, had a grand mal seizure and had to stay in the hospital for months, mostly in a coma.
Her husband, Chad Trainor, the restaurant’s other co-owner, stayed by his wife’s side in the hospital and expected to close the restaurant. Instead, the restaurant’s staff, which is made up of nearly 30 teenagers, took on responsibilities like training staff, learning new roles, and coming up with Urban Olive & Vine’s daily specials—all without being asked. The primarily teenage staff ran the restaurant for eight months, until Carol died on May 5. Chad closed the restaurant for a day so that all staff could attend her funeral.
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