The Tri-County Retired Educators’ Association (TCREA), established in 1976, met at IGYS on October 13 to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
They are members of the Wisconsin Retired Educators’ Association (WREA), established in 1951, celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. WREA is an organization dedicated to protecting the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) and protecting and supporting public education.
TCREA has 32 members. Members educated students in Taylor, Clark, and Chippewa counties. School districts included: Gilman, Greenwood, Loyal, Owen-Withee, Thorp, and Stanley-Boyd (Neillsville).
The group meets monthly from September through May, with a potluck in August. Five of these meetings are business meetings, four are programs.
Each month food is collected for food pantries and scholarship donations are made. Two $500 scholarships are given in May to two students going into the education field.
Backpacks are packed with school supplies and given to the six school districts in January. In December, they collect items for the residents at Clark County Living and Rehabilitation Center. Treat boxes are given to the school districts to say thank you to staff members for their work educating our young people.
For programs they have had many outstanding speakers, such as authors, foreign exchange students, missionaries, police, dogs being trained for special duties, etc. Members share their life stories and their teaching career.
Volunteer of the year awards are awarded by the WREA for a member in this chapter that has done a great job volunteering in their communities for the youth and their education, church and other service clubs, and for volunteering to the WREA group.