Longtime Brookfield resident Art Wigchers initially got involved with the Milwaukee chapter of Catholic Relief Services through a one-time donation. But soon he was flying overseas to other continents and was impressed enough with their work that he felt he had to get involved. Photo By Matt Braun
Art Wigchers retired from his position as CEO of Zilber Ltd. many years ago, but that doesn't mean he has stopped leading others.
Wigchers, a Brookfield resident since 1970, has spent the last 14 years working with the Milwaukee chapter of Catholic Relief Services to help improve quality of life for the people of eastern Africa.
"I originally got involved with Catholic Relief Services because when my wife's father died about 15 years ago he hadn't provided a charity in his estate," Wigchers said.
Wigchers and his wife Mary Ann learned about CRS and, after looking into it, decided that it would be a deserving recipient of the donation.
"We researched it and we were impressed so we made a significant donation," Art said.
As far as Wigchers was concerned, that was going to be it. But it wasn't.
"I kept getting a call from one of their representatives asking if I'd like to go overseas to see their work," he said.
Eventually, he decided that he would get more involved with CRS, and accompanied representatives on his first trip to Latin America.
"What got me going was that I realized how efficient they were and what really impressed me was how they worked with local staff and local partners," Wigchers said. "They were focused on helping people help themselves. Educating them."
Wigchers first visited east Africa 12 years ago and was very pleased to see how his and his wife's donation was being put to use.
"The people were learning what they should do to help themselves. Agriculture, water, sanitation — they buy into it because it's their ownership," he said. "That really impressed me. I saw how it led to a really efficient use of the donation."
"What really impressed me about CRS is their emphasis on helping people that need help regardless of their race, religion or nationality," he added. "The areas I'm in are up to 95 percent Muslim. It's not about converting people or anything, it's just about helping them."
One visit was enough for Wigchers to make up his mind. After his first visit to Africa, he immediately decided to get more heavily involved in CRS, working specifically to build and improve schools in Ethiopia.
It was through that work that he and others in CRS settled on their current specific mission.
"I realized how much help adolescent girls and women needed so that they could get their proper respect in society," he said.
Among the practices that Wigchers and CRS hope to reduce are forced marriage, lack of education for women, and female genital mutilation.
"Once they realize the harm that comes from this stuff, we hope they'll want to change," Wigchers said. "These are wonderful people. I have never ran into a group that said 'Go away.'"
Helping other help themselves has become Wigchers' approach.
"My most important skill in business was I was always a planner," Wigchers said. "I don't get involved in the actual training, my work is, 'Where do we take the program next?' We need the community support. We need the tribal leaders and the local government behind us."
For the actual training and teaching portion of the program, he gives most of the credit to hundreds of Milwaukee-area teachers who have volunteered time in recent years to go to Ethiopia.
"We have had so many wonderful educators come with us to do training. Things I could never do," he said.
Wigchers specifically says that Linda Gordy, associate dean at Waukesha County Technical College, and Madeline Wake, a retired former dean of nursing at Marquette University.
"I can't say enough good things about both of those ladies," Wigchers said. "They've been helping since 2012 and that's when we really started to make progress."
At age 72, Wigchers says that he is prepared to continue n helping CRS' efforts in Ethiopia.
"Our goal is to make these programs self-sustainable," he said. "If we work this right, I'll be out of a job. I would like nothing more than to say I don't have to go back. I'm a big believer in self-sustainability."
Art and Mary Ann Wigchers have lived in the city of Brookfield since 1970 and have three adult children who still live in the Milwaukee area.
Wigchers says that he is fully open to talking to anyone interested in getting involved to provide aid with the efforts in Ethiopia.
Parties interested in getting involved can find more information at www.crs.org or can reach Art Wigchers directly by emailing him at awigchers@wi.rr.com.
Source: brookfieldnow.com
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