Granting Change: The St. Mary's Wilson Society Crafts a Legacy of Service

Though it’s a new program, the St. Mary’s Wilson Society is already making a mark on Memphis. When students started the St. Mary's chapter in 2022, the program was 20 members strong and completed one grant project. However, over the past year, participation has more than doubled, and now the organization comprises over 50 members who have completed nine grant projects with $6,000 in funding.

The Wilson Society is a student organization in which students directly immerse themselves in the grant process and implement projects to help the Memphis community. During the 2024-25 school year, the members of the program used their grant money to help the girls at Binghampton Christian Academy (BCA). 

Through the grants process, students learn about philanthropy through writing and implementing grants, communicating with non-profits, and participating in hands-on community service. This program provides these girls with the opportunity to directly impact and improve the Memphis community. 

Since the beginning, students have decided on a specific issue to address for their grant projects. Elizabeth Scott ’26 was a founding member of the Wilson Society and helped choose literacy as their focus. 

“All of our projects have had some connection to literacy, so that has taken many forms over the past few years,” Elizabeth said. “We went to tutor every week, we did a book fair, and we had dinners with a book club, to name a few.”

As one of the first members, Elizabeth has seen the program grow and positively impact the lives of many Memphians. 

"I feel like we’re seeing the fruits of our labor and how the organization has actually made a change and made a difference," Elizabeth said. 

“I feel like we’re seeing the fruits of our labor and how the organization has actually made a change and made a difference,” she said. “It's just different when it actually happens in front of your eyes.”

Over the course of the Wilson Society, these girls have continuously been committed to service in Memphis by implementing over a dozen projects. Students bought new bedding and furniture for the BCA girls, had frequent community dinners, and packed “spring break bags” with snacks, books, and fun activities, amongst countless other projects.  

The faculty sponsor, Ms. Caroline Fockler, has witnessed the hard work the girls have put into this program.  

“I am so proud of our students who have worked so hard to grow and shape a program that didn’t exist at St. Mary’s three years ago,” she said. “We have learned a lot through trial and error, and these girls have put in so much work to build a program they are proud of.”

The Wilson Society is completely student-run and student-led, so these girls get to develop their leadership skills along with directly helping the community around them. Kate Witherington ’27 has loved the Wilson Society and decided to pursue a leadership position as a junior. 

"It’s a great way to get involved and really do it all in one. We get to write grants and get that experience," Kate said. 

“It’s a great way to get involved and really do it all in one. We get to write grants and get that experience,” Kate said. “We also get the experience of working with people and communicating with people to really see the impact.”

Above all, both Kate and Elizabeth value the relationships they’ve made with the girls at Binghampton Christian Academy. 

“It's just really cool because we know these girls, and we have relationships with them. We see what they need, and they tell us what they need, and we can do something about it,” Elizabeth said. “Wilson Society is a really awesome resource for the city, and it reaches really far.”

 

Written by Wallis Rogin ’25