36112,
14
April
2023
|
13:39 PM
America/Chicago

Wisconsin Cadet Helps Scrub Graffiti

Cleaning the scene

WIwingA Wisconsin Wing cadet stepped up after she and her two younger sisters spotted some negative graffiti in a nearby square while they were waiting for a field trip at Wausau’s Grand Theater.

Upon finding out that the show was cancelled, Cadet Tech. Sgt. Lily Schaefer of the Stevens Point Composite Squadron asked to go take a closer look at the offending markings, where bookstore owner Jane Janke Johnson was already at work with buckets of soapy water to clean the scene.

Schaefer, 13, and her sisters— Thea, 10, and Hazel, 7 – offered to help carry Johnson’s buckets back, but the cadet then noticed more graffiti. The crew of four returned to the bookstore, supplied themselves with more soapy water, and returned to scrub away all evidence of the graffiti. 

Joined by the Wausau Police Department, the crew made sure to leave things sparkling, cleaning up garbage around the block as they went.

“Service before self is an important part of being a Civil Air Patrol cadet," Schaefer said. "I'm really glad to see others in my community giving back, and especially local shop owners – that makes me proud of where we live."