Wilt Week brings in $170k for recovering LMPD Officer Nickolas Wilt
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Wilt Week is officially in the books.
Thanks to the collective generosity of the community, the Wilt family has some extra funds to support Officer Nick Wilt during his recovery.
On Saturday, members of the Wilt family received a check for all the donations collected throughout this week that reached $170,000.
The amount of money collected went above and beyond everyone’s expectations.
“As I kept adding, I was like, oh my, oh my gosh, oh my,” Wilt Week Co-organizer Cindy Bailey said. “I couldn’t wait to call somebody and say, you’re never going to believe this.”
From Aug. 1 to Aug. 5, the city came out to several events to support Wilt and his family.
Bailey said hardly anyone said no to helping this family while they were planning the week out. A beacon of light she feels the city desperately needed.
“It brings hope, you know,” Bailey said. “We’ve had a lot of negativity in this city, a lot of bad things happen, and to see something so good that so many people get behind, you just can’t beat that.”
The week’s events concluded in St. Matthews at their Potato Festival, where Wilt’s aunt and uncle accepted the check totaling the week’s donations on behalf of the family.
Creating a moment words can’t describe and tallying $170,000.
The family said they’re incredibly grateful for the community’s generosity.
“It’s overwhelming,” Wilt’s aunt and uncle Beth and Tom McBride said. “Like I said, it’s just unbelievable just how this community has come together and done all the things they’ve done. People that don’t even know him, you know, it’s really made this process a little brighter and easier.”
Among the crowd at Saturday’s presentation were Julie Andersen and Dana Mitchell, two of the survivors of the Old National Bank mass shooting on April 10.
They said the outpouring of love for Wilt has been the reason they’re able to push forward.
“Invaluable,” Mitchell Andersen said. “I mean, I can’t imagine going through this without the support we’ve had. Both the community and the bank itself and our coworkers and other cities. It’s just been wonderful.”
For the Wilt family, these donations go towards the next chapter of their lives. They said they will attack head-on because they’re all Wilt strong.
“Just have faith and never give up‚” the McBride’s shared. “He’s here for a reason, we’re all here for a reason, and senseless acts of violence, you know, you can overcome those.”
To make a donation to the Wilt family, click or tap here.
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