Jefferson Award finalist: Patricia Chapman

CODY, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - In our continuing coverage on the four finalists for this year’s Jefferson Award, we’re proud to present the fourth finalist.

In the last report, we told you about a man in the Casper area who works with troubled youth as a counselor.

Our last finalist is a woman from Cody who loves nothing more than helping others... Especially children in their greatest time of need.

Cody resident Patricia Chapman... Or Pat, as her friends call her... Has been volunteering for Make-a-Wish Wyoming for 20 years now.

Chapman was nominated for the Jefferson award by friend and Make-a-Wish colleague Michele Lloyd. Lloyd says, “Pat is just a delight to talk to. There’s been times where we just keep talking, and then she goes, ‘Oh, I have to go. I have Meals On Wheels I have to get deliver.’ Or whatever. So you can just get lost talking to her. She’s so delightful. And she always says ‘Have a blessed day.’”

Though deeply patriotic, Chapman spends her summers in Canada. However, she has helped grant over 20 wishes for kids throughout the years. And perhaps the biggest of them all happened, ironically, during the COVID lockdown.

Lloyd recalls, “This was a wish for a camper. And he’s a very social outgoing kid. But he couldn’t be during the pandemic. So Pat thought about it, and she did not want him to miss out on the opportunity. So she knew a friend who had a corvette. And decided to do a parade.”

When asked to describe Chapman, Lloyd says, “I just know that she loves to be a positive influence in people’s lives. And bring joy wherever she can.”

We will announce the winner of Wyoming’s Jefferson Award first at a banquet for the finalists, then here on our newscast.

The national ceremony for the Jefferson Awards takes place in Washington, DC.

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