Over a thousand backpacks were donated in honor of a teacher
On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered at the Watermark at Shully’s in Thiensville, not for a funeral but for the celebration of Jodi Kleibel’s life.
Just about every person who walked into the building had a small backpack in hand, just as Kleibel had asked for before she died from leukemia at 51 on Sept. 4.
Kleibel was a kindergarten teacher at McLane Elementary School in West Bend for 29 years. She was known for her kindness and selflessness she gave to every person she encountered, especially her students.
“She would always take care of her kids if they didn’t have a backpack or a pair of shoes. We thought this would be a great tribute to her life,” Kleibel’s sister Jamee LeMonds said.
“She said, ‘I want a cause. What’s my cause going to be once I’m gone?’” her other sister Jill Hunt recalled her asking before her death. “She taught kindergarten and there were always kids who either didn’t have the right supplies or needed something so I said, ‘Why don’t we start with something easy? Let’s get people to bring backpacks and see where it takes us.’”
Kleibel’s wish was fulfilled as backpacks lined the 6,200-square-foot room the celebration was being held in.
By the end of the celebration, the family received over a thousand backpacks with school supplies to donate to kindergartners in need across the greater Milwaukee area.
Backpacks were donated from attendees of the celebration who came from many aspects of Kleibel’s life, including colleagues and former students.
Lexi Fiorentino, 18, had Kleibel as a teacher in 2006 soon after Kleibel received a new liver and was cured from liver cancer.
“She inspired me in so many ways from her two-time cancer battle,” Fiorentino said. “She was very into living each day to the fullest and making the most of every day, even if it’s a bad one. She just had a personality that inspired everyone.”
Kleibel also inspired her niece, Piper LeMonds, at 11, to raise over $15,000 for leukemia research.
“I just started raising money for my aunt Jodi because she was just an inspiration,” Piper said. “She did a lot of things for me so I wanted to do something for her and make sure she could get a cure, but it’s O.K. she’s gone because it’s God’s plan.”
Kleibel’s family plans to do a backpack drive every year. They want to start a foundation in her honor using Kleibel’s motto: “Be kind — it’s that simple.”
Additionally, a scholarship in Kleibel’s name has been established for students of McLane Elementary School in West Bend.
Donations can be made to West Bend Columns Scholarship Program, P.O. Box 397, West Bend, WI 53095, with Jodi Kleibel Scholarship in the memo line.