How the Wylie Bulldog Protection Program Grew from a Student Idea into a Community Lifeline
On a late afternoon at Wylie West Intermediate, the gym feels different.
There’s no scoreboard glowing. No whistles cutting the air. The usual rhythm of basketballs bouncing and sneakers squeaking has been replaced by something quieter, steadier — the soft thump of folded sweatshirts hitting the floor, the rustle of jackets being laid out by size, the low hum of conversation as students work side by side.
Across the polished gym floor, clothing stretches in every direction. Piles form and reform — small shirts here, hoodies there, jeans grouped carefully by size.
This isn’t a game day.
This is a work day — and one powered by the heart of volunteers.
What’s unfolding inside the Wylie West Intermediate gym is the living heartbeat of the Wylie Bulldog Protection Program, a student-led initiative that has quietly grown into a districtwide support system for families in need. This Saturday, it partners with Communities in Schools and the annual Bless a Bulldog event — a collaboration rooted in dignity, compassion, and the belief that Bulldogs take care of one another.
And like so many meaningful things at Wylie, it started with students asking a simple question.
A School Project That Refused to End
(Inside Donation Room - Benton Hanner and Max Thorton)
Four years ago, the Bulldog Protection Program didn’t exist. What did exist was a Destination Imagination team, a service-learning requirement, and a spark of curiosity.
“What happens to students who come to school without what they need?”
“And what can we do to help?”
Among those students was Benton Hanner, then an eighth grader, now a high school junior. Along with his brother and DI teammates, Benton proposed a service project centered on care — a way to make sure students could access clothing, supplies, and essentials without embarrassment or attention.
“At first, it was just a DI project,” Benton said. “But once we got started, we realized this was something bigger than a competition.”
The project had steady guidance from someone who knew Wylie inside and out. Jennifer Hanner, Benton’s mother, is a Wylie graduate, a former Wylie first-grade teacher, a Wylie Bulldogs Education Foundation board member, and a parent of five. She understood both the logistics and the responsibility of helping students well.
Still, none of them expected how far it would go.
“Once you see how real the need is,” Jennifer said, “you can’t just stop.”
When DI season ended, the project didn’t.
Instead, it grew.
From One Idea to Every Campus
Today, the Wylie Bulldog Protection Program supports care closets across Wylie ISD campuses, working hand-in-hand with Communities in Schools (CIS) — whose advocates are present on every campus and deeply connected to students and families.
CIS staff members are often the first to notice when a student needs extra support. Whether it’s a child who arrives without a warm jacket, a student who needs clean clothes after an accident, or a family quietly struggling to keep up with school supplies, shoes, or basic hygiene items, CIS helps bridge the gap.
Through the Bulldog Protection Program, CIS advocates can quickly access essentials — clothing, hygiene products, backpacks, school supplies, and shoes — and get them into students’ hands without drawing attention or creating discomfort.
The model is intentionally quiet.
If a student spills milk on their pants and has nothing to change into.
If a teacher notices the same outfit appearing again and again.
If a family is navigating hardship behind the scenes.
Support is there — discreetly, respectfully, and without judgment — because CIS is already there, embedded in the daily life of each campus and trusted by the students they serve.
“We operate with a lot of dignity,” Jennifer explained. “Everything is clean. Everything is sorted. We want students to feel supported.”
Items are carefully cleaned and reused. Donations are inspected and organized. Items that don’t meet standards are set aside. The focus is never on quantity alone — it’s on care.
The result is a program that feels less like a donation drive and more like a safety net — one woven together by students, families, and a community that pays attention.
(Jennifer Hanner Surveying The Care Closet)
When the Gym Becomes a Place of Giving
Back in the Wylie West Intermediate gym, the scale of that care becomes visible.
Students kneel on the floor, carefully laying out clothing. Others move methodically between piles, adjusting sizes, holding garments up to the light, making sure nothing is overlooked. The space that usually hosts PE classes and pep rallies has transformed into something quieter — a place of preparation.
This gym serves as the temporary central sorting space for the Bulldog Protection Program, where donated and cleaned items are organized ahead of major distribution events like Bless a Bulldog.
“It looks full,” Jennifer said, scanning one of the closet rooms. “But that’s the goal — for it not to stay that way.”
Because by the end of the day Saturday, the hope is that many of these items will be gone. Carried home by families invited through Communities in Schools.
Bless a Bulldog: Meeting Needs with Care
Each year, Bless a Bulldog creates space for families to receive support during the holiday season — not just gifts, but essentials that help carry them into the months ahead.
Through the partnership with Communities in Schools, families are invited to participate in a setting designed to feel supportive and welcoming. Parents can select items for their children, wrap gifts on site, and leave with more than just packages — they leave with reassurance.
The Bulldog Protection Program plays a key role in this effort, opening its carefully organized clothing collections so families can choose items that fit their needs.
“Communities in Schools does the inviting and the relationship work,” Jennifer said. “We’re here to make sure the resources are ready.”
This year, many families and dozens of students will be supported through the event — a number that reflects both need and generosity.
The real impact isn’t measured in numbers, but in relief, renewed confidence, and the simple comfort of knowing someone noticed.
Students Leading the Way
(Rylee Robinson)
What makes the Bulldog Protection Program especially powerful is who keeps it moving forward: students.
High school volunteers give hours sorting, organizing, and setting up. National Honor Society students earn service hours. PALS students show up again and again. And they do it without fanfare.
Rylee Robinson, a Wylie senior, has volunteered numerous times. For her, the impact of the program goes far beyond what’s visible.
“A lot of the students you’re helping, you’ll never meet,” she said. “But you know it matters. That’s enough.”
Between rehearsals, concerts, and school commitments, Rylee still finds time to help — especially during the busy holiday season.
“Everyone’s stretched thin right now,” she said. “So choosing to give time means something.”
For Benton, watching peers step into service has been one of the most meaningful parts of the journey.
“It’s cool seeing people come together,” he said. “Friends helping friends, helping people they don’t even know. That’s when you realize this isn’t just a project anymore.”
A Community That Keeps Showing Up
The Bulldog Protection Program works because the Wylie community keeps showing up.
Collection bins on every campus quietly fill. Donations arrive steadily. Volunteers respond to quick messages asking for help sorting or setting up.
“This doesn’t happen without students,” Jennifer said. “They’re the reason it works.”
Over time, the program has continued to adapt — responding to needs as they arise and growing in thoughtful ways. But the heart of it remains the same: notice a need, meet it with care, and do it together.
What Started It — and What Sustains It
For Benton, the most powerful part of the program isn’t just its reach — it’s its staying power.
“A lot of service projects are temporary,” he said. “This one wasn’t.”
What started as a middle school assignment has become something enduring — shaped by students who refused to let it fade and a community willing to support them.
“It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever been part of,” Benton said. “Seeing something grow from an idea into something that actually helps people — that’s special.”
Jennifer agrees.
“This program exists because students cared enough to keep going,” she said. “And because our community trusted them.”
More Than a Gym Floor
As the sorting winds down in the Wylie West Intermediate gym, students pause and take in the space around them. The piles are neater now, stretching across the court — organized, intentional, and ready.
By the end of the week, much of it will be set for Saturday’s Bless a Bulldog event, prepared with care for families who will soon walk through the doors.
In this gym, students aren’t just sorting clothes. They’re practicing leadership. They’re learning empathy. They’re discovering that service doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful.
It can look like sorting on a gym floor.
It can sound like quiet conversation and shared laughter.
And it can feel like a community coming together, one new shirt at a time.
Because in Wylie ISD, looking out for one another isn’t extra — it’s simply who we are.
And that’s why, always, it’s great to be a Wylie Bulldog.
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