Mission
Our stated purpose, from our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, is “the preservation, restoration, beautification, and public appreciation of Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.”
Vision
A Wildwood Cemetery whose history, monuments, and grounds are actively cared for by the community they belong to — well-documented, welcoming to visitors, and passed on intact to future generations.
History
Organizing efforts began in the fall of 2025, when Wildwood Cemetery Co. staff and longtime lot owners were invited to help form a dedicated support organization for the cemetery. Friends of Wildwood Cemetery – PA was formally incorporated as a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation on April 11, 2025, and held its first organizational meeting on November 13, 2025, in the Wildwood Cemetery chapel to adopt bylaws and elect officers.
Relationship to Wildwood Cemetery Co.
Friends of Wildwood Cemetery – PA is a separate legal entity from Wildwood Cemetery Co. Our bylaws describe us as organized to support Wildwood Cemetery, a Pennsylvania nonprofit cemetery corporation recognized under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(13). We work in cooperation with the cemetery’s board on shared preservation and educational goals, but Friends of Wildwood maintains its own board of directors, its own finances, and its own governance, independent of the cemetery company’s management. (We describe this relationship in plain terms rather than as a formal IRS “supporting organization” designation, which is a specific federal tax classification we have not sought or received.)
Governance
Under our bylaws, Friends of Wildwood is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, with officers consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Board meets at least four times a year, and an Annual Meeting open to the public is held each December, where the Board and officers are elected by the membership for two-year terms. Standing committees include Membership, Finance, Nominating, and Executive.
Caleb Hipple, General Manager of Wildwood Cemetery Co., currently serves as President of Friends of Wildwood.
- Caleb Hipple — President
- Michelle Ranck Koons — Vice President
- Ruth Heller — Treasurer
- Olivia Lechniak — Secretary
- Amanda Klepper — Director
Legal and Tax Status
Friends of Wildwood Cemetery – PA is registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation (Entity ID 0014310762), and holds a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN 33-4449241).
The IRS has determined that Friends of Wildwood is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, classified as a public charity under Section 509(a)(2), effective April 11, 2025 (the date we incorporated). Contributions to Friends of Wildwood are tax-deductible under IRC Section 170, and we’re qualified to receive tax-deductible bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts under Sections 2055, 2106, or 2522. As with any charitable gift, consult your tax advisor about your specific situation. We file an annual information return with the IRS. Which form applies depends on our gross receipts for the year — the Form 990-N e-Postcard at our present size, moving to the Form 990-EZ or the full Form 990 as the organization grows.
Annual reports or financial summaries will be published on this page once available.
Programs and Services
Friends of Wildwood Cemetery – PA carries out its charitable purpose through three ongoing programs, all of them provided free of charge to the public:
- Monument conservation and grounds care. Volunteer work days on the cemetery grounds, with training in safe headstone cleaning and repair. The work concentrates on markers that have no family left to ask for their care, including the 192 Civil War veterans’ graves in Wildwood’s Civil War Circle.
- Historical records preservation. Digitizing and cataloging the cemetery’s historical documents and photographs – original architectural plans, century-old deeds, interment ledgers – so that they survive and can be searched by researchers and descendants.
- Public education and access. Free guided tours, evening programs, talks and seasonal events that open the cemetery’s history to the community, together with the Friends of Wildwood Museum.
Where to Find Us
Friends of Wildwood Cemetery – PA
1151 Cemetery Street
Williamsport, PA 17701
United States
That is both our mailing address and where our work happens: the Friends office and museum are on the grounds of Wildwood Cemetery, and our volunteer days, tours and programs all take place there. Telephone (570) 323-8421, email caleb@wildwoodcemeterypa.com.
Who to Contact
Friends of Wildwood and Wildwood Cemetery Co. are separate organizations, so it helps to know who handles what:
- Contact Friends of Wildwood (caleb@wildwoodcemeterypa.com) for volunteering, cleaning days, tours, the museum, and preservation projects.
- Contact Wildwood Cemetery Co. (wildwoodcemetery@hotmail.com or (570) 323-8421) for burial services, plot purchases, records, and anything related to a specific grave or family lot.
Questions
Have a question about Friends of Wildwood as an organization? Reach us at caleb@wildwoodcemeterypa.com or (570) 323-8421.