Every spring, families, friends, and members of the South Dayton community gather for a pancake breakfast with a purpose. The event raises money for the Wyatt Butcher Memorial Scholarship.
For Wyatt’s family, however, it is about much more than financial support. It is a chance to ensure that his name, his passions, and the qualities that defined him continue to make a difference in the lives of others.
Established in 2022, the Wyatt Butcher Memorial Scholarship has become a lasting tribute to the Pine Valley and WNY P-TECH student whose love for the trades and quiet determination left a lasting impression on those who knew him. Since its creation, eight students have received the scholarship, with Ethan Camus and Myah Benjamin among this year’s recipients.
For Wyatt’s mother, Julia Witherell-Doner, the scholarship has provided a meaningful way to transform community support into opportunities for others.
“We had such an outpouring of support after his passing, and I wanted to give back to kids like Wyatt,” she said.
WNY P-TECH Principal Jeffrey Teluk said the scholarship stands out for its focus on skilled trades pathways and the kind of student success that goes beyond traditional academics.
“The Wyatt Butcher Memorial Scholarship helps those students who have chosen a skilled trade as their career path,” Teluk said. “Many scholarships are geared towards academic achievement alone.”
He noted that the scholarship’s approach aligns closely with Wyatt’s own interests and strengths, particularly his passion for hands-on learning and career preparation through welding.
“We wanted something that wasn’t necessarily based on GPA,” Julia said. “We wanted it to focus on character, abilities, and goals.”
Applicants are asked to reflect on the people who influenced them and what they hope to accomplish in the future. That approach mirrors the qualities Wyatt embodied.
“His GPA wasn’t one of the highest, but his grades improved when he went to P-TECH for welding,” Julia said. “He had a lot of heart and he worked hard.”
Wyatt found his place at WNY P-TECH through Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES. He loved the hands-on nature of the Welding Technology pathway and developed strong relationships with classmates and teachers.
“He loved P-TECH,” Julia said. “He loved all of his teachers. He used to talk about how he didn’t necessarily feel like he fit in at school before, but when he went to P-TECH, he felt like it was a family.”
His interest in welding began while helping work on a vehicle. Curiosity quickly turned into passion.
“He started asking all kinds of questions,” Julia recalled. “‘How do you do it? What do you have to wear?’ He really became interested in it.”
Welding eventually became connected to another lifelong interest.
“He loved history and he loved the military,” she said. “He was debating between the Army and the Navy. Even when we were on vacation in Florida, he was talking about welding for the Navy.”
Family and friends remember Wyatt as kind, thoughtful, and fiercely determined. He loved baseball, fishing, hunting, and spending time with his siblings. Teaching them new things brought him joy.
“One of my favorite videos is him reading a book to his brother and teaching him the names of all the fish,” Julia said. “He loved teaching his brothers everything he knew.”
Today, his brothers help carry on that spirit by assisting with the annual pancake breakfast, held each spring at the South Dayton Fire Department, where Wyatt served as a junior member. The event has grown into both a fundraiser and a gathering that reflects the support the family continues to receive.
“We try to keep the costs low because we also want to give back to our community,” Julia said. “This year was actually our most successful one.”
The scholarship has become one of the ways the family continues to honor Wyatt while helping others pursue the same kind of future that excited him.
“We make it a point to talk about him,” she said. “I think it’s important for healing.”
She is also grateful for the ways WNY P-TECH has continued to remember him.
“We very much appreciate how much P-TECH has done to keep his name alive,” Julia said. “It’s been greatly appreciated, and it’s been helpful for his brothers, too.”
More than three years after its creation, the Wyatt Butcher Memorial Scholarship continues to reach students who may not always fit traditional definitions of success but possess the qualities Wyatt valued most.
“I hope the scholarship helps students achieve their goals,” Julia said. “I hope it keeps his memory alive, of course, but I also hope it reaches kids who might not qualify for other scholarships. Kids like Wyatt.”
