KENOSHA, Wis. — A statewide titleholder with a mission rooted in honoring military service members recently brought her message to Kenosha, sharing personal stories and encouraging others to preserve the voices of veterans before they are lost.
Natalie Popp, Miss Wisconsin’s Teen 2025, visited the American Heroes Café at Festival Foods, where she spoke with local veterans and community members about her initiative, “Never Forgotten — Remembering Our Heroes.”
A native of Fitchburg and a senior at Lakeside Lutheran High School in Lake Mills, Popp said her focus on supporting veterans developed early in her life. She began competing in the Miss America organization as a freshman, where participants are required to develop a service platform.
“After some thinking, I realized it was so clear – I wanted to support our active military and our veterans,” Popp said. “My family had always been super instrumental in teaching me about our veterans and taking me to Badger Honor Flights, and always encouraging me to go up to a veteran whenever I saw them in public.”
Popp said her perspective was also shaped by close relationships, including a best friend whose father served in the military and frequently relocated the family, as well as her own family history. Both of her great-grandfathers served in World War II but died before she was able to have meaningful conversations with them about their experiences.
As a freshman, Popp launched a service initiative called Teens for Heroes, which organizes quarterly efforts to support veterans and active-duty military members. The group has hosted donation drives benefiting VA hospitals and other organizations serving veterans.
Her mission took on deeper meaning after meeting a 101-year-old World War II veteran from Madison, who shared his concern about being forgotten.
“From the moment I met him, I knew I needed to do something to not only share his story but also encourage more people to hear the stories of our veterans,” Popp said.
That experience led Popp to write a children’s book, “Lew for the Red, White, and Blue,” which highlights the veteran’s life and his effort to complete 100 new experiences before turning 100 years old. The book has since been shared across Wisconsin as Popp travels to schools and community events.
In addition to her outreach efforts, Popp has worked to establish a wall of honors recognizing veterans from her high school and serves on the boards of two veteran-focused organizations, Operation Not Alone and Fisher House Wisconsin.
During her visit to Kenosha, Popp spent time speaking directly with veterans attending the weekly café gathering, listening to their stories and reinforcing her message about the importance of preserving their experiences for future generations.
More information about Popp and her work through the Miss Wisconsin organization is available online.
3 Responses
What an amazing young lady. Her parents need to be commended for raising her to see and understand the importance of what our veterans did for our country and the part that made us who we are today. Thank you for choosing this journey Natalie and forming Teens for Heros.
Kevin, thank you for this article on Natalie Popp. She is a outstanding young lady who is a real role model.
It’s refreshing to see a young person not caught up in the whack job blue hair America bad nonsense. Good for her.