Jed Olson | Executive Director, Ora Trails
Jed would play in the dirt all day if you'd let him. He has been back and forth across the globe following one adventure after another by bike, board, or boots. When it came time to raise a family, he and his wife, Kelly, paused just long enough to plant a few roots in the Driftless Area, and then started the adventures all over again, this time with kids in tow. La Crosse and the surrounding area offer all the recreation possibilities they could ever ask for accompanied by a warm, welcoming sense of community. Jed loves that he can pick his kids up from school, hit the woods, slopes, or water, and still have dinner on the table before his wife gets home from work. By serving as the ORA Trails Executive Director since 2020, he has an opportunity to improve and highlight this beautiful place he calls home.
Sue Graf | Executive Director, WINN (What I Need Now)
Sue Graf grew up in La Crosse, and she’s always had a heart for helping others. She graduated from Viterbo University in 1982 as a business administration major before beginning her career in banking. This gave way to administrative church work and then working in special education.
In 2011, her church was looking for someone to prepare a meal to feed people seeking refuge at La Crosse’s Winter Warming Center. After bringing her first meal to the warming center, Graf was inspired to keep serving. She worked as a part-time overnight coordinator for the warming center, often assisted by her husband of 35 years, Tim, with whom she raised two children, Racheal and Anjie.
In 2018, Graf decided to make helping others her full-time occupation. She accepted a job as a coordinator at the Franciscan Hospitality House in downtown La Crosse, a daytime drop-in center designed to bring comfort to people struggling with homelessness. On any given afternoon, Graf would see about 75 people coming in to warm up (or cool off), take a shower, get a bite to eat, get a haircut, take an art class, do some laundry, or just get a friendly smile and bit of conversation.
The pandemic and related lease issues forced the Hospitality House to close in 2020, but Sue didn’t stop there. The day after the Hospitality House closed, she loaded her car with hand warmers, socks, personal hygiene items, and ready-to-eat food, and she hit the streets to deliver aid. After weeks of serving from her car, she established the nonprofit organization, What I Need Now (WINN). WINN is a mobile mission to serve unsheltered people in the region and help meet basic essential needs. Donations of money and items from friends, community groups, businesses, and churches have kept WINN going strong. She now has a van dedicated to the mission.
Patrick Stevens | Founder of La Crosse Rotary Lights
Pat Stephens has been an advocate for the La Crosse community for decades. He graduated from UW-L in 1971 and went on to teach and coach for the next year and a half. He worked in the insurance business for seven years before spending the rest of his career at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, leading philanthropy initiatives for the UW-L Foundation. Pat retired in late 2013 and continues being an active member of his community.
He is the Founder of the La Crosse Rotary Lights, an annual holiday lighting display featuring over four million lights that supports local food banks. He has led this project since 1995. Pat was awarded the Rotary’s highest recognition, the Service Above Self Award, in April of 2021. Less than 1% of the 1.2 million Rotarians receive this honor.
Pat has been married to his wife, Joanne, for 53 years, and they have four children and 11 grandchildren. Some of his hobbies include golfing, biking, and visiting microbrew pubs.