Laquita Becker

What do you do?
I am the Youth and Family Service Director at the Boys and Girls Club. I address the behavioral and mental health needs of youth members.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
I was a contestant at the first SOUP event that I attended. I won with the pitch that I presented that would help serve a group of high school students attending the Boys and Girls Club. I loved the atmosphere of collaboration that the SOUP event provided.  I think it is important to come together as a community and support local and creative ideas.

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
Riverside Park offers beautiful scenery of the Mississippi River. I enjoy spending time walking around or relaxing by the river.  

Chuck Berendes

What do you do?
I am an attorney and the General Manager at Gerrard Hoeschler Realtors.  I am also very involved in the Cub Scouts and Shelter Development, a local non-profit focused on housing issues in our community.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
I had a little involvement in SOUP in the past…it is a really cool concept, but it is the people involved in the project really drew me to SOUP.  I’m sure cool things are going to happen! 

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
Either on a bluff top watching the action of the city pass by below or at the Oktoberfest grounds on the morning before the Maple Leaf Parade (it beats being at work by a long shot!).

Kerstin Boudreau

What do you do?
I am co-owner of Metre, an advertising agency in downtown La Crosse, and also active in the community as a board member of the Chamber, UFAH, and the Rotary Brain Game.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
I have seen crowdfunding and micro-giving efforts work. I think that the new Soup board of directors is going to ensure that these efforts really thrive in La Crosse!

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
I love to go for a sunset run or walk across the Cass Street bridge, into La Crosse, and to take in the sights of the river and our awesome city. Makes me reflect on our community and my role in it.

Jeremiah Galvan

What do you do?
I am the clinical manager of the Critical Care unit at Gundersen Health System. I also volunteer for community events, at the La Crosse Community Theater, on a PTO board, and on the board of the local chapter of the International Honor Society of Nursing.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of people and the ideas that lie within their hearts and minds. Even more inspiring is when people come together to support those ideas and encourage each other in their pursuit of creating something for the common good. Institutions like SOUP provide the space and opportunity for this to happen with the sole focus of making the community better. So, it just makes sense that this is something I would want to be a part of.

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
Pretty much right near the heart of our city sits my favorite spot… My front porch. I truly love just sitting there and experiencing the best of La Crosse. Usually sitting there with my wife, we see the past, present, and future of our city converging on each other. There is history and hope. There is life and laughter. There are friends and family. There is relationship and community. And maybe best of all, there is Ranison’s 🙂

Andrew Hughes

What do you do?
I am the Senior Project Manager at Interact Communications, singer-songwriter from TUGG, head of the Guitar Academy at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater La Crosse, and a Raise the Roof Habitat for Humanity Concert Chair Committee Member.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
My involvement from SOUP comes directly from the special and connected movement in the La Crosse area. There are many community-minded people that are talking and meeting about making La Crosse even more amazing than it already is. It seems on some level or another we are all connected, and that is how/why I was asked to join SOUP!

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
There’s a bluff trail off of one of the lessor known paths as you drive past granddad’s bluff on the way towards Shelby. You can walk out to a spot and see the entire city and then some. My wife Becky and I have been going out there since we met, and it’s where I surprised her with a proposal 14 years ago!

Jill Miller

What do you do?
I am a Pioneering Healthier Communities Coordinator at the La Crosse Area Family YMCA.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
SOUP is fun and encompasses all the things I love the most – people, community building and food!  

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
My home brings me so much comfort. However, other favorite places include: the Community Food Forest at the Y; and, downtown La Crosse, especially by the river.

Maria Norberg

What do you do?
I own Grounded Specialty Coffee and the Apothik Food Truck.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
I grew up in a very small town and I learned at a young age that it takes everyone working together to have a thriving community. I love La Crosse and I love the idea of the community coming together for the sole purpose of making La Crosse a better place for everyone. 

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
The hiking trails off of Easter Road. 

Jake Sciammas

What do you do?
I have a variety of hats from outdoor and recreation management instruction to team-building and organizational development consulting.  Lately, I have been focusing on my role as President of La Crosse Neighborhoods, Inc. which helps to support and improve our neighborhood associations.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
I love that SOUP is about action.  I am a person who seeks out ways to get folks together to share ideas and develop the great potential of La Crosse.  So, naturally, after the very first event at the Root Note, I knew I’d be a lifer.

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
All of our neighborhoods of course! – and even more so when being enjoyed by foot, bike or transit.

Ashley Skoczynski

What do you do?
I work at the La Crosse Builders Exchange.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
SOUP is a fun way to bring people together with the goal of improving La Crosse. I believe SOUP events will have a lasting impact on individuals, organizations, and the community as a whole.

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
I enjoy walking in Riverside Park and spending time near the Mississippi River while people-watching. Also, hiking in any of the trails is always fun!

Nicole Van Ert

What do you do?
I am the program coordinator of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University.  I also teach undergraduate and graduate courses, primarily within the College of Business and Leadership.

Why did you get involved in La Crosse SOUP?
SOUP provides the opportunity to participate in something that brings people together…that’s what its all about.

What is your favorite place in La Crosse?
The Viterbo University campus and the Mississippi River – both for their beautiful landscape, rich history and peaceful energy.