Do you know a volunteer in Rusk County who goes above and beyond to make a positive impact? If so, nominate them for the Rusk County Community Foundation’s Heart of Gold award!
This annual event seeks to recognize an everyday hero who quietly goes about making our community a better place. The best part of this award is that the finalist will select the Rusk County nonprofit of their choice to receive a $1,000 grant in their honor.
Help us put the spotlight on that special volunteer that is working in our midst to make Rusk County an even better place to call home.
Previous winners or Foundation Advisory Board members are not eligible for nomination.
2026 Recipients
Ruth Meszaros is a creative and community-focused leader who enjoys brainstorming ideas with others to improve her community. She brings people together and turns ideas into action. Ruth was a founding member of the Friends of the Library and the Rusk Area Arts Alliance, a group committed to enriching local culture. She helped create events such as the Art Train, Music in the Park, the Library Art Gallery, Toad House, the Scarecrow Parade, and the Art Crawl. Ruth is an avid gardener and helped organize a garden club that hosts tours and enhanced landscaping around the library.
Ruth is a strong advocate for students with special needs. She founded the volunteer parent organization supporting families of children with handicaps. She brought together parents from local school districts, organized meetings and fundraisers to provide support for families navigating the lifelong challenges of caregiving. Ruth also volunteered in the childcare program for Mount Senario College.
Ruth is a role model and enjoys doing good works for others.
John Hoover is a name synonymous with “Worden Exchange”, a community gathering place in Ladysmith, WI. He revitalized the old creamery building and transformed the Worden Avenue Exchange into a vibrant community space used for events, gatherings, and local organizations. What you may not know is John frequently donates the space and covers all expenses himself, only asking others to “pay it forward.”
John is a community-minded individual who consistently helps others without seeking financial gain or recognition. He repaired a home for a teacher at no cost, provided housing for a teenager from Afghanistan in need, helped a sick woman to get medical care and supported a refugee family with housing.
John is an ambassador for our community, encouraging civic involvement. Despite his many contributions, John keeps a low profile and prefers to work quietly behind the scenes.
2025 Recipients
Bob and Sheryl Kelley are pillars of their community, generously dedicating their time, talents, and hearts to improving the lives of others. Their service spans from hands-on efforts like painting homes for those in need at Hope Village and building beds for children through Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to leading large-scale projects like designing and constructing the Trails End obstacle course and Athanasius’ Playground, a memorial play space.
Both are active members of Bruce’s Kiwanis Club, focusing their efforts on serving local children and families. Bob has further enriched the community by coordinating exchange programs for international students, providing them with welcoming homes and meaningful experiences, and by mentoring young people as a volunteer coach for the Bruce High School ice fishing team.
Sheryl’s generosity shines in the way she responds to those in need. In 2022, she created Christmas gift baskets for foster families, ensuring children felt valued and celebrated during the holidays. Their dedication and the tangible difference they make in the lives of others have rightfully earned them the well-deserved Heart of Gold Award. Their combined efforts demonstrate an unwavering commitment to their community’s well-being.
2026: Ruth Meszaros & John Hoover
2025: Bob and Sheryl Kelley
2024: Jessica Wiles
2023: Karen Ek
2022: George Lawrence
2021: Diana Verdegan
2020: Donna Wishowski (posthumously)
2019: Carol & Kay Heath
2018: Cindy Pohlman
2017: Maxine Geisler
2016: Bev Lazar
2015: Barbara Ewings
2014: Josi Hamilton, Marcia Lyons, Mary Holms, Jim Kelly
2013: Elizabeth Bettenhausen, Jackie Pederson, Diane vanDoorn
2012: Matie Dedenbach, Carol & Allen Phetteplace, Carol Vacho
2011: Bob & Barb Lorkowski, Don & Evy Smrstick, Dale Wozniak
2010: Arlene Knops, Lavonne Rydlund, Don & Judy Soyring
2009: Mary Arts, Lois List, Doug Sorenson
2008: Joe Baye, Winnie Lee, Al Miller & Richard LaBelle
To help the Board of Selectors fully appreciate your nominee’s efforts, you may find the following suggestions helpful in filling out the nomination form.
• Please state the reasons why this person fits the description of having a “Heart of Gold.”
• Be sure to address the concerns listed below as “Selection Criteria.”
• Please type or write clearly. However, this is not an essay contest—no points are given for the style of this narrative.
• Please note that your narrative should be suitable for public audience and may be made available to local newspapers.
The Rusk County Community Foundation wishes to identify and provide recognition to “everyday” citizens in our community who touch the hearts of others.
We have defined Heart of Gold Recipients as those people who give of themselves unselfishly to serve others, collectively or individually, with volunteer acts of service and/or kindness beyond the call of duty.
Any person 18 years or older, who enhances the quality of life of someone else is eligible to be nominated.
Such acts of service may largely go unnoticed and include, but are not limited to: helping senior citizens, helping disadvantaged persons, working to improve the quality of education, expanding recreational and cultural opportunities, working with children, protecting the environment, building jobs in the community, promoting public safety, and unusual acts of kindness.
Each Heart of Gold nominee will receive a certificate inscribed with their name and their Heart of Gold achievement. One special finalists to receive the Heart of Gold award will have the opportunity to direct a $1,000 grant to the charity of their choice, approved by the Rusk County Community Foundation.
When making its choice, the Board of Selectors will take into account whether the nominee:
• Identifies a need and fulfills it
• Recognizes opportunities and acts upon them.
• Shares their time and energy for the sake of others.
• Overcomes unusual challenges to serve others.
• Renders a service which changes a life.
• Works to create positive change.
• Inspires others to volunteer.
• Performs an exceptional act of kindness.
To honor and remember the brave Veterans who served our country, this fund supports the Ladysmith Educational Enrichment Fund (LEEF) initiatives, ensuring their legacy continues to inspire and enrich the lives of future generations.