Overcoming Challenges With Grit and Grace

Our annual conference is a celebration of all women who have faced obstacles and ordeals yet preserved, kept the faith and emerged more resilient. Four inspirational speakers will share their stories of grit and grace.

Keynote speaker Patty Wetterling of St. Joseph, Minnesota, will share her nearly 27-year journey of seeking light and hope after her 11-year-old son, Jacob, was kidnapped by a masked gunman while biking home from a convenience store with his younger brother, Trevor, and his best friend, Aaron, on October 22, 1989. Patty studied the problem of child abduction and exploitation while searching for answers and became a national spokesperson and advocate, changing laws, creating more resources for searching parents and promoting sexual violence prevention initiatives. She co-founded the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to child safety education, and serves on the boards of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. Jacob’s remains were discovered and positively identified in 2016.

Additional presenters:
Stacey Lantagne of Northern Wisconsin will share how she became an author of a children’s book series that focuses on fears, phobias and anxieties, inspired by her own personal struggles to cope with these things. She’s also working on a new book about the miracles that came out of her 2-year-old grandson’s unexpected and traumatic fight for his life.

Rebecca Kaldunski of Trempealeau, Wisconsin, will share her story of journeying through the grief of losing her aunt and parents, and then the trauma of sustaining an incomplete spinal cord injury. Hear how faith and community helped her through these challenges, gave her a new outlook on life and motivated her to embrace her talents as an artist.

Mia Davis of La Crosse, Wisconsin, will share her story of transforming obstacles and challenges into sources of passion, demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. Mia, an 18-year-old graduate of Logan High School’s Class of 2024, is the proud owner of Mia’s Kitchen on Wheels and Catering Service, which she founded in 2021. She is also a co-owner of Lipa Yoga Studio, is a board member of La Crosse SOUP and is vice president of Black Student Leaders.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m., and the event begins at 9 a.m.
Investment: $75, includes continental breakfast and lunch.
Note: You are always welcome to extend your experience with an overnight stay for an additional $75 per night. Call 608-791-5295 for details.

If cost is a barrier to attending, please call 608-791-5295 and ask to speak to our office manager, Laurie, about confidential financial assistance. No one will be turned away for inability to pay.