ARCADIA–The 2020 induction ceremony for the Arcadia Huskie Wall of Fame was held at the Arcadia Community Building earlier this fall on Saturday, September 5. Bobby Hurlburt, president of the Selection Committee made the presentation and Rolen Sell served as M C. A cookie and drink reception followed the ceremony.
This year’s Alumni inductee attended Arcadia Public Schools beginning in 6th grade and graduated with the class of 1976. Shortly after that, Teresa Moody married Bill Staab. Together, they have four children…Melanie Kolar, Tammy Faucett, Josh Staab, and Brittany Welniak… and seven grandchildren. She has been, and remains, an amazing mother. She has assisted Bill in the family business, serving as chief bookkeeper and gopher…go fer parts! She also worked for a period of time as a travel agent. However, Teresa is probably recognized by most of us for her lifelong mission of helping others.
She volunteered and worked with the Goldenrod Girl Scout Council for over thirty years, starting out as a volunteer leader for the Junior Scouts. She continued to lead until all of her girls were finished with scouts. She received the Appreciation Pin in 1987 and the Outstanding Leader Pin in 1996.
Teresa Staab utilized her travel agent experience to coordinate and direct numerous Girl Scout trips across the country, as well as many local trips. Her work with the Girl Scouts encompassed and developed her passion for helping kids become their best self, instilling positive values, learning to help others, solving problems, overcoming challenges and having fun creating memories. This passion has carried over into everything Teresa does for others since that time. She has also coordinated and led numerous trips for the Huskie Band to various locations across the United States.
Teresa has coordinated and directed, with the help of a leadership team, 24 mission teams to date through the United Methodist Church Volunteers in Mission. Since their first mission to New Orleans in 2006, she has organized and led groups of up to 50 or more people from across the state to travel all over the country by bus to help rebuild homes for poverty stricken families and victims of natural disasters, such as hurricanes and flooding on the Gulf Coast, in Texas, and in the Appalachian mountains, plus tornadoes and flooding across Nebraska and surrounding states. She also assists in training members for the United Methodist Church Emergency Response Teams that travel throughout Nebraska and Kansas to assist in disaster cleanup immediately following disasters.
Teresa’s selfless leadership and work in helping others has not only touched the lives of the hundreds of people the mission team has helped but has also had a positive impact on the many volunteers who have worked with her. At the same time, Teresa has served as a member of the church Administrative Council, as a Trustee, a member of Parish Council, a member of the United Methodist Women, and has been a Sunday school and bible school teacher.
In the longstanding tradition of the Arcadia Public School Prom, Teresa has created and directed the sophomore prom skit since 1998. She organizes the costumes, teaches choreography, edits music, and spends countless hours putting the skit together and working closely with the sophomore class, and the many volunteers.
One of her helpers puts it this way: “I have had the privilege to work alongside Teresa for many years and have seen her always go the extra mile to ensure that everyone is included and treated fairly. But, most importantly, she helps to make the skit a positive experience, building each kid’s confidence in their accomplishments and hard work, and creating memories that last a lifetime.”
In some of her spare time, Teresa builds a magnificent float for Arcadia’s Labor Day parade every year, maintains the fountain at the Veteran’s Memorial Wall, and has previously hosted almost countless exchange students over the years. Four of these exchange students provided written notes of appreciation which were shared during the September induction. Teresa has been active in 4-H and Make It With Wool programs. If you need help in getting some project done, Teresa Staab is certainly the go-to person.
“We feel that it is evident that Teresa Staab has spent her life helping others, along with her family and business obligations, and is certainly deserving of recognition as a member of The Arcadia Huskie Wall of Fame. Congratulations, Teresa!” the press release stated.
