WOLF, Judy

Wolf, Judy. (Colesburg, IA-- ). Judy Wolf became the 51st recipient of the Telegraph Herald's First Citizen Award in 2020 amid accolades from former recipients of the award and community leaders of Dubuque. In one of many praises, Nicole Ganz, a member of the Steeple Square Board of Directors, when nominating Wolf for a recent “Everyday Hero” recognition, wrote:

             Wolf only had eight months of experience overseeing the 
             child care center when the coronavirus pandemic struck 
             in March. While COVID-19 threatened the health of teachers
             and students, worried the parents who began working from 
             home and changed operations with the introduction of masks, 
             social-distancing practices and temperature checks. 

             Judy was ... incredibly resourceful, finding the center 
             grants and other COVID relief opportunities. Judy also 
             used her vast finance experience to navigate the 
             (Paycheck Protection Program) loans and other governmental 
             programs to help with COVID relief. Did I mention Judy is 
             ‘just’ a volunteer? A newly appointed board president to a 
             newly opened, nonprofit child care center? It is truly 
             admirable what she has accomplished in 2020.

After retiring from a career with John Deere Co., Wolf, 70, finds herself at the helm of a new challenge — steering a startup child care center during a global pandemic.

Wolf has helped lead local United Way fundraising campaigns and served on boards for nonprofit organizations that provide counseling to individuals and families, financial literacy for young people and Catholic education to local students.

She also has applied accounting principles learned on the job to a volunteer role helping to guide Steeple Square, a continuing project to transform the former St. Mary’s Catholic Parish property at East 15th and White streets into a campus offering a community/event center, apartments, offices for nonprofit organizations and child care. It’s in that latter offering that Wolf has found her latest calling: as president of Marita Theisen Childcare Center at Steeple Square.

Wolf stepped up to oversee restoration efforts that created the child care space, helped recruit a director and students, applied for grants and tax credits and otherwise helped establish the center.

That included the power of philanthropy.

“I first got involved in United Way as a donor when I first started (at Deere),” she said. “That’s when they sat you down one-on-one, and I got interested in learning more about it. I learned about all the different programs that they served and learned how vital they were to the community — everybody from the very young to the very old. I led the internal United Way campaign at Deere for many years.”

Wolf retired from Deere as a division manager in 2011, just as her United Way efforts were increasing.

Having joined the local United Way’s board of directors around 2010 and in 2012 co-chaired the organization’s 2012 fundraising campaign with Gary Dolphin. To her the organization is ‘the mutual fund of the not-for-profits.’ An "investor" has "trained specialists from many areas of the community looking at the most critical needs and making dollars are invested wisely.”

The Greater Tri-State Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals named Wolf its Outstanding Volunteer Philanthropist in 2014. She served on the boards of JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE HEARTLAND and CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE. To help raise funds for HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE, she recruited gourmet chefs from the tri-state area to prepare a five-course meal for 200 people as part of a benefit dinner and live auction in 2017. The event raised $45,000. Her community involvement has also United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States, resource development chairwoman, executive committee.

Wolf volunteered in leadership roles at her church, ST. COLUMBKILLE CATHOLIC CHURCH and with HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. She was instrumental in the organizing of Holy Family’s Circle of Celebration, an annual fundraising event formerly known as the Golden Gala.

Many experiences preceded one of her biggest contributions. According to Wolf, mentoring a girl at AUDUBON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL from first grade until she left the school gave her a first exposure to disadvantaged children. “It was an eye-opener for me to see at a very young age how home life was affecting how those kids performed in school and what their outlook on life was. I really recognized the importance of being able to be a listener and a mentor to them to help guide them to better decisions as they grow up.” Years later Wolf was asked if she would be interested in assisting with the finances at Steeple Square. In what evolved into a nearly 40-hour-per-week job since Steeple Square’s Marita Theisen Child Care Center opened in August 2019, Wolf as served as president of board of directors and treasurer.

Judy Wolf

Age: 70

Family: Husband, Ron, three children and five grandchildren

Education: Colesburg (Iowa) Elementary School, Edgewood-Colesburg High School, University of Dubuque (bachelor’s and master’s degrees).

Occupation: Retired following a 38-year career with John Deere Co.

Civic involvement: Honoring TH First Citizen award winner

First Citizen Award winner Judy Wolf will be celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 28.

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