MONROE - Teri Ellefson knows the true meaning of friendship. Through thick and thin, she realizes the importance of having a community and a family support system to weather the storms of life. She now spends her days trying to be a good friend to others in any way she can; offering a warm smile and a kind word to those who may need it.
Ellefson was born in Monroe and grew up in the center of town. She's been engulfed in the small city she's called home since her days as an elementary school student at St. Victor School, indulging in sporting events and games with classmates and friends. She lived in the same house her entire life.
"I have great memories of growing up in Monroe," Ellefson said. "I remember some great friendships, and I still have them from my days on the basketball court."
Basketball was her sport of choice; she loved to play but was also part of several service clubs, including Key Club. She enjoyed school and her close group of friends from high school who still get together monthly and plan trips when they hit milestone years.
"We've been through a lot, but here we still are," Ellefson said. "After all these years, you know they'll be there no matter what."
Ellefson landed her first job at Schultz Pharmacy where she worked through college. She also bussed tables at Bullets Restaurant and had a paper route. Sports were less demanding then, she said, and she had time to enjoy.
The 1991 Monroe High School graduate knew she would go on to do something with numbers, so she headed for Madison Business College where she earned her associate degree in accounting.
"I'm a numbers person," Ellefson said. "I like to be able to solve things, find mistakes and solve problems."
While attending school, she lived at home - which worked out in her favor one afternoon as she saw one of her older brother's friends, Kurt, walk by. The two reconnected as she started college and he finished.
"He walked by one day with his wiener dog and that was it," she laughed.
She landed her first accounting job in Monroe at an agronomy business.
"I just never had the feeling that I wanted to leave Monroe," Ellefson said.
The couple married in 1995, and Ellefson then began working in accounting at Swiss Colony.
After the couple welcomed their first daughter, Samantha, in 2000, Ellefson decided to become a stay-at-home mom. She was home until 2006, taking in some family members to have her children grow up with their cousins.
When Sam started kindergarten, Ellefson was ready to get back into the workforce and said she never considered looking elsewhere. She reached out to some old contacts and came back to Colony Brands into inventory and purchasing. She's now a production management manager.
Ellefson isn't one for hobbies but instead lends her free time to volunteer work in the community.
"I love helping," she said. "I'm a helper. People kid with me that I should get a shirt made that says 'just say no.'"
She volunteers as the eucharistic minister at St. Victor Church, helps with funeral luncheons and is on the calling bank.
She and Kurt assist with Badger Honor flights, where veterans are treated to a day in Washington, D.C., to see the monuments. It was something she hoped to do for a long time after having a father and grandfather active in the military.
"My dad was probably one of the proudest veterans," she said. "Every day I put my flag out as a way to think of him - and to think of everyone to pay my respects."
At the local hospital, Ellefson began volunteering at age 10 as a candy striper, delivering magazines and other needs to patients. She now gives her time to hospice, helping with office work and delivering Meals on Wheels to the hospice center. She said she isn't quite ready for direct patient care, but that day may come.
"My mom is the biggest giver," she said. "I totally got my volunteering from my mom. That's how I grew up - just giving whatever you can."
A big part of Ellefson's life has been the creation of the foundation Jacob's Support with Awareness and Giving (SWAG), which began after losing her son, Jacob, in 2013 to suicide at age 14.
"We received a huge amount of community support," Ellefson said. "Not just from Monroe. We had lots of memorials. We wanted to give back to the community somehow, and we didn't want other kids to think they were alone."
The first year, the foundation brought in a retired NFL speaker to send a message to high school students - that they could be anything they wanted and overcome huge hurdles in their lives.
"The amount of feedback we got was amazing," she said. "I just decided I wanted kids to keep hearing this message. They just have to get through these moments."
She talked with Kurt about how to continue to give back and was encouraged to create the nonprofit group, Jacob's SWAG.
"Some people were skeptical," she said. "But we felt like we could give kids hope, and if we could prevent one family from traveling our path - it would be worth it."
Ellefson said they have kept the foundation small and have created a board of directors. Years after Jacob's passing, Ellefson said she's still working to break the stigma of suicide.
"We didn't choose this," she said. "It just happened to us. And this is how we can move forward."
The second year into the foundation, the couple met a family from Juda, Kathy and John Pierce, who lost their son, Tyler, a year before them.
"They just understood us," she said.
The mothers became fast friends and walked in an Out of the Darkness walk in Madison. Between them, they raised thousands of dollars and decided to find a way to keep the money in Green County - to help so many who had helped them during difficult times.
From there, the two mothers began the Angels Among Us Run/Walk in 2014.
"We had no hopes," Ellefson said. "We're just two moms trying to bring in community support and support each other."
The first year, they hoped for 100 people but welcomed 500. Last year, more than 700 people participated. Ellefson said the event is meant to be family-oriented, a place for people to smile and talk about their loved ones.
They now bring in speakers that reach up to nine school districts. More than 3,800 students heard this year's message. They've also done other things, like provide buddy benches at 14 elementary schools and bring in an elementary school performer to encourage kindness among youngsters. More than $50,000 has been put back into the county.
"Jake was a soft-hearted kid," she said. "Words can affect people differently."
What warms Ellefson's heart most is when people are able to share their own journey - or when they simply think of Jake.
"Between us two moms, we have our angels that help us out," she said of the work and hope for good weather that goes into planning for the event. "We're just two determined moms that love their sons."
Ellefson still loves sports and finds herself still attending events to watch youth play.
"I just love watching kids play sports," she said. "They give it their all, they're having fun. It's brought us a great group of friends."
Samantha is now a senior, and Ellefson is working to hang on to those fleeting moments before she and Kurt become empty-nesters. She said any time spent with her daughter amid busy schedules are precious moments.
"Sam is so important," she said. "She's been a trooper through all of this. She's pretty special."
Monroe has always felt like home, and the special place has come to mean more to Ellefson through the years. She plans to retire here one day and will always be a part of the place she feels has given so much back to her - even during the worst of times.
"I just love this community," she said. "I love this town. We live across the street from the hospital where we were both born. Why move from a community that has given back to you 10 times over?"
Along with so much giving back to the community, Ellefson tries to focus on the relationships that are so important to her. She knows how meaningful they can be and the impact they can have on those around her.
"If I can just be a really great friend to someone, then my day has been good," she said.
Ellefson was born in Monroe and grew up in the center of town. She's been engulfed in the small city she's called home since her days as an elementary school student at St. Victor School, indulging in sporting events and games with classmates and friends. She lived in the same house her entire life.
"I have great memories of growing up in Monroe," Ellefson said. "I remember some great friendships, and I still have them from my days on the basketball court."
Basketball was her sport of choice; she loved to play but was also part of several service clubs, including Key Club. She enjoyed school and her close group of friends from high school who still get together monthly and plan trips when they hit milestone years.
"We've been through a lot, but here we still are," Ellefson said. "After all these years, you know they'll be there no matter what."
Ellefson landed her first job at Schultz Pharmacy where she worked through college. She also bussed tables at Bullets Restaurant and had a paper route. Sports were less demanding then, she said, and she had time to enjoy.
The 1991 Monroe High School graduate knew she would go on to do something with numbers, so she headed for Madison Business College where she earned her associate degree in accounting.
"I'm a numbers person," Ellefson said. "I like to be able to solve things, find mistakes and solve problems."
While attending school, she lived at home - which worked out in her favor one afternoon as she saw one of her older brother's friends, Kurt, walk by. The two reconnected as she started college and he finished.
"He walked by one day with his wiener dog and that was it," she laughed.
She landed her first accounting job in Monroe at an agronomy business.
"I just never had the feeling that I wanted to leave Monroe," Ellefson said.
The couple married in 1995, and Ellefson then began working in accounting at Swiss Colony.
After the couple welcomed their first daughter, Samantha, in 2000, Ellefson decided to become a stay-at-home mom. She was home until 2006, taking in some family members to have her children grow up with their cousins.
When Sam started kindergarten, Ellefson was ready to get back into the workforce and said she never considered looking elsewhere. She reached out to some old contacts and came back to Colony Brands into inventory and purchasing. She's now a production management manager.
Ellefson isn't one for hobbies but instead lends her free time to volunteer work in the community.
"I love helping," she said. "I'm a helper. People kid with me that I should get a shirt made that says 'just say no.'"
She volunteers as the eucharistic minister at St. Victor Church, helps with funeral luncheons and is on the calling bank.
She and Kurt assist with Badger Honor flights, where veterans are treated to a day in Washington, D.C., to see the monuments. It was something she hoped to do for a long time after having a father and grandfather active in the military.
"My dad was probably one of the proudest veterans," she said. "Every day I put my flag out as a way to think of him - and to think of everyone to pay my respects."
At the local hospital, Ellefson began volunteering at age 10 as a candy striper, delivering magazines and other needs to patients. She now gives her time to hospice, helping with office work and delivering Meals on Wheels to the hospice center. She said she isn't quite ready for direct patient care, but that day may come.
"My mom is the biggest giver," she said. "I totally got my volunteering from my mom. That's how I grew up - just giving whatever you can."
A big part of Ellefson's life has been the creation of the foundation Jacob's Support with Awareness and Giving (SWAG), which began after losing her son, Jacob, in 2013 to suicide at age 14.
"We received a huge amount of community support," Ellefson said. "Not just from Monroe. We had lots of memorials. We wanted to give back to the community somehow, and we didn't want other kids to think they were alone."
The first year, the foundation brought in a retired NFL speaker to send a message to high school students - that they could be anything they wanted and overcome huge hurdles in their lives.
"The amount of feedback we got was amazing," she said. "I just decided I wanted kids to keep hearing this message. They just have to get through these moments."
She talked with Kurt about how to continue to give back and was encouraged to create the nonprofit group, Jacob's SWAG.
"Some people were skeptical," she said. "But we felt like we could give kids hope, and if we could prevent one family from traveling our path - it would be worth it."
Ellefson said they have kept the foundation small and have created a board of directors. Years after Jacob's passing, Ellefson said she's still working to break the stigma of suicide.
"We didn't choose this," she said. "It just happened to us. And this is how we can move forward."
The second year into the foundation, the couple met a family from Juda, Kathy and John Pierce, who lost their son, Tyler, a year before them.
"They just understood us," she said.
The mothers became fast friends and walked in an Out of the Darkness walk in Madison. Between them, they raised thousands of dollars and decided to find a way to keep the money in Green County - to help so many who had helped them during difficult times.
From there, the two mothers began the Angels Among Us Run/Walk in 2014.
"We had no hopes," Ellefson said. "We're just two moms trying to bring in community support and support each other."
The first year, they hoped for 100 people but welcomed 500. Last year, more than 700 people participated. Ellefson said the event is meant to be family-oriented, a place for people to smile and talk about their loved ones.
They now bring in speakers that reach up to nine school districts. More than 3,800 students heard this year's message. They've also done other things, like provide buddy benches at 14 elementary schools and bring in an elementary school performer to encourage kindness among youngsters. More than $50,000 has been put back into the county.
"Jake was a soft-hearted kid," she said. "Words can affect people differently."
What warms Ellefson's heart most is when people are able to share their own journey - or when they simply think of Jake.
"Between us two moms, we have our angels that help us out," she said of the work and hope for good weather that goes into planning for the event. "We're just two determined moms that love their sons."
Ellefson still loves sports and finds herself still attending events to watch youth play.
"I just love watching kids play sports," she said. "They give it their all, they're having fun. It's brought us a great group of friends."
Samantha is now a senior, and Ellefson is working to hang on to those fleeting moments before she and Kurt become empty-nesters. She said any time spent with her daughter amid busy schedules are precious moments.
"Sam is so important," she said. "She's been a trooper through all of this. She's pretty special."
Monroe has always felt like home, and the special place has come to mean more to Ellefson through the years. She plans to retire here one day and will always be a part of the place she feels has given so much back to her - even during the worst of times.
"I just love this community," she said. "I love this town. We live across the street from the hospital where we were both born. Why move from a community that has given back to you 10 times over?"
Along with so much giving back to the community, Ellefson tries to focus on the relationships that are so important to her. She knows how meaningful they can be and the impact they can have on those around her.
"If I can just be a really great friend to someone, then my day has been good," she said.