Overcoming Challenges With Grit and Grace (in-person)
Schedule
Sat Mar 29 2025 at 08:30 am to 03:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Franciscan Spirituality Center | La Crosse, WI
Presenters: Patty Wetterling, Stacey Lantagne, Rebecca Kaldunski, Mia Davis
Investment: $75, includes continental breakfast and lunch
www.FSCenter.org | 608-791-5295
Direct link to registration: https://fsc.retreatportal.com/calendar/event?programcode=25SGD08707
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.
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. She became a strong advocate for children’s safety and a vocal critic of sex offender registry laws. Jacob was abducted at gunpoint while riding his bike near his home on October 22, 1989. Jacob’s remains were discovered and positively identified in 2016. She co-founded the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a non-profit 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.
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.