Terri Stuckey’s connection to Boys Town Louisiana began in a very hands-on way: helping cook meals for the youth and staff in our Family Homes through St. Catherine of Siena’s Women’s Club. Around the same time, her friend John Zollinger, was finishing his time on the Board and spoke so highly of Boys Town Louisiana that when leadership approached Terri to get involved in 2021, she said “Yes!”
What has kept her here is how personal the work feels. Terri loves that Boys Town Louisiana makes a direct difference in the lives of children and families, and that the care behind the mission is matched by real integrity, intention and a research-based approach. She values the way the team works, the way decisions are made and the fact that the impact is not abstract. It reaches real people in meaningful ways.
As a mother and grandmother, Terri knows how much children need from the adults around them and how much support parents need, too. That is part of why this work resonates so deeply with her. Some of her favorite moments have been serving meals and joining family dinners at the Family Homes, where she has been able to meet youth and hear their stories firsthand. Hearing from alumni and Early Head Start parents has also stayed with her and has only deepened her belief in the work.
Terri has always found ways to pour into children, including years as a Girl Scout leader, and she is thankful her own children had mentors and cheerleaders in their lives. She loves that Boys Town Louisiana offers that same kind of support to young people who may never have had it before. Five years in, she remains inspired by Boys Town Louisiana’s leadership and by a Board that is deeply invested and united in its commitment to the mission.