News: Neillsville - Busy Team Luchterhand (2022)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Luchterhand, Waters, Brommer, Lowery, Morrow, Renne

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 4/27/2022

Busy, Busy, Busy – You Can’t Stop Team Luchterhand (2022)



The Luchterhands are on the move, helping out with community events and sports.
Adam and Kat are shown here with their three boys: Marcus, Lucas and Aiden.
Submitted photo

By Jesse Heslip

Clark County is full to the brim with amazing people, people who enrich the lives of our youth and make a positive impact on our community.

We all know someone or multiple people who are the watermark for local involvement and impact. One example would be local couple Adam and Kat Luchterhand. Anyone who has been involved in Neillsville sports for any length of time knows the Luchterhands and their passion for fiving youth opportunities to succeed.

Not the kind of people to “toot their own horn,” Adam and Kat simply grew up learning the importance of responsibility to others.

Neillsville native Adam grew up on a dairy farm north of town where the value of hard work and dedication to family became evident.

“I worked on the farm growing up and while attending UW-Stevens Point and I helped as I could right up until my parents retired from farming.” Adam stated in a joint email response from him and his wife.

Kat grew up in Merrillan. She worked with her family at their car dealership and spent a lot of time helping out with the business as she grew up.

“That taught me the work ethic and commitment it takes to be a great community member and successful person,” Kat said.

With how involved the Luchterhands are in sports and recreation, it’s only fitting that they met during a recreational activity. Wouldn’t you know it, their story started during the annual Neillsville Winter Carnival weekend while they were playing volleyball on opposing teams. After seeing each other again at the Sunday co-ed volleyball league, they hit it off and eventually started dating and formed their own team.

Adam and Kat are the proud parents of three very active and athletic boys: Marcus, who is in seventh grade; Lucas, who is in second grade; and Aiden, who is in first grade. The Luchterhands are both teachers and coaches in the Neillsville School District. They co-coach high school and middle school cross country and children’s teams for youth basketball. Adam coaches middle school boys basketball while Kat does the bookwork. Also, both coach high school track and field alongside high school math teacher Brian Waters and high school science teacher, Mike Brommer.

The Luchterhands also coach and assist with some of the youth programming for Judy Lindner’s recreation department, including the youth track and field program which concludes with the running of an annual citywide track meet during Neillsville Heritage Days, which is also one of the family’s favorite events to be a part of. They also enjoy watching kids compete at the state track and field meet at La Crosse.

“Watching kids step onto that podium to be presented with a medal makes out hearts so happy and gives us such a contentment, when even a child as young as 3 or 4 can finish a race leaving everything they have on the track, or a young adult makes it to the podium in front of thousands of fans looking on as they realize the reward of their efforts,” they wrote.

They are involved in the summer recreation program baseball league for two of their own kids, as well as spring and fall soccer for elementary-grade kids.

The Luchterhands also volunteer in the area.

“Both of us volunteer, whether it be reffing, scoring, book, concessions or assisting with setup and cleanup for Judy Lindner at numerous youth sporting events/opportunities that the recreation department puts on, including basketball tournaments; Tri-Star basketball competitions: punt, pass and kick events; and disc golf tourneys,” they stated.

Merrillan United Methodist Church attendees, Adam and Kat continue to go to Kat’s home church and are active there as well, where Kat has been in volved in teaching Sunday School and the family helps as acolyte and does readings when needed.

In addition, “I have also taught an afterschool book club for the past two decades and I really enjoy helping elementary students find a genuine passion for reading and lifelong learning,” Kat stated.

During COVID-19 she helped get her students’ hands on books by lending numerous titles from her own personal library and was involved in numerous video book clubs with several groups of students, depending on reading level and interests.

“I try to incorporate fun snacks and activities to make the stories come alive, by pairing whatever the characters enjoy in the various texts that we read,” Kat said.

The fun doesn’t stop there though. The Luchterhands also volunteer for other organizations when needed. They assist in planning and facilitating the Family Fun Night activities that the elementary PBIS Team puts on, as well as reffing and setting up events for 4-H or the Make-A-Wish fundraisers.

A person might ask how many assistants they employ to keep up with that list of activities. As of this writing, the Luchterhands do not employ any assistants. I know; I don’t know how they do it either.

So what keeps a family motivated to be so heavily involved in community events?

“For us it is all about the joy that is brought to light when opportunities are made available for the exceptional youth in our community.

“We feel strongly about facilitating fun and worthwhile memories that contribute to our children’s busy childhoods and the betterment of their character and work ethic.

“We believe that modeling citizenship and commitment to community is the best way to show our children and students that your time is valuable, and efforts pay off. We try to make whatever we are doing really fun and memorable,” Kat and Adam wrote.

When asked to whom they attributed their lifelong love of community, Adam and Kat mentioned a few people, but first and foremost were their parents.

“Our parents most definitely. Remembering the sacrifices they made from both a time and financial perspective to allow us to do the things we wanted to growing up reminds us to do the same for our children.

“Also, we both come from backgrounds in which the expectation was that hard work is a necessary requirement or one to attain one’s goals in life,” they agreed.

The Luchterhands also made sure to remind the readers in the area that there are many folks that make these programs and activities happen, including one already mentioned.

“Judy Lindner has also had an incredible impact on the both of us with all of her selfless commitment and dedication that she extends to the families of our community and surrounding area. We think that a lot of people take for granted the opportunities that are provided to our young communities through the rec. department, and there will be some big shoes to fill when Judy inevitably decides to hang it up,” they wrote.

At this point you may be thinking the same way I did, “If they can do all of that, I can do something.” If that’s the case, the Luchterhands have some advice for you to get you on your way.

“Well, Adam and I love the popular adage ‘We rise by lifting others.’ So, our advice would be to find those salt-of-the-earth humans who humbly go about their days looking to let God’s light shine and find happiness in helping others.

“Get a hold of Judy Lindner at the rec. department. She has many opportunities to volunteer that range from a couple of hours or days’ worth of commitment (such as Tri-Star Basketball or punt, pass and kick events) to working in the concession stand or coaching/reffing/scoring/taking money for any one of her youth programs. Brittney Lowery is another community-minded citizen who organizes and arranges for various charity and family fun opportunities through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and local 4-H and fair programing.

“Judy Morrow would be another leader in the community who is involved in the food pantry, Boy Scouts, House of Mercy and Optimist Club. Finally, [consider contacting] Diane Renne, who was an amazing volunteer in my classroom up at school and is very committed to the community of Neillsville, volunteering her time within her church, the Optimist Club and other civic-minded causes,” the Luchterhands said in closing.

Volunteer opportunities are all around us. Together we can continue the tradition of making our area an amazing place to live, love and grow.