Page 14 - mwoty2019women

Page 14
Valley View Elementary School PTA (8 years)
• President
• Treasurer
• Various Chair Positions
Adpros LA (11 years)
• President
• Treasurer
• Lieutenant Governor, District 15 (Southern California and Southern Nevada)
Organizational Impact: Since joining the board four years ago, Teresa’s expertise in PR and social media has
brought Carousel Ranch to a new level. As chair of the Communications Committee, Teresa has created many
campaigns, assisted with promotions of our events and programming in general, which has led to a significant
increase in community awareness, and an increase in funds raised as well. This has enabled the board to ex-
pand programs and serve more children. She has been instrumental in the development of the Ready to Work!
program, the annual Valentine’s campaign, and the success of bringing Heart of the West “home” to Carousel
Ranch – seeing a major increase in guests and funds raised over the past three years. Teresa is a person willing
to take on any challenge and always has a “we can do it” attitude even when it seems impossible. Her enthusi-
asm and commitment has been so important, and she too shares a passion for making a difference in the lives of
the special children and young adults.
Biography: Teresa runs her own business, teaches, and volunteers in the community using her Midwestern
work ethic and parochial school upbringing, where the motto of Ursuline Academy was Latin for “I will serve.”
From local education initiatives to land-use projects to fund-raising campaigns, Teresa uses her words, wit, and
wisdom to accomplish organizational goals. In addition to leadership positions held in various organizations,
Teresa has assisted others in furtherance of their mission. From funding announcement cards for a Circle of
Hope event to assisting the Senior Center in prior years with its Celebrity Waiter event, Teresa has used her
resources to publicize and cast favorable light on charitable causes. From support of the Five Knolls project
(formerly Keystone) that included community amenities to Golden Oak Elementary School that turned devel-
oper dollars into a turn-key school in the Sulphur Springs School District, Teresa has presented compelling
opinions that help influence good policy. Recently, Teresa has given voice as a ghostwriter to Carousel Ranch’s
annual giving campaign “Carousel Wishes and Valentine Kisses.” In 2018, Teresa was contacted by a friend
from her PTA days to help the family of Katie Evans. Katie, a young mother of six, was killed by a drunk driver
on Golden Valley Rd. as she returned home from visiting her premature twins at UCLA in Westwood. The girls
were born at only one pound each and never expected to survive. But they did survive and were released home
to a family mourning the loss of their mother. The girls required constant care, oxygen tanks, nebulizers, and a
feeding tube for one twin. Teresa met the family, then set up a platform to calendar help, seeking speaking op-
portunities at service organizations to recruit “Cuddlers” as they became known. The web platform grew to 84
individuals who consistently came to the house daily to spend two hours loving the babies and providing respite
for the teenage niece caregiver. “Cuddlers” are still part of the Evans’ daily life.