Kenoshan of the Week: Terri Wruck

Terri Wruck, of Snap-on Incorporated, will receive the 2022 Susan B. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a woman who has dedicated her life to women’s equality in Kenosha County.

Wruck will be honored at the 31st Susan B. Anthony-Women of Influence Awards Dinner, starting at 5 p.m. Friday, March 11 at Madrigrano Marina Shores, 302 58th St.

In honor of this regognition, Wruck has also been named the Kenosha.com Kenoshan of the Week.

Also being honored at the event as Women of Influence are:

• Business/Government/Nonprofit: Jennie Tunkieicz, Chief of Staff, Kenosha County Government
• Arts/Education: Sabrina Morgan, Promise/STEM Scholars Program Coordinator, Gateway Technical College
• Woman to Watch (Under 40): Carli McNeil, Deputy District Attorney-Kenosha County

All funds raised at the dinner go for grants to nonprofit groups, agencies and organizations that work with girls and/or women and their families in Kenosha County, and to scholarships for nontraditional-aged female students.

Grant recipients for the 2022 event will be:

• Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha, SMART Girls Program
• Kenosha Achievement Center, Early Intervention Program
• Kenosha Opera Festival, Women Leading Women in Opera
• Shalom Center, Shelter Program Kids’ Kits
• Three Harbors Council Boy Scouts of America, Scouts BSA Girls Troops

The 2022 Scholarship Winner will be Francine Dibble, a student at UW-Parkside, pursuing a degree in criminal justice.  

The Lifetime Achievement Award is named for Susan B. Anthony, a staunch supporter of equal rights for women. She was a well-known labor leader, publisher and suffragist who worked diligently for women’s equality.  

“Terri has dedicated her life to encouraging and inspiring women and youth through pathways to education, internships and job opportunities,” said Guida Brown, president of SBA-WOI Inc., the nonprofit organization that organizes the awards, scholarships and grant programs. “She has been an integral part of the success of many organizations and we are pleased to honor her.” 

Wruck, manager of Snap-on’s charitable contributions and manager/curator of the Snap-on Museum, is also co-chair of the Mahone Scholarship and Executive Committee and PowerUp. She was among the first women to join a Rotary Club, encouraged by another Susan B. Anthony-Lifetime Achievement Winner Earlene Girman.

Wruck was later honored by the organization with an Outstanding Service and Dedication Award for bringing the “Choices Program” to Kenosha middle schools, which helped students explore potential outcomes before making decisions.          

The Susan B. Anthony-Women of Influence Awards is held through the cooperative efforts of three women’s organizations in the Kenosha area: the Kenosha Women’s Network, AAUW-Kenosha (WI) Branch and Tempo Kenosha. The event is also made possible through the generous sponsors: Snap-on Incorporated, the Kenosha Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund, the Mahone Foundation, Gateway Technical College and the Southeast Wisconsin Labor Times.

The Susan B. Anthony Award Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to: Saundra Yelton-Stanley; Camille Thibaudeau-Meyers; Anne Bergo; Barbara Kluka, JD; Frieda Schurch; Jennifer Fostel, PhD; Rosanna Ranieri, MD; Eunice Boyer, PhD; Katherine Marks; Terry Potente; Kay Wikel; Beverly Jambois, JD; Joan Wilk, PhD; Joyce Erickson; Natalie Troha; Adelene Greene; Florence Hammelev; Kathy Barth; Jane Harrington-Heide; Patricia Johnson; Debra Hertzberg; Roseann Shales; Guida Brown; Earlene Jornt Girman; Michelle Serpe; Connie Ferwerda; Joanne Rattan; Honorable Mary Wagner; Ellen Brookhouse;  Betsy Brown; Gina Madrigrano Friebus; and Mary Lou Mahone (posthumous).         

For event reservations, contact Wendy Gauss at susanbdinner@gmail.com, or purchase via Eventbrite.com by searching “Susan B. Anthony Awards Dinner.” The deadline to purchase tickets is Friday, March 4, 2022, but the event often sells out early, so people are encouraged to act quickly.

NOTE: To nominate a Kenoshan of the Week click here or email Andrew@Kenosha.com.