Carol Taebel named 2025 Forever Friends Award recipient

June 5, 2025

By La Crosse Community Foundation

La Crosse Area Community Foundation honors educator and community champion

La Crosse Area Community Foundation honored Carol Taebel, a beloved educator, volunteer, and lifelong advocate for community and compassion, with its 2025 Forever Friends Award recipient.

A retired elementary teacher and active volunteer, Taebel has quietly and consistently shaped the community through a lifetime of giving — of her time, resources, and deep empathy. From serving on boards of directors for the Riverfront Foundation and Center (now Aptiv) and the Coulee Region Humane Society to initiating Thank a Teacher Day through LACF, she has become synonymous with care and commitment.

“For me, giving means way more than the getting,” said Taebel. “Making the money was never as meaningful as giving it away. Once we had enough that we could give it away, it just felt right.”

Championing causes that build a stronger community

Throughout her life, Taebel has embraced causes that align with her values: education, equity, animal welfare, and inclusion. In addition to supporting the CRHS and Aptiv, she has been a decades-long member of AAUW, an active member of English Lutheran Church, and a dedicated member of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization), which champions women’s educational advancement.

After losing her husband, Dr. Duane Taebel, who founded what is now Gundersen Health System’s gastroenterology program, Taebel turned her grief into purpose. She began working with then–LACF Executive Director Sheila Garrity to establish charitable funds to honor his memory and advance causes they both held dear.

“Everything I’ve been part of has tied back to medicine, teaching, or simply following my heart,” she said.

One of those was “Thank a Teacher Day,” a simple gesture that delivers fruit, a donut, and coffee to local educators. “It’s a simple way to let them know they’re special. And now my goal is to get that message down to the kids — to help them celebrate and appreciate their teachers, too.”

Establishing charitable funds to support local needs

In total, Taebel has established three charitable funds at the foundation. One supports five organizations close to her heart: English Lutheran Church, Gundersen Health System, the La Crosse Public Education Foundation, Aptiv, and Coulee Region Humane Society. Another is a discretionary fund that the foundation can use where it’s most needed. “They know what the needs are,” she smiled. “I let them decide.”

While best known now as a civic leader and donor, Taebel’s community involvement has also included serving as Oktoberfest royalty. She served as Mrs. Oktoberfest in 1986 and, in 1990, joined the royal family again as Frau when her husband was named Festmaster. “Oktoberfest is a family,” she said. “And that’s something you are part of for life.”

A humble spirit with a lasting impact

Yet for all she’s done, Taebel remains unassuming. “I’m never in it for the awards,” she said. “But when you step back and see the cumulative effort of everyone together, it’s amazing. It takes a village.”

Taebel is quick to point out that giving isn’t about wealth. “Anything I did, anybody could do,” she said. “We had no money when we started out. But when it comes, it feels good to share. I want to give it away; I don’t need it.”

Reflecting on her life in La Crosse, more than 55 years now, Taebel sums it up with characteristic warmth. “There’s something for everyone here. It’s a place people are proud to live in and raise their children. And the connections we make, even with people or groups that have nothing to do with our own experience — that’s what makes a community strong.”

It’s those connections that define the spirit of the Forever Friends Award. And this year, they all lead to Carol Taebel, a woman whose life is a quiet, continuing testament to the village she helped build.