CHOOSING A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Darla grew up in Maple Grove, Minn., and attended Winona State University. During that time, she met her husband, Dan, who was attending the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. After graduation, the two married and moved to Madison, Wis., to further their educations. Enrolling at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her husband pursued a graduate degree while Darla enrolled in law school.
By 1998, the couple had each finished their degree and decided to move back to the area they had come to love as undergraduates. “We chose the La Crosse area because we felt it would be a good place to raise kids while still having access to the amenities of bigger cities like Madison or the Twin Cities,” she shares, adding that access to outdoor activities like biking, camping and enjoying the river were also important.
COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
Later that year, Darla joined the legal team at Parke O’Flaherty, Ltd., and in 2005, she joined the Bosshard Parke Law Firm in La Crosse where she specializes in business and employment law, banking, wills and trusts, estate planning and probate, and real estate. Darla and Dan eventually had two sons, now both in college.
Being active in her community has always been important to Darla, so when her children were young, she volunteered for the Cub Scouts and the Gateway Area Council (BSA) Board. Then, as her kids got older, she sought out additional organizations that also spoke to her heart, including the Women’s Fund of Greater La Crosse, ORC Industries, Inc., and Gundersen Medical Foundation. Given her family’s positive experiences doctoring at Gundersen and the organization’s focus on community, Darla felt the Foundation would be a good fit and that her expertise in estate planning would be beneficial.
“I feel like I’m still learning about all the ways the Foundation touches our community,” she says, “but it’s clear that gifts to the Foundation directly impact many patients and families. Additionally, investments in medical education and research will impact our community’s access to quality healthcare for the future. That impact is nothing short of profound.”