We are excited to announce that the winner of the 2026 H.P. Heckendorf Community Service Award is Walter Taylor!
Walter Taylor, Agricultural Educator and FFA Advisor at Oconto Falls High School, has distinguished himself as an educator whose impact reaches far beyond the classroom. Since coming to Oconto Falls in 2016, Taylor has combined innovation, community partnership, and student-centered leadership to strengthen both agricultural education and civic life in Oconto Falls.
Taylor’s leadership extends deeply into community projects, most notably the Oconto Falls Community Garden. As an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, he has played a key role in bringing high-school students into the garden’s development, offering hands-on learning that connects youth directly with local food systems. Students from his horticulture classes have helped till soil, plant crops, and participate in garden upkeep, strengthening the intergenerational volunteer network the garden relies on. His involvement also includes serving as a committee member and public advocate for the garden’s mission, sharing insights on soil health, learning curves, and community collaboration through media outreach. He has organized members of the community and local businesses to share the responsibilities of caring for the garden in the summer months. Taylor uses his professional training in horticulture and experience to offer public programs and hands-on workshops at the garden on fruit tree pruning and other garden management topics.
The garden itself has become a powerful community asset, created to combat post-pandemic isolation and to strengthen local food access. It now supports the Kingdom Come Food Pantry and other distribution efforts, contributing thousands of pounds of fresh produce to families in need. Taylor’s work ensures that students are not only learning agricultural science but also experiencing the importance of civic responsibility and service.
Taylor is a tireless advocate for and promoter of agriculture. He is a member of the Farm Bureau where he serves on the board of directors of the county organization. He is active in the Friends of Oconto County Agriculture which organizes and puts on the annual June Dairy Breakfast on the Farm that regularly draws three to five thousand visitors. He is an Oconto County Fair exhibit department superintendent and past superintendent at the Wisconsin State Fair. Drawing on his experience at his home county fair and the state fair, he initiated a swine show for special needs students for which junior fair animal exhibitors share their animals and mentor them to provide the opportunity for them to experience participating in the Fair. What began as a swine activity has now expanded to many of the other animal shows.
The award was given to Walter at our 64th Annual Membership Meeting held on March 12, 2026 by our Board of Directors Vice Chairman, Ken Harter and CEO, Lisa Gilligan.
N.E.W. Credit Union’s H.P. Heckendorf Community Service Award was created to honor the memory and the impact Harold P. Heckendorf made in the communities we serve.
Heckendorf served on N.E.W. Credit Union’s Board of Directors for 20 years, most of which as our chairman. In addition to his community service through the credit union, he was a dedicated member of his church and an active participant in our Oconto Falls community. Harold P. Heckendorf embodied the mission and vision of N.E.W. Credit Union.
At N.E.W. Credit Union, we proudly serve our communities and work to provide all of our members with opportunities to succeed. We hope, through this award, to honor Heckendorf’s impact and highlight others who want to do the same.