Lakewood Observer: "A Lasting Legacy: From Concession Stand To Community Service"

This article appeared in the September 3, 2025, edition of the Lakewood Observer.

by Monica Bruaw

If you attended a Lakewood High School sporting event in the late 1980s through the early 2000’s, chances are you bought your popcorn, hotdog, and drink from a familiar face, my mom, Ollie Wolters.

Standing behind the concession stand with her bright smile, German accent, and warm personality, Ollie quickly became a fixture at Lakewood games. Born in Germany, she came to the United States in 1964 to visit extended family. Though she didn’t yet speak English, she decided to make this country her home, and later became a US Citizen. She grew to love America and especially the Lakewood community.

Ollie learned to drive after I was born, so she had to embrace Lakewood’s walkable neighborhoods, meeting our family’s daily needs at places like Sinagra’s Food Mart on Detroit Avenue (today known as Wine Dive). A natural people person, she never hesitated to strike up a conversation, leaving a memorable impression everywhere she went.

When I graduated from Lakewood High School in 1990, my mom wasn’t ready to give up her connection to the school and community she had grown to cherish. She threw herself into volunteering with the Lakewood Athletic Boosters, spending countless Friday nights and Saturday afternoons working the concession stands, cheering for the Rangers in between serving fans.

With her own child no longer in school, she donated her hours to other families thereby reducing their financial commitment for athletic participation. Her volunteer commitment was recognized in March of 1998, when she was named a lifetime member of the Lakewood Athletic Boosters, only the fifth person to ever receive that honor. The plaque she was awarded proudly hung in her kitchen until her passing in 2018, one of her most treasured distinctions.

Her legacy lives on in me. My time at Lakewood High School was not just about academic and athletic accomplishments, but about the relationships and friendships that have carried forward to this day. Serving as student council treasurer my senior year tied me to every class reunion since and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Staying connected to the school and community has shaped much of my adult life.

My service as a trustee with the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation, my degree in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior, and more than 20 years as an Education Planner have all prepared me for the next step: my campaign for the Lakewood School Board.

I know my mom would be proud. Just as she left a legacy of service to the Lakewood community, I hope to continue that tradition of supporting our schools, our students, and our families with the same dedication that she did under those Friday night lights. Please vote, for me, Monica Bruaw, for Lakewood’s Board of Education November 4th (early voting starts October 7th).

Lifelong Ranger

Mom of 3

Candidate for Lakewood School Board

Learn more about Monica Bruaw's campaign for Lakewood Board of Education.