Wondrous Women—Wonder Wedneday
It's WONDER Wednesday!
This week’s WONDER Wednesday kicks off our second annual series on WONDROUS WOMEN today! And we are thrilled! Here we celebrate Women’s History Month with a nod to local women in the past and present who have helped shape our community.
This week’s WONDROUS WOMAN is Lisa Blanchard. Lisa is one of the most soulful community stewards we know. Talk to her for five minutes and you’ll feel her wholehearted love of people and place. Lisa has been lending her time and considerable talent to many causes in Emmet County since 1987. “It’s what I love,” says Lisa of her community work. And we love YOU right back, Lisa!
AN EARLY PASSION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
As a student at Albion College in the seventies, Lisa knew she was interested in government. So first she went to the center of it all–Washington, DC–where she caught “Potomac fever” and served as a congressional intern. She then went on to earn a Masters Degree at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Ultimately, she found federal and state government too unwieldy. But a fire was lit when she shifted her focus to local government. She landed her first job as assistant to the City Manager of Rochester while her husband Paul was working at the Mayo Clinic in the early eighties. When Paul took a job at Burns Clinic in Petoskey, Lisa brought her passion for local government with her. She quickly got involved with special projects for the Charlevoix City Manager and went on to be appointed to the Emmet County DPW Board, helping oversee the establishment of Emmet County Recycling as well as being appointed to the County Commission.
LEADING FOR GOOD
Lisa’s public service is not limited to local government. To name them all would result in an extremely long list, so here are a few highlights. Lisa has served as board member and president at the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation and the Women’s Resource Center. Leadership Little Traverse tapped her expertise as a panelist on government. And she’s active at the First Presbyterian Church in Petoskey, and has made a mission trip to Cuba. She’s on the board for the statewide organization Justice for our Neighbors, which assists new immigrants in Michigan. Most recently, she joined the board of Little Traverse Conservancy.
KIDS AND BOOKS
“We can’t do enough for kids! They’re our most precious resource,” says Lisa, who walks this talk with dedication. Besides raising her own two daughters (now adults), she’s been a mainstay literacy volunteer at Petoskey Public Schools since 2012 where she leads book clubs which have spanned elementary, middle and high school. It all started with a core group of boys in Mrs. Moffat’s third grade classroom at Sheridan. Lisa credits an approach of consistency, enthusiasm and affirming warmth as the secret to the club’s success. And since that initial group, she’s bonded with almost 90 kids over books. Lisa is so committed to the clubs that she buys the books herself and plans her vacations around the book club schedule. She’s even taken her book club kids to musicals downstate and out on the town for book-themed celebrations. Always looking for ways to help kids, she’s also currently supporting the study skills group at Northmen Den Youth Services.
…AND MORE BOOKS.
In addition to her kids’ book clubs, Lisa is a part of four adult clubs and has been known to read up to 13 books at a time. Books occupy every corner of her house and she can often be found reading over breakfast and with the “walking desk” attachment on her treadmill. She’s a steadfast volunteer moderator at Harbor Springs Festival of the Book and says getting books into people’s hands still makes her “giddy.”
WELL-DESERVED ACCOLADES.
Lisa is modest, pointing out that her husband’s medical practice allows her the flexibility to be such an avid volunteer. “And I’m not training for a marathon so I have plenty of energy!” But there’s no doubt that Lisa possesses a special brand of passion and spirit, which keeps her busy and fulfilled. Over the years, Lisa has been recognized for her service to our community through the Char-Em United Way John Newton Award of Excellence, the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce Enthusiast Award and the Community Service Tribute award from the Women's Resource Center. We are thrilled to add to the growing (and glowing!) list of admirers by honoring her as a 2022 Wondrous Woman! We’ll see you out there, Lisa!
