Laurie Funk loves to learn and help her community. She has an undergrad degree in bioengineering from Syracuse University and master’s degrees from Rensselaer Polytech in biomedical engineering and Lancaster Bible College in youth ministry. Her career began in medical research at Joslin Diabetes Center and progressed to Geisinger Medical Center and New England Medical Center where she was the project director for the Ultrasound Reading Center. As a youth ministry director, she worked at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church and Lebanon Valley Youth for Christ.
In 2021 Laurie and her husband Dave founded Chestnut Street Community Center and purchased what was the First Evangelical Congregational Church property. Their vision to revitalize the property for the purpose of providing safe and affordable space to human service organizations, congregations and youth development programs has come to fruition. A part of CSCC’s mission is to facilitate collaborative efforts directed at improving the health of our community.
Laurie has coordinated with others to develop a community garden, community refrigerator, and a weekly farmer’s market to provide fresh produce to city residents. Currently, Laurie volunteers her time for the development and operation of CSCC. She also serves on the boards of directors for Lebanon Valley YMCA Camp Rocky Creek, Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and Girls on the Run Lancaster – Lebanon.
After years of coaching teams at Henry Houck and Harding Elementary Schools, she initiated a community team at Lebanon Valley YMCA. Laurie has worked tirelessly impacting the lives of women and girls.
Laurie Funk was nominated by Jennifer Hackett