It took more than luck for GH woman to nab Counterpart award

Thu, May 8, 2008

SPRING LAKE — Lisa Luckey sat at a table, empty except for her friend Karen Benson, waiting for a Counterpart meeting to start at the Holiday Inn in Spring Lake.

Click to enlarge
"Why are they setting up a table when there's all these empty tables around us?" Luckey asked Benson.

"They're for the friends of the Woman of the Year," Benson told her.

That satisfied Luckey, who knew she and Benson were at the meeting Wednesday to present a certificate of appreciation to Counterpart for the organization's support of the Center for Women in Transition. Once that was done, Counterpart President Bobbi Jones Sabine cautioned Luckey not to sit down, because she had something for her.

Sabine presented Luckey a gift-wrapped box.

"Karen, I know you already have one," Sabine said. "But Lisa, on behalf of Counterpart, I'd like to present you with this special letter opener. They're quite rare, and the only people who have them are recipients of our Distinguished Woman of the Year award."

Luckey said she was shocked, even though she knew she had been nominated for the award.

"There's so many other women out there who have done so much more," she said. "It's a true honor."

Luckey expressed her thanks to family and friends for supporting her in her endeavors, and said she couldn't have accomplished what she had without them.

"I was humbled, but not surprised," said her husband, Dan Luckey, who walked in after the announcement with daughters Ellery and Miya, arms loaded with bouquets of flowers. "She's very busy, but she puts her time and effort into things that give back."

Dan said Lisa's parents were very active and giving people who taught their children well. He said he and Lisa wanted their children to see the necessity of volunteering and how it helps so many people.

Mary Louise Avery, development director for the Center for Women in Transition, said she nominated Luckey with the collective support of a lot of people. She said it has been amazing working with someone like Lisa and seeing what she has accomplished — just for CWIT, let alone other organizations.

Click to enlarge
Luckey was born and raised in Grand Haven, and studied business at Muskegon Community College and Grand Valley State University. She started her career in the insurance industry, worked in office management and human resources, then worked as a recruiter for temporary employment agencies.

This work eventually led Luckey to the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce, where she worked recruiting business members and helped spearhead the Lakeshore 504 program, a state initiative to provide loans for small business development in West Michigan. From there, she formed Luckey Financial Services, which guides small businesses through the loan process. She also sells advertising for MiBiz, a West Michigan business magazine.

These varied work experiences and Luckey's desire to help others helped to create what friends called a "volunteering dynamo."

Those who wrote in to support Luckey's nomination said she was known as the person to contact to get things done, and that her expansive list of contacts meant that she always seemed to know just the right person, with just the right pull or experience to help with the task.

For 10 years, Luckey has served with Leadership Holland. As a member of the board of Holland Hospice, she has organized many fundraisers. She and her husband team up to help with the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

Luckey has been active in the Coast Guard Festival for many years. She is a Rotary Club member, a Sunday school teacher, a perennial volunteer in her daughters' first- and third-grade classrooms, and annually chairs the committee that organizes the school's big bus trip.

As a volunteer with the Center for Women in Transition, Luckey organized 15 community leaders to found "Making a Difference," the organization's primary fundraising event in northern Ottawa County. This year's event raised more than $22,000 for CWIT operations.

Luckey is adding to her CWIT activities by volunteering as a co-coach for her daughter's Girls on the Run team, an activity coordinated by the organization.

"Lisa leads by example, enthusiasm and respect for the suggestions of all involved in the process," one supporter wrote. "She empowers others to embrace activities that make our community a better place to live."

The Distinguished Woman of the Year award was established by Counterpart to recognize a woman in the community for professionalism and ethics, innovative problem-solving and leadership skills, professional accomplishments, and for working to improve the quality of life for everyone.

The first award given in 1980 went to Doris Van Dam. Last year's recipient was Renee Freeman-Rischer.

Counterpart was established in 1976 at the height of the women's movement to provide women of the Tri-Cities area the opportunity to become better acquainted with their contemporaries, and to grow in knowledge and appreciation of the community. Counterpart places an emphasis on programs that benefit women and children, such as the Center for Women in Transition.

The group meets twice monthly for lunch at the Spring Lake Holiday Inn.

For more information, call Counterpart President Bobbi Jones Sabine at 844-5092.