March 18, 2024
The Liberty Lake Splash
PO Box 363
Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Phone: 509-242-7752
News Blog Business Community Opinion Sports
Submitted photo

Laura Frank, pictured here at a past Holiday Ball with husband Joe Frank, serves as an active board member and volunteer with Friends of Pavillion Park.

Search the News Archive Search the News Archive

Profiles: Volunteer’s eighth year with FOPP still a ball
11/24/2014 4:16:36 PM

Annie Szotkowski
Splash Contributor

A party planner and a parent are like engineers. The science behind coordinating an annual fundraiser requires project management, communication and a love for fun. 

A parent, engineer and volunteer, Laura Frank fits perfectly in her role as Friends of Pavillion Park board member and chair of FOPP's annual Holiday Ball.

Frank grew up in Michigan. She met her husband Joe Frank in Connecticut, and lived in Appleton, Wisc., before moving to Liberty Lake to be near Joe's family. After moving to Liberty Lake from the Midwest, she got to know the community by exploring the outdoors and carving time to volunteer, thanks in part to FOPP.  Established by a dedicated group of volunteers in 1992, the nonprofit has established a reputation for community connectivity. 

"Friends of Pavillion Park has been a driving force behind many of the community events that have helped to create this quality of life," Frank said. "It was the group's passion for building community that led me to volunteer; it is something special that I wanted to be a part of."

In addition to being a FOPP board member, she is the event chair for the Holiday Ball, the annual FOPP fundraiser held at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane. 

"Without her leadership, organization and passion, FOPP could not have run the ball so successfully," David Himebaugh, FOPP vice president, said. "Her personal touch makes it an elegant event."

Frank gives credit to the volunteers who find their niche to contribute and work together. She said many of them come back to their roles each year. 

"The planning is down to a science now thanks to the amazing group of volunteers who work on the holiday ball committee," Frank said. 

Ultimately, putting together the ball is about having a good time. 

"We put less focus on fundraising because we want to celebrate our community," Frank said. "This is a special place to live." 

While chairing the Holiday Ball is her primary responsibility, Frank is involved in a breadth of the nonprofit's activities such as the annual Summer Festival movie series and concert performances at local parks and helping with the Liberty Lake Loop Fun Run. She also coordinates other pocket park concerts and the Montana Shakespeare in the Park, an amateur acting company that brings Shakespeare plays to rural communities. All of these activities cumulate on Labor Day weekend with the Spokane Symphony's annual concert.

She does this, in part, to show her children that there are always opportunities to give back and be active in the community. 

"I feel that this is a great opportunity to teach them citizenship and community engagement," she said.  "I love that FOPP provides opportunities for family activities at no cost." 

Besides volunteering and working, Frank enjoys the outdoors surrounding Liberty Lake by biking, hiking and skiing. 

"I believe that the activities and quality of life in Liberty Lake is what attracts both businesses and families to move into our community," Frank said. "We are thrilled to be able to bring these free admission events to the Liberty Lake community."   

• • • 

Profiles: Laura Frank 

Age
34

Family
Husband, Joe; three children

Occupation
Project engineer at Kaiser Aluminum

Years volunteering with FOPP
Eight

Favorite part about Holiday Ball 
Bringing the community together and seeing people have a great time

Recommended winter activity
Ice skating on the lake followed by hot cocoa


Advertisement

Copyright © 2024 The Liberty Lake Splash | Print Page