Job: Director, Urban Youth for Africa.
Education: Attended Calvin College. Laura has been the fund developer for Urban Youth for Africa since its inception. Now, she also oversees the planning and implementation of the program. Laura has served the Kalamazoo Deacons Conference as board member, church liaison, fund developer and ambassador of the poor.
“I believe urban teens today face a huge challenge of listening to positive, empowering voices. They are pulled in many different directions and often focus their attention on what is absent or lacking in their own life; hopelessness can fill in. UYFA is a positive voice that directs teens to build on their strengths, learn from others, rise above their struggles and celebrate their accomplishments. And lastly, to have hope, carrying that hope into their schools, families and neighborhoods and world.”