Q & A with Laurie Sherck

Leanna Martin and Laurie Sherck present the nominees for the Heart of Gold Award at the Community Foundation’s 2021 Annual Meeting.

Laurie Sherck joined the LaGrange County Community Foundation staff in 2019 as the Office and Scholarship Manager. She retires at the end of March. While we are sad to see our co-worker and friend retire, we are excited to see what she will accomplish next. We spoke with Sherck and asked her to share about her work, her retirement, and future plans.

Why are you retiring now, while you are still so young?  

I’ve had people tell me, “You’ll know when it’s time to retire.” They’re right.  I just know it’s time. I want to retire and still be able to do some of things I’ve always wanted to do.

What are the big plans for retirement? 

Enjoying my grandkids and hopefully get in some traveling with my husband.

Are you going to fill your time right away with volunteering with various nonprofits, etc.? 

Upon the good advice of a wise friend, I’m giving myself 90 days before committing to anything, but eventually, yes. 

What things do you love, and want to focus on in your retirement years? 

I love hiking and I hope to get some of that in. I enjoy quiet times with my Bible and study books and enjoy reading. I enjoy coffee and conversation with friends and family, so I definitely need to work that into my schedule. There are some non-profits that I’m interested in volunteering for from time-to-time. This is why I’m giving myself 90 days. There is so much I want to do, I could easily fill up all my time and quickly feel overcommitted and overwhelmed.

What is your favorite food/drink?  

Is chocolate considered food? Favorite drinks: Coffee and iced tea.

What is your favorite hobby?  

Reading is probably my favorite pastime.

What will you be doing on day ONE of your retirement? 

Actually — we’re leaving on a family vacation for a week and a half.

Anything new you’d like to learn or do for retirement? 

I bought my husband a Cricut for Christmas a couple of years ago.  I’d like to figure out how to use it.   

What are some of your favorite moments in working for LCCF?   

I love my co-workers. We’ve had some pretty fun adventures. Because of them, work has never felt like work. It is always rewarding and fun to award the students receiving scholarships. It’s also rewarding to me to know our Foundation is making a difference in our little community through grants that assist non-profits, and scholarships that help students toward achieving their dreams.

What do you hope for your predecessor?  

I wish all the best for my predecessor, and I hope she will enjoy the work the Foundation does as much as I have.

What will you miss most about working at LCCF everyday?   

That’s easy, the people.  The people I work with and have done life with the last several years, our fantastic Board of Directors and committee members,  and the wonderful donors, students and community members that I’ve had the opportunity to meet and get to know over the past few years.  I’m sure gonna miss seeing my co-workers daily or “The Girls,” as I call them — but rest assured — they haven’t seen the last of me!🙂 

We wish Laurie a blessed retirement. We KNOW she will still be doing big things!

Sarah Hostetler and Laurie Sherck volunteer at the LaGrange County 4-H Fair in June 2023.
Sarah, Laurie, Octavia and Leanna enjoyed some early morning coffee… one of their favorite things to do together