News Archive

2021 Gala Hosts

February 9, 2022

LBSA’s Every Step of the Way Gala Raises Over $253,000!

LBSA’s Every Step of the Way Gala Raises Over $253,000! Our 26th Annual (and first-ever hybrid) Gala was held at Carleton College on Saturday, December 4. With a reduced in-person crowd and nearly 100 online attendees, we were able to raise a record amount of money for our Annual Fund. Read More

Anabelle Xiong

February 9, 2022

Thank You, Anabelle

Thank You, Anabelle Through a decades-long partnership with Laura Baker Services Association, social work students from St. Olaf College are receiving on-the-job learning experiences. St. Olaf senior, Anabelle Xiong, is the most recent in a long line of students who have completed an internship. Anabelle is from St. Paul. She… Read More

kontos and peterson - scholarship award recipients 2022

January 4, 2022

LBSA Awards Two More Education Scholarships

LBSA Awards Two More Education Scholarships Juggling the demands of work and school can prove to be quite a challenge. Since 2020, Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA) has been helping ease the financial burden of school for its employees who are pursuing educational opportunities at the same time. The Gary… Read More

family at table

November 18, 2021

Meet Sam Gershman, LBSA’s Lead Family Navigator

Meet Sam Gershman, LBSA’s Lead Family Navigator For six years, Sam managed to work as a radio producer at WDLB and WOSQ, all while serving at-risk children through AmeriCorps. Sam explains that he worked with youth who came from a variety of backgrounds – whether they had disabilities, a bad… Read More

November 18, 2021

CARE CAN’T WAIT

CARE CAN’T WAIT To our neighbors, Our caregiving community is in crisis. The pandemic has created an employment crisis in our community. The causes of this dramatic shift in employee hiring and recruiting are complex, but its impact is blunt. We have a shortage of employees within our organizations to… Read More

August 17, 2021

Meet Elii

Direct Support Professional. Lead Residential Counselor. Mentor. Safety Care Instructor. Health Care Liaison. Elii Garcia has worn many hats during the time she’s worked at LBSA. Now you can add Household Director (HD) to the list. Read More

Staff Appreciation 2021

August 17, 2021

LBSA Honors Team Members at Annual Staff Appreciation Event

LBSA Honors Team Members at Annual Staff Appreciation Event On Wednesday, June 23, we hosted a picnic dinner at A Great Day Farm to honor our everyday heroes who have ALL been doing amazing work over this past year. Thank you to Mark Allen and Craig Wasner who provided some… Read More

Virtual Special Olympics screenshot

April 28, 2021

Congratulations! Local team places 4th in Special Olympics Virtual National Championship

Congratulations! Local team places Fourth in Special Olympics Virtual National Championship A local team that participated in the first-ever Special Olympics Virtual National Championship presented by ESPN made some history this week. In a partnership between the St. Olaf College Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), Northfield Area Special Olympics and… Read More

Elizabeth and Sandi

March 29, 2021

Elizabeth O’Sullivan Receives Gary Martin Memorial Scholarship

Elizabeth O’Sullivan Receives Gary Martin Memorial Scholarship Elizabeth O’Sullivan is the 2021 recipient of the Gary Martin Memorial Scholarship! Elizabeth started at Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA) in 2019 and currently works overnights in LBSA’s Community Services Program. Elizabeth is currently pursuing a master’s degree at United Theological Seminary. Elizabeth… Read More

Tim Hawley

January 29, 2021

Welcome Tim Hawley!

Welcome Tim Hawley! Tim Hawley joins the LBSA team as the new Director of Community Services replacing Kathy Davidson, who recently retired after 40 years with the organization. Tim and his entire family have been very involved in the special needs community since the birth of his daughter Reilly who… Read More