November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and the Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight for this week works with the notion that many lives matter. Louise Homefeld Thompson is the Community Outreach Specialist for the Alzheimer’s Association, and everyday she is preserving memories.
Born and raised in Detroit, MI, Thompson was a lively and rambunctious child that was active in girl scouts and her church. After she graduated high school, Thompson moved to Indiana to be near relatives. She got a job at the Porter County Airport and then went and worked for Wickes Lumber Yard in Wanatah.
Thompson left Wickes when she had her first child, Debbie. She went back to work at Warehouse Carpet, which was a division of Von Tobel’s, moved to Florida, came back and then worked at Miller’s Senior Community Living in Portage. During her time at Miller’s she finished up her Bachelor’s degree in Business at Purdue North Central and still made time for her family which grew to two children (second child was a son named Daniel). There she worked for eight years until a job opening became available at the Alzheimer’s Association where she volunteered.
“I did some soul searching and wanted to do something that made the world a better place,” Thompson said. “I volunteered at the Alzheimer’s Association at the time when another lady that worked with left. So I applied and got the job.”
That was five years ago. And she’s still going strong with the organization today. Thompson serves seven counties (Lake, Porter, La Porte, Jasper, Newton, Starke, and Pulaski), providing each one with educational programs, support groups, she links people with services that they need, she does lots of fundraising, and increasing awareness and understanding of Alzheimer's disease.
“I am trying to make what I can better for people in Northwest Indiana and I it would be lovely to find a cure for this horrible disease,” Thompson said. “I help families and professionals, I really like synergy, working for other people we can do twice as much and sometimes multiple much. And I couldn’t do anything without my volunteers,” Thompson said. “We all can work together and get so much more accomplished thanks to them. Volunteers can come up with great ideas that I could never think of and it makes them feel good and it makes me feel good.”
Her job keeps her pretty busy, but when Thompson has time, she likes to volunteer at other places like: Portage Chamber of Commerce, Portage Senior Advisor Committee, Portage Kiwanis, Chicago Street Theater, and Memorial Opera House.
And in her free time, Thompson likes to garden, work on her house, and play with her newly adopted cat.
She ended with clear words on easily finding happiness in life.
“Always try to do your very best and it’s very important to give back,” Thompson said simply. “I always like to volunteer and I get way more out of it than those whom I help can ever give to me.”
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