Much has changed and many challenges have been faced in the nine years that Lise Abazs has worked for North Shore Area Partners (NSAP). Reflecting on the achievements and accomplishments of the organization over that time, Lise, the current Executive Director, feels that they are at the right stage to bring in a new leader.
“Things are going really great now, so it’s a really good time for another person to step in,” she said. “They don’t have to fix things, they can really just jump in with both feet and take it whichever direction is next.”
The direction NSAP has been going is up, above, and beyond. Formed in 2003, the organization was founded to provide care for local elders, connecting them with community-based programs to support them living in their homes for as long as they were able. The non-profit provided services such as transportation, meal delivery, chores, visits, and organized social and educational programs.
In 2019, NSAP expanded services to include in-home health aids. In 2020, they acquired (by donation) the Wells Fargo building in downtown Silver Bay, allowing the programming to include more gatherings, meetings, create a medical loan closet, and much more.
The organization offers an amazing number of services. When I asked a staff member in an earlier interview about what services NSAP provides, I remembered that she told me that if someone had a need, they would try to fill it.
That staff member is one of eighteen now working for NSAP. When Lise started, she was one of three. She had aging parents in the Twin Cities and traveling frequently to assist them wasn’t feasible. Her sibling was able to move in to care for them, so Lise jumped on an opportunity in Silver Bay to become a part-time bookkeeper for NSAP. “I took it because I thought this is something I can do in my community that represents the support that I wanted to be providing.”
She soon moved up into a leadership role and, when Mabel Tarlton retired, became the executive director. She accepted the position, advising the board that she would remain part-time for the role. But then, “things happened,” said Lise. “Opportunities crossed our paths and the needs made themselves known.”
In the spirit of service that the aforementioned staff member stated, NSAP took on the biggest need that presented itself: in-home care. Unable to attract agencies into the area, Lise and the board worked tirelessly to take on the issue head-on. They were able to attain a license and expand into higher-level services.
“Our core is still neighbors helping neighbors and encouraging the community to support our older population. To be aware and provide a good place and the ability for people to live in their homes as long as they want in our community,” Lise said. Adding depth to how they are able to assist the aging community members and their families has allowed the organization to “be more than just working around the edges, but actually working to the core that is most needed.”
It’s fulfilling work and Lise is excited for the next executive director to come in with new ideas and ensure the momentum continues. “It’s more than just a job,” she said. “This is an opportunity to be a really important part of our community growth in the area.”
Of her role, Lise described it as being an orchestra conductor. “I kind of know how to play all the instruments, don’t necessarily play them the best, but I know how they work together and how they make music, but I’m up there kind of swinging my baton and doing it in a way that makes good music.”
Whoever takes the baton will need to have a strong head for numbers, as there are lot of grant writing and budget responsibilities involved. (More of the qualifications are contained in an employment ad on page 15 in this edition of the Northshore Journal.)
Outside of the technical requirements of the role, Lise emphasized, “The organization needs someone who can envision a good path and has the energy and ability to inspire people both within the organization and the community to meet that vision.”
“It is really important that whoever comes in is embedded in the community,” Lise said. “Somebody who is really dedicated to the community and sees it not just as a job but because they want a better community.”
She described the staff as stellar and very strong. She is confident that they will make it easy for her predecessor to jump right in. Stepping away from them is the roughest part, said Lise, but she isn’t planning on going very far. She finds value in serving the community and will continue to do so, alongside other interests like farming.
Congratulations to Lise on her retirement. Thank you for all the work you, and your crew, have done to support creating a culture that fosters an age-friendly environment.
