Laura Dittenber – In Her Own Words
I was hired at the Community Foundation in 2001. My original title was accounting clerk. I went from accounting clerk to administrative assistant, and now my title is administrative and development assistant.
Before working at the Foundation, I worked in various capacities in banking and finance for ten years. I worked in durable medical equipment billing, private duty billing, and hospital billing – for all sorts of insurance.
I was born in Saginaw County and grew up in Freeland. I’m proud of my Freeland, Michigan roots, and I still live there. I grew up out by what is now Apple Mountain and I’m only about 20 minutes away, to this day.
My husband and I have been married for over thirty years. We are very busy with our home and are very involved with auction sales. I’ve been doing auction sales for nearly 35 years now! I love the outdoors, baking, gardening, and reading.
I love helping people and digging in. I’m a proud elf at the Midland Area Santa House during Christmas. I take pride in any way I can assist folks. I love that the Santa House is open to all, and everyone can come in free of charge. There isn’t even a charge for photos. It’s great for kids, but it’s also great for the young at heart. The Santa House brings that spirit of childhood and Christmas together for all.
I love that we believe that anyone can be a philanthropist. It’s not about dollar amounts. Sure, you can give money, or you can also give up your time and talent through being a volunteer. I love hearing all the stories and learning about the passions of our volunteers at the Santa House, Northern Star Train, Midland Area River Days, and the folks who review scholarships. That’s just really powerful. We work with so many people and have such a significant impact on the community.
I would love to see Midland continue to open up for everyone. We must continue to make it a place where everyone has the opportunity to make a difference, and anyone can be a philanthropist.