Michele Towns

A normal day on the job for Michele Towns is anything but routine. As office manager at Lutheran Family and Children’s Services, she spends time on everything that keeps the office going, from budgeting, to reaching out to the community, to getting help for clients.

Her favorite task, however, is greeting clients. As the first face that the clients see when they walk in the door, Michele strives to welcome them in a way that she would want to be greeted. “Treating someone with kindness; I take pride and joy in this,” says Michele.

Michele began working for LFCS as a volunteer, and fell in love with the organization and its employees. When the office manager position became available, the staff encouraged her to apply as she was already familiar with the agency.

In the 12 years that she has been with LFCS, finding inspiration in her job has never been a problem. “I love to see the joy and happiness when it all works out for a couple who has fertility issues and is struggling to conceive. It’s a beautiful thing to see them experience the blessing of adoption,” says Michele.

Her job at LFCS has given Michele the chance to serve both clients and the community in a variety of ways. Her favorite accomplishment was the passing of a tax initiative (Putting Kids First) in 2012. Michele worked heavily on the campaign, which was dedicated to helping women in the Columbia area suffering from mental health issues such as postpartum depression.

Through her time at LFCS, Michele has found that one of her favorite parts of her job is the team of social workers she works alongside. Seeing the social workers interact with and go above and beyond for clients is one of Michele’s greatest sources of motivation. “The team inspires me to be better, they’ve just opened up my eyes and heart,” she says.