“We accept everyone.” Michelle Hurst-Crumpton grew up with that wonderful lesson repeated often by her mother when they volunteered throughout their North Carolina community. As a team they stood on street corners in underserved neighborhoods to distribute flyers announcing the new Head Start programs and worked with homebound disabled children who required extensive care. These moments of heartfelt service have stayed with Michelle and shaped her professional and personal choices.
When she moved to Los Angeles a few years ago, she continued her quest to be of service to others. With the understanding that serving on the board of directors of a nonprofit is both demanding and rewarding, Michelle searched for a mission that matches her deeply held values and extraordinary compassion. In 2013, we welcomed Michelle as a member of the Alliance for Housing and Healing’s board.
With a desire to focus on fundraising, Michelle is eager to link her growing LA network with Alliance. Her personal and professional Rolodex is filled with people who feel the way she does – that a life lived in service to others is fulfilling and joyful.
Even as Michelle advances in her career as a senior school administrator and carves out time to spend with her new wife, she sees her mother as a role model and hero for every stage in life. At 74 years old, Mom recently completed a Master’s program in clinical psychology and is about to begin an internship counseling LGBT teens.
But Michelle’s mother is not only about self-sacrifice and service. Mom likes a good party too as demonstrated recently when she mixed up a batch of Bloody Marys on Christmas because the wine just wasn’t strong enough. Go Mom!
