A life dedicated to helping neighbors near and far
FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. (WSYR) — One of this year's Remarkable Women nominees is Laurel Flanigan, a life-long Central New Yorker.
Laurel's life has been dedicated to service.
Ever since she was a young child volunteering with her mother at the WYCA, Laurel was put on the path of helping others.
'It helps you think of something outside of yourself and realize that there are other people who have other problems that you can help things,' Laurel explained.
At the annual Crawfish Festival, a fundraiser for Operation Northern Comfort, Laurel came face to face with her future.
'When you meet Norm he was constantly like what skills does this person have and how can I benefit the organization with the skills this person has?' said Laurel.
Norm, the founder and CEO of Operation Northern Comfort, recruited Laurel right away. What started as little tasks slowly turned into Laurel becoming a board member and eventually taking over as CEO.
Operation Northern Comfort is all about helping a neighbor, near or far. Whether the crews were building desks for kids in Central New York to use while learning remotely, or collecting donations and traveling thousands of miles to help hurricane victims rebuild.
Laurel believes that in this world, we're all neighbors.
'I get overwhelmed sometimes because there is so much need in our area, and it feels like what we do is just a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed,' Laurel shared. 'But to that person even if it's a small help or small project it just gives them hope and that hope is what they need to keep going forward.'
The volunteering that Operation Northern Comfort does the most is perhaps viewed as the simplest.
'We started doing clean-up projects in Central New York for folks who didn't have the means to do that and we started building ramps for folks who can't get out of their homes.'
So, what's the payout? Why does Laurel, a self-described busy bee, spend so much time helping others?
'The smiles that's the payout that's the best part,' Laurel said. 'You don't volunteer to feel better, but it's just a side effect. You do feel better when you help somebody or do something to help the cause.'
It's a whole operation of people, but it's run through one remarkable woman.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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