Laurel Flanagan, CEO of Operation Northern Comfort, shares the story of how her organization came to life. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, founder Norm Anki refused to sit on the sidelines. Rather than simply writing a check, he picked up the phone, rallied a dozen volunteers from Central New York, and showed up to help. What followed was years of service trips, thousands of volunteers, and eventually the birth of Operation Northern Comfort — an organization dedicated to helping people in their community who don’t have the means to help themselves. This is what showing up looks like.
