Laurie Ann Scott

“This organization is even better than sliced bread!” This is the way Laurie Ann Scott describes the Friendship Force. And she should know. Laurie Ann has 27 years of ‘being in the kitchen!’

Laurie Ann Scott is currently the U.S. Club and Field Representative Coordinator, meaning that she is a link between FFI and everyone else. Her FFI career began in 1981 when the Scott family served as hosts for a Nebraska-Korea exchange. “No longer were we residents of a small city in Nebraska, but we were citizens of the world! The next year found me applying with our ten-year-old daughter to take an exchange to we-knew-not-where!” That mystery trip was to Hildesheim, Germany, where they met the Doerpmund family. For the Scotts, that was the beginning of the magic so typical of the organization. “The friendship with Helmut and Ines has been a lifelong gift as we have shared our lives together from chicken pox to grandchildren… and two of our daughters learned to speak German.”

It was only a matter of time before the Scott family extended the Friendship Force legacy to the next generation. Grandson Burkett went with Laurie Ann and Larry to Mexico City to celebrate his 11th birthday and is now an enthusiastic student of Spanish.

“The Friendship Force of Lincoln has been my home club where I served on Exchange and other committees, as social chairman, vice president and president as well as hosting and being inbound and outbound ED and helping with the Open World program.”

But there was life before Friendship Force! Laurie Ann was born in and grew up in Kansas City, where her early jobs were in television and theatre – in summer stock. She majored in Psychology and English, went to Iowa State for a master’s in counseling psychology and worked as a school psychologist for county systems in Iowa.

Larry and Laurie Ann met in college and married when Laurie Ann graduated. She retired from her academic career to help Larry run their business, a station on Interstate 80, and raise three daughters. Ever entrepreneurial, they bought and sold real estate; bought a food court, which they named “Great Scotts”; operated Baskin-Robbins, a Quizno’s, a taco place, a pizza place; and then decided that “the food business is the worst” and “we knew we wanted out. So what did we do? Sold everything we owned…the station, the food court, and the apartments, which were to have been our ‘retirement’ about ten years ago and re-invested in something more passive and retired early. Then we could Friendship Force (new verb) with vigor!”

Other little known facts about Laurie Ann: “I enjoy reading, playing bridge, running (two marathons) and weight-lifting. My main hobby, though, is keeping in touch with Friendship Force friends via e-mail.”

Most EVERYBODY knows Laurie Ann. But for those who haven’t met her, she’s the one who, when asked to do something, always enthusiastically says, “Yes!”