Strong Woman – Laura Pinkstaff
Board member for Columbia Adoption Project and a foster mom
AGE: 37
YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA: Five
ORIGINAL HOMETOWN: St. Louis
FAMILY: My amazing husband and best friend, Matt, and I have three children by birth: Sophia, Hannah and Ivy. We also have the blessing and honor of fostering three boys who we all love to pieces. We are a crazy mess of a joy-filled family on an adventure!
MY GO-TO COCKTAIL: No cocktails, just a lot of coffee!
WHAT I DO FOR FUN: I have the most amazing running buddies. There is such amazing joy in heading out early in the morning and pounding the ground with precious friends. We laugh together, support one another and just run together through life. It truly is cheaper than therapy.
MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT I: Love dancing to ’80s pop alone in the kitchen.
ON A TYPICAL WEEKDAY NIGHT, I AM: Making dinner to music that I am trying to hear over the noise of children either laughing or crying — sometimes I’m not sure which. This is usually interrupted by my husband, Matt, coming through the door and a herd running to greet him.
WHAT’S THE MOST EMBARRASSING THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME? There isn’t enough time or space to write the daily embarrassments I supply to the world.
IN A SINGLE WORD, I AM: Passionate. Foster care is a huge passion of mine. I want people to be educated on the needs and opportunities that exist in our community concerning these children. There is a desperate need for more foster families in our community. I also want people to understand that there are so many ways to support, contribute and improve foster care, and it is not limited to becoming a foster parent.
THE QUESTIONS I HATE GETTING: Are all those kids yours? Are you crazy?
THE BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE AND WHY: I can’t really think of a specific businessperson, but I admire those in business who care, support, encourage and value their workers well.
A FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT: The iBelong Backpacks. Generous volunteers donate backpacks filled with gifts and necessities, which are then given to children who have just been removed from their homes and placed with a foster family. Each pack has been filled specifically for the age and gender of the child who has come into care. Many children come with nothing or just a few items they were able to bring when they were taken into custody, and these packs mean so much to each child.
IF I WERE A CRAYON IN A BOX OF CRAYOLAS, I WOULD BE: The color would have to depend on the day, hour, minute and sometimes second.