“Over the past 25 years that the Gingerbread House has been serving our community, we have been blessed with amazing, caring individuals. Lauren is a great example. To me, she epitomizes servant leadership. It is a joy to be around someone with such a positive outlook and willingness to help anywhere and anytime needed. She is an integral part of the good work the Gingerbread House does on behalf of children who have endured difficult and often tragic experiences.”
-Jessica Milan Miller, Chief Executive officer for Gingerbread House.
Lauren Nunnery champions the cause of helping children who have been abused. An insurance agent for the Louisiana Farm Bureau, she has been an avid supporter of the Gingerbread House Children’s Advocacy Center for the past six years, and particularly since 2021, having assisted with almost every event the organization has hosted. The Board of Directors elected Lauren last January to help lead the Gingerbread House as Vice President. “Her kind and genuine words are always uplifting,” said one staff member. Another noted that Lauren loves surprising the staff with treats on particularly tough days. She is especially dedicated to helping with outreach—always among the first to sign up for volunteer work shifts to help teach others about the Gingerbread House and be active in promoting and supporting existing events or conceptualizing new ones.
Jessica Milan Miller, Chief Executive Officer for Gingerbread House, added, “Over the past 25 years that the Gingerbread House has been serving our community, we have been blessed with amazing, caring individuals. Lauren is a great example. To me, she epitomizes servant leadership. It is a joy to be around someone with such a positive outlook and willingness to help
anywhere and anytime needed. She is an integral part of the good work the Gingerbread House does on behalf of children who have endured difficult and often tragic experiences.”
What inspires Lauren Nunnery about Gingerbread House’s mission?
The mission of the Gingerbread House is so inspiring to me because it gives children a voice in situations where they might not normally have one. When children are the victims of trauma, it’s the goal of the Gingerbread House to make sure their voices are heard, they are as comfortable as possible during the interview process, and they get the counseling that they need to heal. Every staff member approaches every case with the compassion and determination needed to make that child whole again. The better question is, how could I not be inspired by the mission of this organization?
In what ways do you personally gain purpose from the work you do for the Gingerbread House?
The real work performed is by the staff members. These are people who have been educated and specially trained to know how to engage, counsel, and be a calming influence while also acquiring insight that is important for being an advocate for each child from a legal perspective. We, as a board, are here to support the decisions they make to better the lives of the children they serve. What they see, hear, and feel every day is unimaginable. Their work with each child is heroic. I hope they know they are backed by a board that believes in each and every one of them. This gives me purpose.
What are some shorter- and longer-term goals that keep you passionate and motivated to continue working with them?
The Gingerbread House is a nonprofit organization, so fundraising is vital to its existence. My short- and long-term goals are to continue to bring awareness to what they do for all the children they serve. I am so fulfilled when I can educate someone about their mission and lead them to support the cause in some way. If anyone would like to know more about what they do, meet the amazing people who do it, or support them in some way, I can definitely help with that. It would be my honor.
