Lisa Latimer, President and CEO of Nortek Environmental, has consistently gone above and beyond for Haymarket Center and our patients. Lisa became a part of the Haymarket community as a result of a loved one’s struggle with substance use. In Lisa’s case, it was her stepson, who passed away in 2016 from an overdose. After her stepson’s passing, she was reconnected with her old friend Eva Delgado, a counselor at Haymarket, who offered her support and condolences.
“Lisa and I have been friends since grade school,” Eva explained. “Lisa’s always been such a kind and generous person, and I know she’s organized donation drives many times before. When I told her more about Haymarket Center and the work that I do here, she was inspired to start one of her donation drives in memory of her stepson.”
For six years, Lisa has organized donation drives in support of Haymarket Center, bringing in abundant supplies of clothing, toiletries, and gift cards for our patients. She spends several months promoting and collecting donations from her professional and personal connections. Impressively, each year’s the collection grows. Lisa’s sense of generosity is not limited to Haymarket. In addition to organizing her clothing drive for Haymarket, she also donates to other service providers, and even goes to Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago to directly provide people who are experiencing homelessness with winter clothes. For Lisa, her work is driven by a profound and enduring sense of empathy.
“You never truly know what someone is dealing with and the troubles they have, so if you can do anything in this world, be kind and give back,” she explained. “The more that you get involved with people experiencing homelessness, you realize that they’re somebodies’ family or friend. They can be veterans or someone unfortunate. If everyone can give a little, it would make a difference to a lot of people.”