About 20 years ago, Heather Lyons was part of the hard-driving corporate world, an IT professional who traveled and lived abroad for Unisys. This peripatetic existence has led to her new role as coordinator of the Women’s Initiative at HomeFront, focused on securing stable housing for Mercer County’s homeless population,
The Women’s Initiative will host a “Ladies’ Night Out” on Thursday, December 2, which will provide an opportunity to get ahead on the holiday season. Multiple vendors will showcase jewelry, gifts and clothing from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Greenacres Country Club, 2170 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville. Call 609-883-7500 or visit www.homefrontnj.org. Cost: $30.
Lyons’s personal itinerary is a long and winding road. Her childhood embodied travel. Her father, president of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Rating Bureau, was born in New Zealand and her mother was a travel agent. When she headed to college at the University of Richmond, Heather concentrated on a business major which led to an MBA from Wharton. From there it was on to Unisys, then Burroughs, followed by 12 years at Bankers Trust where she ultimately managed IBM’s 401(k) plan.
Her introduction to HomeFront came from an experience closer home. Her cousin’s 16-year-old daughter had died of a brain aneurysms and her family began a 5k event in her name. The young girl had been active with HomeFront and it was one of the charities chosen to receive proceeds of the run. Lyons took the opportunity to discover the lasting impact that the organization had on families in flux.
It was a natural that Lyons turn ed her focus to coordinating the efforts of the Women’s Initiative. A collection of women of widely differing professional and social backgrounds bound together by a profound commitment to the mission of HomeFront, the Women’s Initiative was begun two years ago to galvanize fundraising. Several events have been scheduled by the WI over the next few months.
“HomeFront goes so far above and beyond to break the chain of poverty,” says Lyons. “It teaches the full range of life skills.”
