SHINING STAR of 2023-2024 awarded to Kristi Pohl

Creative, boundlessly energetic, dynamic, funny—these are but a few words to describe this amazing woman. More than anything else, she is an enthusiastic participant in everything she does for Assistance League—and she does a lot.

From the moment she joined in 2021, along with her best friend from high school, this volunteer dove right in to AL activities. She started working at the Thrift Shop, and right away became a Day Manager. Bringing an amazing breadth of knowledge from the retail world, she has shared her wisdom and skills on all aspects of the Shop.

She has an unflinching work ethic and sticks with a task until it is done right—and she does it with a bright smile. This volunteer claims she is not tireless, but some would argue with that assertion.

In February 2022, she and another volunteer were instrumental in launching ALMSP’s online Shopify site. In addition to negotiating these new and often difficult waters, these two people mentored other AL Chapters in developing their online sites. Six months later, she and the Online team pivoted to the eBay site that we have today—which ultimately provided better sales and exposure for our Chapter. The financial results speak for themselves.

This volunteer is always willing to pitch in wherever she sees a need—for example, she stepped up to help when the Chapter meeting tech volunteers were unavailable. (How many of us would do that?) She also wrote a fun script for our members who modeled Thrift Shop fashions at the recent Minnesota Women’s Rotary spring event. And she has been a valuable member of the Finance Committee for the last two years.

This volunteer is a superb cat mom; serves as her family’s caretaker in all things medical; is a best friend and cheerleader for her son and a good friend to us all. She received multiple nominations for this award and it could not be more deserved.

Kristi Pohl, thank you for all you do for Assistance League!

(Presented to Kristi by Terri Hudoba)