Susan Freiberg: Full-circle service

With two sons now in college, Susan Freiberg decided it was time to do something for herself– and so she decided to do something for others. 

What she didn’t expect was for it to bring her full circle. 

Susan said she was looking for something that could center her. 

“I wanted to connect with other professional women,” Susan told TeamWomen. “I love to be surrounded by strong, brilliant women. I’ve always enjoyed that side of networking and business.”

And then she found TeamWomen. 

Finding TeamWomen

As the director of HR for the H2I Group, a specialty subcontractor for athletic, education, and laboratory projects, Susan has had a long career of helping others. 

In fact, helping others was on her list of things she wanted to do as she realigned her focus on her own pursuits after raising her sons. 

“I wanted to find something that would help me become better as a person and as a human,” she said. 

When she discovered TeamWomen, she was drawn to TeamWomen’s networking and community service opportunities, two strong components of TeamWomen’s mission to empower and support women and girls. 

Reaching the community 

Once a member of TeamWomen, Susan was able to join the TeamWomen Community Outreach Committee. The committee is dedicated to expanding TeamWomen’s presence, impact, and mission by building strong relationships with local organizations and engaging with diverse communities.

Twice a year the committee partners with the St. Paul Police Department’s Community Engagement Department  to pack 100 backpacks for children in emergency situations as part of the TeamWomen Backkpacks for Kids Drive. 

Susan and her other committee members gathered stuffed animals, coloring books, pens, Goldfish crackers, fruit snacks, and more to fill the backpacks. Susan even enlisted the support of her H2I Group colleagues to work together as a team to make blankets for each backpack. 

After gathering donations, the committee filled 100 backpacks, and delivered all the items to the police to distribute to children in crisis or emergency, usually within the foster care system. 

“If there’s anything with foster care or kids, I always want to get involved,” Susan said. 

Coming full-circle 

Starting when she was 9-years-old, Susan remembers having foster kids come to her home. Her love and respect for the children and caretakers within the system quickly became a part of her life.

“I realize what an amazing human my mom is,” Susan told TeamWomen. “She was so willing to always open up our home to these kids who had nothing and were really struggling.”

Filling the backpacks this summer was Susan’s full-circle moment. 

For a few summers in her youth, Susan and her family did emergency shelter care for the foster children in the area. This type of care is a temporary shelter for children and is most often done in partnership with local law enforcement and hospitals. 

Growing up, Susan remembers opening their home to children on an emergency basis. Her mother was a nurse and could provide medical assistance. 

“I remember squad cars coming to my house with a kid that would stay with us for a night or two until they were assigned to a more permanent location.”

The children in those scenarios could be facing a variety of devastating scenarios and they need love, acceptance and care, Susan said. 

Now Susan said she’s so grateful to continue serving the community from the other side and continues to fill the backpacks the displaced children receive in those emergency situations. 

“It’s really a full-circle moment for me,” she said. “You don’t know how much that part of my childhood shaped me. It always grounds me to stop and think about it.”

Stepping back, giving back

For Susan, giving back to the community is all about stepping out of the box and doing something she feels connected to. 

“A lot of times people attempt to bite off big things to give back to the community,” Susan said. “When really, you just need to step back and realize that small, tangible actions still have a big impact.”

Visit here for more information about how to get involved with TeamWomen’s Community Outreach, or one of the other excellent committees. 

Register to attend our December 5th Holiday Party to hear more about the impact of our Community Outreach efforts. You can also make a donation to support our efforts here.