COVER STORY 26 may 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition What has been your most rewarding time? I absolutely love my job. I found my place at the Community Foundation where I use a little bit of all my career experience. It’s a privilege to sit with people and work with them to craft a plan for how they want to be know when they’re gone, how they want to be remembered and how that legacy can live on through philanthropy. And that gift can be small, or it can be large, but it will uniquely represent them. I think those very personal and privileged conversations are very special. What advice has been most helpful to you or would you like to offer to other women? I subscribe wholeheartedly to the quote from Maya Angelou that people don't remember what you did or what you said, but they remember how you made them feel. Laurie Farquhar President, National Christian Foundation South Florida Laurie Farquhar is a distinguished leader and advocate for faith-based community development. With an extensive background in the financial industry, including a 23-year career at American Express and formerly managing audit engagements for Deloitte, Laurie has seamlessly transitioned her business skills into nonprofit work. After years in the corporate world, Laurie went through Lifework Leadership, a program that encourages attendees to integrate their faith into their business and everyday lives. She has been a lifework coach ever since. She joined the National Christian Foundation South Florida (NCF) in 2015, where she currently serves as president. Laurie describes NCF as network of networks with programs designed to walk alongside generous givers to invest in the Kingdom, equip business leaders to use their professional calling for God’s glory, and unite church and nonprofit leaders to serve our community collaboratively and efficiently. Through its donor-advised fund, which she describes as a “charitable checking account,” NCF enables individuals to give cash, stock, business interests, real estate, and other valuable assets to support causes they care about. Nationally NCF is a $10 billion financial services firm, but they are a ministry first and foremost guided by Scripture. And this platform powers NCF South Florida’s mission to redefine generosity and reimagine community. Since joining NCF South Florida, Laurie has helped expand its footprint, opening new offices in Miami, Naples, and Palm Beach and growing its staff from just six to 21 employees. In addition, Laurie is a founding board member of StrikeForce Giving, a women’s giving circle that has given almost $2 million to Christian nonprofits in South Florida. She attends Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and is the mother of two adult sons, Matthew and Christopher Rodriguez. What is God’s calling for you? To use my talents and skills developed in the business world to help grow His Kingdom. What charities are you personally involved with? Locally, I’ve been on the Board of Sheridan House Family Ministries for over 10 years and currently serve on their executive committee. I am also on the StrikeForce Giving board and serve as treasurer along with serving on the Policy and Broward boards of NCF South Florida. On a national basis, I am on the board of Women Doing Well, and I’m on the national board of the National Christian Foundation, serving as Chair of the Audit Committee. What Bible verse has encouraged you? “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:9). What has been your most challenging time? Having a high-powered executive level job at a fortune 100 company while raising two boys was certainly challenging and now it’s the other end of the spectrum – caring for aging parents. My Dad went to heaven a few years ago and my mom is still going strong at age 95. It’s been a blessing but also quite challenging to care for them well at the end of their lives. What is the accomplishment that has been the most rewarding? First and foremost, it’s having two great boys that are thriving. It’s wonderful to be close to your kids when they are grown and really enjoy one another. With NCF, what I'm most proud of is our growth. When I started, we had one office in Fort Lauderdale and now we’re serving people all across the Southeast and Southwest Florida. Do you have a hobby? I’m adventurous and love to be outdoors. I like to putter around in the garden, walk, bike, hike, ski and paddle board, kayak – anything outside! I also love to travel and have been to over 60 countries. What advice has been most helpful to you or would you like to offer to other women? Don't Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff is a book that I used to teach other women in the workplace. It helps you focus on the bigger goals and keeps you from letting all the little things in life drive you crazy. But I’ve found being in community with other godly women is really the key to finding purpose in your life. Tewannah Aman Executive Director, Broward Right to Life Tewannah Aman, executive director of Broward Right to Life, is a passionate advocate for life, truth, and healing. For over two decades, she has promoted a culture of life in South Florida through education, advocacy, and biblically based support programs. Under her leadership, Broward Right to Life launched Guard Your Heart, a Christ-centered Bible study that teaches women and teens to build God-honoring relationships. She also leads a post-abortion group, Forgiven and Set Free, that offers hope and healing to those impacted by abortion. Aman is also active in student outreach and relationship education. She teaches Relate Well, Live Well classes, equipping teens with faith-based tools for healthy relationships, and serves as a sponsor for First Priority clubs, mentoring middle and high school students to live out their faith. Her personal story of redemption fuels her calling. After experiencing abortion and the loss of a child late in pregnancy, she committed her life to defending the value of every human life. She publicly testified in support of Florida’s Women’s Right to Know bill, advancing transparency and informed consent laws, and helped mobilize the faith community to defeat Florida’s pro-abortion Amendment 4. Tewannah and her husband, John Aman, director of communications for Coral Ridge Ministries, have been married 30 years and attend Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. What is God’s calling for you? My calling is to help people understand how a relationship with Christ changes everything. I want individuals to experience healing and restoration by having an intimate walk with the Lord. What charities do you support? Besides Broward Right to Life, we give to Open Doors, Jews for Jesus, Evangelism Explosion International, and other discipleship ministries. In fact, Evangelism Explosion is where I met John. We also support two children through Compassion International. What Bible verse has encouraged you? “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28). What has been your most challenging time? The challenge is overcoming preconceived ideas within ministry leadership and helping them recognize that many women and men in their congregations are silently suffering due to previous abortions and that addressing issues of life with compassion and education is essential for healing and true understanding. What has been your most rewarding time? The most rewarding thing is to be introduced to children that are celebrating birthdays because God used my life and what I've gone through to minister to their parents. And then the countless testimonies of women who have experienced freedom and healing by going through Guard Your Heart. It warms my soul to hear them share how they are getting closer to the Lord, studying scripture, and are leaving unhealthy or toxic relationships. These are the things that bring me immeasurable joy. Do you have a hobby? I love going to the beach and collecting seashells. I love to create and make things. I am a dance enthusiast and am working on cultivating my green thumb in our garden. Flowers make me smile. What advice has been most helpful to you or would you like to offer to other women? The key to living a fulfilled life is seeking His face and meditating on His word until it becomes a part of you. It wasn't until I started taking His Word to heart that God began to heal and redeem the broken places and empty spaces of my past. Laurie Farquhar and her sons, Christopher and Matthew Rodriguez John Aman and Tewannah Aman (Continued from page 25)
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