Volunteer Spotlight! – Laurie Brooks, volunteer Assistant Manager of the Native Plant Nursery

Welcome to the Volunteer Spotlight! Here, we will gain insight into these amazing members of our park team.

This month we are spotlighting Laurie Brooks, who is our volunteer Assistant Manager of the Native Plant Nursery!

Laurie’s favorite spot at John Pennekamp is the Butterfly Garden. She likes to sit on one of the two benches that she and her husband donated to the garden in memory of their parents.

Laurie moved to Key Largo in 2013, but has been coming to John Pennekamp since childhood. Her family would come down from New Jersey on Easter break and camp at the park. Her dad particularly loved this park, thus the memorial bench in his name. Her mother in law died around the same time as her dad, so they donated a bench in her memory as well.

Her favorite park memory from childhood was marveling at the beauty of the roseate spoonbills that used to winter in the lagoon near the campground. Also, mom would put Spanish moss in paper bowls, topped with hard boiled colored eggs, and this was what Laurie long thought an Easter basket was.

Her favorite recent memory is of her grandkids all sitting on great grandpa’s memorial bench for a photo.

Her favorite local eatery was Snappers until hurricane Irma destroyed it! Now she likes to sit outside and dine at Buzzards Roost.