Women of Distinction: Lake Forest volunteer takes charge to support her community

For Judy Kotsiopoulos of Lake Forest, volunteering in her community is an extension of who she is and how she was raised. It is part of the cycle of life, giving back to others and making a difference in the lives of those in need.

"Growing up, even as a child, it was a way of life," she said. "My dad was planning the Sportsman's Club fish fry, spaghetti dinner and other events."

From helping her parents plan events for their church in the southwest suburbs as a child to coordinating large-scale fundraising events in Lake County, Kotsiopoulos is a volunteer who loves seeing the hard work and planning turn into an outstanding event that is fun and fulfills her fundraising mission.

“My biggest satisfaction is seeing people having fun and seeing the labor of my work has turned into something positive,” she said.

Kotsiopoulos is a former member of the United Way Board of Directors. Today she is an active member of the Women’s Leadership Council with the United Way of Lake County. The group has a focus on serving at-risk children in Lake County, providing children with programs and the tools to be successful in school.

“We’re making an impact and changing the community where we live,” Kotsiopoulos said. “We’re taking children and setting them up to succeed.”

When it comes to supporting her community, Kotsiopoulos said she enjoys getting in and helping with the physical work, painting a school, taking part in a community clean up. Her true passion is event planning and coordinating.

“[Judy] is highly organized and she’s really gracious,” said Carla Zuniga, chairwoman of the Women’s Leadership Council. “She’s no stranger to hard work and she doesn’t mind rolling up her sleeves.”

Kotsiopoulos works on the WLC’s annual Power of the Purse signature fundraiser where the money raised goes directly into the programs supported by the council to promote education and literacy in the community.

“By giving children tools and resources like books, supplies, and mentoring, we are helping to fuel their curiosity, giving them experiences and connections they’ve never had which helps change the trajectory of their educational futures.” she said.

In her career, Kotsiopoulos spent more than 20 years working in global strategic sourcing for two medical companies before she switched from operations and to the employee services department where, among her responsibilities, she was coordinating activities.

Kotsiopoulos said she really enjoyed her work, in particular the coordinating of employee activities and functions. After years of juggling her career, her busy family life, her role with her husband’s business and her philanthropic work, Kotsiopoulos has made a change to retire from her full-time career and focus on her family: John, Devan and Ava.

She’s also finding more time for the programs she has long supported, including the Canine Companions for Independence, which provides service animals for people with disabilities. She also lends support to Nice Dogs for Nice Families in Libertyville, which helps rescue dogs and find them new homes.

She supports the American Cancer Society and she was very involved in the Girl Scouts with her oldest daughter volunteering as a troop leader and the service unit manager for Lake County.

Today, her oldest daughter is a freshman in college. In a recent phone call, Kotsiopoulos said she realized the cycle of community service continuing as her daughter chatted about serving Meals on Wheels in her new community.

“She’s been with me through all my activities and she was involved in high school, and now she is doing this on her own,” Kotsiopoulos said.

In serving the community, there is hard work and long hours, but Kotsiopoulos said she also enjoys the camaraderie, friendships and the rewards of seeing how the efforts can produce a change.

“I’m a driven person,” she said. “I like to be busy. I like to be involved.”