April 10, 2025 | By Emilie Jacques
Copper Shores Community Health Foundation is delighted to welcome Mandy Lounibos to the team as Donor Relations Specialist. Lounibos is stepping into this brand new role after making a career of nursing and community organizing. Lounibos looks forward to building relationships with new community partners and strengthening relationships with existing ones as Copper Shores carries out its mission of making the community a more healthful place.
Lounibos comes in with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and human services. During that time she's learned a lot about the importance of the social determinants of health, and she sees Copper Shores as a beacon of light for improving those factors in Michigan's Copper Country.
“As a nurse, you see that there are differences in health outcomes depending on what zip code you’re born in, ” said Lounibos.
Social determinants are the non medical factors that impact our health. Sometimes it’s related to the environment, having access to clean air and water, sometimes it’s related to the local economic situation or exposure to violence and the ability to access education, medical care or healthy food. I want to look more broadly at the root causes of these differences.
“We can prevent disease and how we can make a greater impact on health through prevention by supporting healthy places to live, learn and play," said Lounibos. "Access to healthy environments like healthy food systems, robust social networks, affordable transportation and safe places to exercise support and protect our health. These services and networks also make us more resilient when managing acute and chronic illnesses for ourselves and our loved ones.”
Lounibos grew up in Baltimore before moving to New York City to earn her BA in sociology from Fordham University. While in New York, she worked in homeless shelters and supported families transitioning into permanent housing.
“How and where we live shapes our health outcomes,” said Lounibos. “Whether it was poverty, domestic violence, difficulty with transportation, affordable housing or the everyday struggles of trying to get food on the table, some of the families I worked with were in survival mode. Once these basic needs are met, people can really start to flourish. When you can build a supportive environment, people not only become independent, but thrive socially, emotionally and physically.“
She went on to earn her BS in nursing from New York University. After completing school, Lounibos and her husband moved to the midwest, settling in Madison and starting their family and her career in nursing.
The Lounibos family moved to the Copper Country 13 years ago, making a once frequent vacation spot their new home. The Copper Country suits their lifestyle well, giving them easy access to outdoor recreation opportunities and a tight-knit community to build up and be a part of.
Lounibos recently earned her master’s degree in public health from Goodwin University. While earning her degree, Lounibos continued to serve the community through Michigan Technological University, conducting public health research focussed on the Upper Peninsula and teaching a public health class to undergraduate students.
Her passion for supporting others extends well outside of work. Lounibos has been the lead organizer for the Ryan Street Community Garden in Hancock for nearly 10 years, helping to coordinate fundraising efforts, recruit new garden members and maintain regular community outreach programming. In fact, Lounibos successfully received funding from Copper Shores for the garden in 2020. She sees community gardens as not only a space to grow food, but an opportunity to connect with others, get some fresh air, get a little exercise and be a part of something greater than oneself - all components of improving overall community health.
She’s hit the ground running in her new role at Copper Shores - meeting donors, staff and board members, understanding the mission and vision of the foundation, and partaking in planning for future opportunities.
“It's really important to maintain partnerships in the community and broaden people's understanding of what community health is and what impact social determinants can have,” said Lounibos. “I want to build capacity and community support for the kinds of programming that will really make a difference for health prevention.”
Lounibos looks forward to building relationships with new community partners, donors and sponsors, and strengthening relationships with existing ones as Copper Shores looks to fulfill its mission of making the community a healthier place. As the foundation grows its services, her expertise in community health and organizational skills will prove vital in creating a more healthful community.
To learn more about Copper Shores’ efforts to support better community health outcomes for Copper Country residents, including updates on grants, impactful stories and upcoming events, subscribe to the free monthly newsletter at copppershores.org/newsletter.
