Special to the Bugle

The St. Anthony Park Community Foundation has named Lisa Sackreiter the recipient of the 2026 Michael Brasel Spirit of the Park Award. The award recognizes a neighbor who demonstrates extraordinary dedication, leadership and service to the St. Anthony Park community. Lisa will be recognized during the Fourth in the Park celebration, where she will ride in the parade and be formally presented the award during the bandstand program following the parade.

For nearly three decades, Lisa has quietly and consistently invested her time and energy into serving the community she loves. Since moving to St. Anthony Park with her husband, Andy, in 1997, she has devoted countless hours to neighborhood schools, community organizations and local initiatives.

“Lisa embodies the essence of this award in every sense,” said Julie Drechsler, executive director of the foundation. “She is someone who sees a need and immediately thinks about how and who needs to work together to address it. Her impact reaches far beyond any single organization or project. She has spent years building connections, supporting others and strengthening our community.”

A community leader

When her children were young, Lisa volunteered with reading groups and service clubs at St. Anthony Park Elementary School. Later, she helped organize fifth-grade celebration dinners, tutored students through Murray Middle School’s Pilot One-to-One tutoring program and served on the Parent Advisory Council. She also taught in the Flipside after-school program, and supported both the cross-country and boys swimming and diving teams.

Lisa’s community service didn’t stop at the local schools. She served for many years on the St. Anthony Park Branch Library Association board, had been a board member of the Shakespeare in St. Anthony Park and is currently a board member of the St. Anthony Park Community Foundation, serving more than 10 years, and has held positions of chair and fundraising chair.

Extending a hand to refugees

In recent years, much of Lisa’s volunteer energy has centered around St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church. As co-leader of the church’s Refugee Committee, Lisa has helped build and sustain a growing network of support for immigrants, refugees and asylum-seeking families.

Established in 2023 as part of the congregation’s “Meeting the Moment” initiative, the committee launched a monthly food distribution program at the International Institute of Minnesota. What began as a modest effort has grown into a significant community resource, serving more than 100 households each month and distributing more than 150,000 pounds of food over the past three years.

Lisa coordinates food orders through Second Harvest Heartland, organizes volunteers and helps ensure that families receive not only fresh produce but also staple food items and welcome bags for those newly arriving in the community. During Operation Metro Surge, the effort expanded even further, delivering food directly to dozens of households throughout the Twin Cities.

Her work has also strengthened partnerships between St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church and other organizations, including Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul. Through its “Faithful Hospitality” program, Lisa coordinated volunteers and helped transform church space into emergency housing for asylum-seeking families. Between August 2024 and June 2025, the congregation provided shelter and support for families navigating uncertain circumstances.

In her professional life, Lisa serves as the director of Service Learning and Community Engagement at The Blake School, a role that reflects her lifelong commitment to service.

Those who nominated Lisa repeatedly described her as someone who works behind the scenes, focuses on others rather than herself, and possesses an extraordinary ability to connect people, resources and opportunities. She approaches each effort with compassion, humility and determination, they said.

The St. Anthony Park Community foundation has given out its Spirit of the Park Award annually since 2007. The award was renamed in 2023 to honor Michael Brasel, the youth hockey coach who was killed that year as he interrupted car thieves in front of his St. Anthony Park home.