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Portraits  |  By Nick Perry

Laura Martin

In so many ways, she extends the meaning of 'Mom'

Laura Martin has three daughters, organizes elementary-school fundraisers, ferries kids to soccer games, buys cleats for those who can't afford them and runs a Brownie troop. Oh yeah, and she helped organize a school program that allows kids to get musical instruments on loan.

"It's just heart-breaking to see kids turned away from class because they can't afford an instrument," she explains. "We have a comfortable life, but lots are really stretched; 55 percent are on free or reduced-price lunch."

Martin, 44, has lived in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood for 20 years. She and husband David Purcell, a commercial banker, have renovated the 1920s Tudor home they share with their girls, now 11, 9 and 6.

Many children in the neighborhood have come by in search of Martin's advice or help over the years, and most recognize her. It seems she's constantly surrounded by kids.

"They say, 'There's the boss of the walkathon,' " Martin muses. "They say my car looks like clown school every time the door opens."

One neighborhood boy has taken to calling her "two-mama" because she's like a second mom.

If she has a passion, it's about inclusiveness, she says. "Seattle's a great place, but sometimes kids need a little help to participate fully."

Years ago, Martin opened her home for several months to a mother-of-three who was getting divorced. The result: five kids in the house, all under the age of 5.

"It was like living in a camp for little kids," Martin says.

The woman she took in later put herself through school and got a good job in real estate. The two remain close.

Martin is a believer in the philosophy that "what goes around, comes around."

Her volunteer work is like an extension of motherhood, she says. And with her eldest daughter, Kathryn, now at Mercer Middle School, Martin's increasingly involved there: helping write the newsletter, organizing parent volunteers, taking prospective parents on school tours. But as Kathryn gets older, she's beginning to set limits — like when Martin chaperoned the Valentine's Day dance.

"I was under pretty strict instructions about not coming out on the dance floor," Martin says, laughing.

"Personally, I would highly recommend motherhood, it's been a wonderful adventure," she says. "It's often portrayed as hard work, but it's also an endless source of joy."