July 2019
Client Spotlight
To this day when Kathy puts in her earrings, she fondly remembers her time in the Women’s Employment Network Program and that Lynnette Williams, Vice President of Program and Services, taught her that earrings are a nice finishing touch to a professional outfit. When her co-worker at the U.S. Department of Labor, Vincent "Tony" O'Brien, retired and her employer needed someone to take over the workshops he's presented at WEN since 2014, Kathy jumped at the chance to contribute to the program that had helped her years ago.
When Kathy enrolled in WEN's program in 1995 she was an ambitious, hard worker with a Juris Doctorate degree but felt that the cultural aspects of her socioeconomic status were holding her back and was the key impediment to her being able to obtain a professional level job. Since graduating with Class #103, Kathy has often said that what she gained from having been at WEN best addressed some of the struggles she experienced in obtaining a professional-level career. She would joke that sometimes it felt like there was a “class ceiling” in the world of professional-level work. WEN helped her learn to navigate business culture and the professional world. She was pleased to discover that the WEN program delved into topics like business etiquette. The WEN Program and related experiences underscored the importance of building a strong network, developing relationships and the value of always putting your best foot forward because you never know when it might lead you somewhere better than you might otherwise have been. One thing Kathy has realized over the years is the importance of a network. She understands there is an art to it and she used her networking skills to break into the business world.
Kathy has had a vibrant albeit a self-described somewhat rocky career path until fairly recently. Though she has undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology, a Master of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution and her JD she did not have a job with a 401 (k) or health insurance until she was thirty-eight years old, in part due to her three disabilities serving as pre-existing conditions, and in part simply struggling to obtain a full-time job with benefits that paid well or at least decently. In addition to maintaining a private legal/mediation practice, at various times she held part-time positions as the Director of Mediation Services at UMKC, the Executive Director of a local non-profit, and was an adjunct professor at three local colleges. At thirty-eight, Kathy finally felt like she “made it” when she obtained her first “real” full-time job with benefits as a Senior Mediator with the City of Kansas City, MO in their Human Relations Department. Many years previously, she had her first professional level job as a full-time AmeriCorps attorney/mediator/trainer in a domestic violence program at Legal Aid which paid $16,000 a year plus a $4000 a year stipend for student loan payments. Her professional lot in life has improved drastically since then. Currently, Kathy works with the U.S. Department of Labor as a Benefits Advisor and has done so for eleven years while simultaneously maintaining a small private legal practice in which she conducts mediations and handles traffic tickets. In her position at the DOL she is passionate about helping people understand law and how they can make it work for their situation and tries to do so with kindness, compassion, and gentleness.
Kathy is most proud of the fact that she has moved from poverty to being a member of the middle class and has raised her daughter to forego poverty and start out adulthood after college as a member of the middle class. She is passing her life lessons down to her daughter, now 27, and helping set her up in ways she never had. Valuing education and fervently believing that it is a key component of avoiding or rising above poverty, she helped her daughter navigate graduating from Colby College, an elite private college in Maine, without any student debt.
At WEN, Kathy will now teach "Saving Fitness" or "Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement" to each WEN class. She is excited to give back and share her expertise and WEN is grateful to have her!
Donor Spotlight
Ashley Williamson (WEN), Natalie Rowe (NASB), Erin Cole (WEN), and Jeremy Hegle (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City)
Thank you, North American Savings Bank (NASB)!
Last November, WEN gave a funding pitch at an Investment Connection forum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. We connected with many banks, including our friend Natalie at NASB - North American Savings Bank. Natalie liked what she heard from us and decided to make an investment! Thank you to Jeremy from the Fed and Natalie from NASB for your support of WEN and other organizations supporting the Kansas City community.
We are grateful and humbled by the support we receive from both local and national funders!
In addition to NASB, we want to give a GIANT shout out to our most recent grantors:
- UMB Bank
- Elaine Feld Stern Charitable Trust (Blue Ridge Bank & Trust)
- Morgan Family Foundation
- Wells Fargo
WEN Alumnae
Marjorie Powell Allen Education Scholarship
Are you a WEN graduate? Check out this scholarship opportunity! Application deadline is July 31 by 5pm.
Upcoming Events
Program Informational Session | Monday, August 5 | 9:00am-12:00pm
Attend a program informational session to find out why WEN is right for you!
Sign up online or contact us today at 816-822-8083.
Fall KC Job Fair | Tuesday, October 8 | 1:00-4:00pm
Sheraton Crown Center
For more information, to register as an employer, or become a sponsor, please call 816-595-1299 or email Ashley Williamson.
9th Annual KC's Got Talent | Thursday, November 14 | 6:00-9:00pm
Boulevard Brewing Company
Do you know someone who's got talent? We only have room for 10 acts and 16 sponsors, so contact us today to reserve your spot!
For more information, head to our website or contact Erin Cole at 816-595-1297.
Thank you to our current sponsors:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
- Boulevard Brewing Company
- Katie's Catering
- ... and YOU! Contact us today to sponsor this great event!
Become a Digital Ambassador
Be Our Friend!
Become a Digital Ambassador for WEN by following us on all of our social media channels and liking and sharing our posts!
Need some ideas on how to engage with us on social media?
- When you're at WEN for a meeting or one of our events, share that you're here with a post or 'check in'!
- Invite your friends to follow us and share why you love WEN.
- Create a Facebook fundraiser for your birthday, Equal Pay Days. Women's Equality Day, Giving Tuesday, etc.
Women's Health Spotlight
Provided in partnership with
For upcoming Food as Medicine Everyday (FAME) program dates, click here!
Health Benefits of Gardening
This spring, Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Women’s Heart Center built its own FAME Garden (Food as Medicine Everyday)! The garden provides visitors and employees an opportunity to learn more about where our food comes from and how incorporating fresh garden produce in our diet results in better overall health.
Gardening can be a wonderful healthy activity and beneficial for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Consider the benefits of gardening!
- Breaking a sweat while tilling, planting, weeding, and harvesting is great physical activity.
- Being outside and working with plants is a great mood booster and stress reliever.
- Natural vitamin D exposure improves bone and heart health.
- Eat heathier with home grown veggies, herbs, and fruits.
- Socialize with friends and family while gardening.
Want to learn more about gardening and how to incorporate produce in a whole-foods based way of eating? Consider signing up for the FAME 12-week series. Our next series begins August 27, 2019. www.saintlukeskc.org/FAME
Do you have a bunch of herbs and don’t know what to do with them? Consider making a delicious green sauce such as chimichurri, pesto, or salsa verde.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine first 4 ingredients in blender.
- Blend until paste forms, stopping often to push down basil.
- Add cheese and salt; blend until smooth.
- Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Top with 1/2 inch olive oil and chill.)