KMF Volunteering creates volunteer opportunities that celebrate Katie’s life and spirit, while realizing in local communities our mission and vision.
(KMF volunteers load emergency food boxes at the 2009 KMF Volunteering Event at GCFD.)
The 2010 KMF Volunteering Event at GCFD
On May 8, 2010 at 1:30PM, Katie Memorial Foundation (KMF) will volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). For three hours, we’ll inspect and sort donated food so that it can be distributed to the many needy people that the GCFD serves.
If you (and your friends) are interested in volunteering with KMF at this event, please send an email to KMF Director, Jeff Evans.
(KMF board members celebrate a job well done at the GCFD.)
NOTE: Please be aware that GCFD limits volunteering to folks 13 or older – repackaging is done in a warehouse setting and the GCFD wants to ensure the safety of its volunteers.
The 2009 KMF Volunteering Event at GCFD
(KMF members and guests pack emergency food boxes at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.)
On August 1, 2009, 30 members and guests of the Katie Memorial Foundation volunteered at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Over three hours, KMF packed emergency food boxes – 32 pound boxes containing a balanced assortment of food that could sustain a family of five for up to three days during an emergency. By the time our work was finished, KMF had packed 896 boxes onto more than 22 pallets – resulting in over 14 tons of food that is ready for delivery.
(KMF members and guests pose with staff from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.)
Over the past year, the City of Chicago has seen a 35% increase in the number of folks who are not able to afford food. The Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) has taken a lead role in attempting to alleviate this growing concern. The GCFD works to link providers of food (donors – from corporate to individual) with distributors of food (the City of Chicago and various food pantries around the city) in an effort funnel as much food as possible to those in need. To facilitate this, the GCFD relies on individuals and organizations to sort food into healthy, well-balanced portions that can be distributed.
(KMF board members celebrate a job well done at the GCFD.)
KMF would like to thank its members and volunteers for their selfless donation of time and energy! Please consider getting involved next year by sending an email to Jeff Evans (Volunteer Committee Chairperson).
NOTE: KMF would like to thank the many University of Illinois Extension staff members who came out to help at the GCFD event to make emergency boxes:
Sort food:
and lend a hand:
Thanks for your great work, Extension Services—we couldn’t have done it without you, and look forward to doing it together again next year!
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KMF Sponsorships support ongoing community health projects in areas closely connected with Katie’s life, including her hometown of Antioch, IL.
2010 KMF Sponsorship Recipients:
- Read And Run Marathon Mile
In “Read And Run Marathon Mile,” Hope Rural School 2nd and 3rd grade students participated in a fitness program at school where they ran a minimum of 25 miles in increments between September 2009 and January 2010. Thirty-one students completed the final 1.2 miles of the Read and Run Marathon Mile in downtown West Palm Beach.
2009 KMF Sponsorship Recipients:
- Amanda Schutz of Edina High School (Edina, MN) for Getting To Know Your Body.
(Students at Edina High School in Edina, MN, pose with their teacher, Amanda Schutz.)
“Getting to Know Your Body,” creatively presented basic information about the hierarchy of needs, bodily functions, and overall health concepts for Somali immigrants, in a gender-friendly manner that respects cultural traditions. The project culminated in an end-of-year essay scholarship competition for students who attended “Getting to Know Your Body,” who are interested to study nursing and public health at the university level.
(Zeynab Mohamad, 2009 “Getting To Know Your Body” KMF Scholarship Recipient, with her teacher, Amanda Schutz. Amanda created this scholarship with funds she received for a 2009 KMF Small Grant.)
Zeynab Mohamad is currently using the 2009 “Getting To Know Your Body” KMF Scholarship to help pay for the first-year cost of attending St. Cloud State University, where she is earning her nursing degree.
- Karilyn Gagliardo of Gurnee Grade School (Gurnee, IL) for Gurnee Grade Gets Healthy!.
(Students learn about public health from community health officials at “Gurnee Grade Gets Health,” an April 2009 community health fair in Gurnee, IL. “Gurnee Grade Gets Healthy” was created by Karilyn Gagliardo, a 2009 KMF Small Grant recipient.)
On April 23, 2009, Gurnee Grade School hosted a school-wide community health fair, in which students learned specific ways to improve their live by making healthy behavioral changes. Fair venues included learning better nutrition habits, exercise needs, safety concerns such as poisoning or fire or theft, and disease and infection prevention. Parents networked with community leaders and health care professionals, to make local connections that will help them to implement these changes.
(KMF Secretary Michelle Yearout talks public health with one of the exhibitors at “Gurnee Grade Gets Health,” an April 2009 community health fair in Gurnee, IL.)
2008 KMF Sponsorship Recipients:
- Katherine Murphy and Erin Connolly, of Hope Rural School (Indiantown, FL) for Read And Run Marathon Mile.
(Students at Hope Rural School in Indiantown, FL, participate in “Read And Run Marathon Mile.”)
In “Read And Run Marathon Mile,” Hope Rural School 2nd and 3rd grade students participated in a fitness program at school where they ran a minimum of 25 miles in increments between September and December 2008. Thirty-one students completed the final 1.2 miles at the Read and Run Marathon Mile in downtown West Palm Beach on December 6, 2008.
- Allison Lowenstein, of Golder College Prep (Chicago, IL), for Exercise Is For Everyone.
(Students at Golder College Prep in Chicago, IL, practice the various aspects of “Exercise Is For Everyone.”)
In “Exercise Is For Everyone,” students learned about the importance of exercise, the food guide pyramid, health benefits, tips on getting started, choices in exercise, creating a lifestyle that incorporates exercise and how to walk correctly. They also learned how to properly use a pedometer. Parents, siblings, and friends worked together, inside and outside of the classroom, to emphasize improved eating and exercise habits.
- Melinda Wilson, of Curie Metropolitan High School for the Performing and Technical Arts (Chicago, IL) for Clean-Up On Aisle Four.
(The promotional poster for “Clean-Up On Aisle Four.”)
“Clean-Up on Aisle Four” students learned choreography based on the international field of public health and concern for issues in the Middle East with a focus on Israel and the United States.
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KMF Knitting Party
(Crafters cast yarn at KMF’s first Knitting Party in Greensboro, NC.)
On Sunday, November 2nd, 2008, the KMF Crafting Project hosted their first Knitting Party fundraiser at Gate City Yarns in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
Six women from the community, all new to knitting (except one), attended the event. Everyone was given a set of knitting needles and yarn (graciously donated by Lorri Ahrendt, from Illinois) to begin their adventure in knitting.
(The Goods!)
Tina Feir, the co-owner of the store, was on hand to give simple instructions for casting on the yarn and the beginning knitting stitch. While everyone was busy knitting, Crafting Committee Chairperson Jenn Carlson-Long gave some background on Katie the person, and KMF the organization. She also explained how the KMF Crafting Project began and how it has continued to thrive from the generous donations from crafty women around the country.
(The KMF Good-ies!)
In closing, each participant was given a KMF goodie bag full of knitting instructions, a skein of yarn, printed information about KMF, and molasses spice cookies. A good time was had by all! Best of all, it was a party Katie would have enjoyed – small, cozy, and full of fun and laughter.
Learn more about Gate City Yarns here
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The KMF Etsy Shop
Support KMF and look good doing it!
Designed by Katie’s friend, Amy Dogan, our KMF wear proudly spreads the word about The Katie Memorial Foundation in a fun and friendly way.
Currently, we can only process orders online, via Google Checkouts below. All items ship in 4-6 weeks. Price includes shipping and handling.
Our 100% Heavy-Duty Cotton Long-Sleeved Pre-Shrunk T-Shirt:
Support KMF and look good doing it!
Our 100% Cotton KMF Bandanna:
The Katie Memorial Foundation is a 501( c )(3) federally tax-exempt charitable nonprofit organization. The KMF taypayer identification number is 74-3250765.
