I had the delight of meeting Kathy Witherow, Board of Trustees Member of Marshall Foundation and Assistant to El Dorado County Supervisor Brian Veerkamp.
Kathy exemplifies the people of Placerville in her passion and commitment to serving her community. Although Kathy was born in Carmel and raised in the valley, her family has been here since 1972.
It’s no surprise that Niche ranked Placerville in the 2015 Best Towns to raise a family. Here is an inside look at my conversation with Kathy, and you’ll see what I mean.
Q. You have an important job with Supervisor Brian Veerkamp, what types of projects are you working on?
A. Supervisor Veerkamp and I are on working on programs to address homelessness in the county. Many of us are buffered and don’t see the issues we face with homelessness and how it takes a toll especially on veterans and the mentally ill. We are fortunate to have over 400 non-profits in the county, but people continue to fall through the cracks, so we are part of a consortium that includes city and county representatives, service providers, and faith-based organizations. We encourage collaboration, and the results have been great. We are inspired by what we can accomplish when people join forces; we are much smarter together and we look forward to sharing our work with our communities very soon.
Q. You and your husband have a heart for service, where does that inspiration to help others come from?
A. I volunteered for school events and activities when my children were young, always a “soccer mom” or “band mom”. As a professional, I joined El Dorado Hills Rotary thinking it was good for business and discovered it has nothing to do with business. It’s all about helping your community. I called my Rotary friends “my peeps” and they became an important part of my life. When my husband and I left El Dorado Hills and moved to Placerville, I found a few other valuable groups to join. I am on the Grants Committee for the Women’s Fund, a new Board Member for the El Dorado County Fair Association and of course my commitment to the Marshall Foundation as a Committee Chair and active member of the Drive for Marshall Golf Committee. My husband is also a vital member of the golf committee, he loves golf, I kind of like it. He understands what it means to commit and give to your community because he witnesses it, daily. His boss, Jim Carter, exemplifies the meaning of giving back.
Q. How did you get connected with Marshall Foundation?
A. I’ve known Executive Director, Karen Good for some time. We kept bumping into each other at various events in the community. One day she asked me to lunch, and it was at that point that she talked to me about being a member on the Board of Trustees for Marshall Foundation. I was surprised and honored.
Q. What types of committees are you on, and what are your goals and objectives?
A. I am the Chair of Strategic Planning, and would like to see us prioritize our objectives. We have so much that we’re doing and I would like to dig into the details. I would like to help make sure our programs are not only providing support to the many areas we address, but are also educating the community on the things that the Foundation does. I think there is some confusion that the Foundation and the Hospital are one in the same. While there is overlap, the Foundation supports the larger community in different ways from the Hospital. Prevention and good healthy habits are passions of mine. I am very excited about the direction both the Foundation and the Hospital are heading in these areas.
Q. Tell us about “The Tree House?”
A. In 2013, my husband and I moved to Placerville. We were living in El Dorado Hills and commuting into Placerville everyday for work. We found a home right here in Placerville and just love it! When our daughter first came to visit at the new place, she called it the tree house, and that name stuck. We’re on a slope and when you sit on the deck it feels like you’re in a tree house as you overlook the tops of the oaks and the seasonal creek down below. It’s so peaceful, we simply enjoy sitting back and enjoying the sight of humming birds buzzing in for a drink, many other kinds of birds flitting through the trees, and squirrels jumping from branch to branch, always so busy!
The visionary leaders of Marshall Foundation have provided assistance for the pressing healthcare needs of the community for over 41 years. Check out the website , and join the conversation on Facebook. Your support stays local and serves those on the Western Slope of El Dorado County.
Q. How did you get connected with Marshall Foundation?