Staff Spotlight: Kara Angelini
“I joined the Tennyson Center team because I want to make sure that my career, first and foremost, is centered on the principle that I am using my abilities in service of others. I was raised by two non-profit workers who were deeply committed to service and giving back, even in their free time. Whether we were preparing meals on Thanksgiving Day for the homeless or fixing up trailers in Appalachia, my family always emphasized that we had a responsibility to use the resources we had to better the lives of our neighbors and our community.
After college I started my career in political fundraising, but I quickly found myself feeling like I couldn’t make a true impact in today’s polarized environment. I wasn’t interested in doing work that was performative—I was ready to look at the pressing needs of my community and use my background in fundraising to help in any way possible. I wanted to be part of a mission dedicated top to bottom to a social good that was rooted in creating a more robust community. I got the sense right from the start that Tennyson was not here to uphold any status quo, instead this team was determined to imagine a better future for the kids in our state and respond to the rapidly changing needs of child welfare services in Colorado. I could see that it wasn’t enough for Tennyson to give Colorado kids just the services they need, but the services they deserve.
Since I started at Tennyson, I’ve watched this transformational vision work, day in and day out. My favorite part about working at Tennyson is that even though I am in a development role and not a direct services staff member, I get to witness firsthand how lives are changed. It is such a privilege to come into work every day to see our clinicians and educators working hard to make the small things in life transformative for our kids. Over the past year I’ve learned that, above all else, our kids truly just want to feel safe and be seen. Our direct care staff knows that the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference, and I am constantly in awe of their ability to connect with Tennyson kids and begin the healing process. The work our direct care staff does every day is unbelievably challenging, and it is an honor to help support the life changing work that happens at this organization. I feel incredibly lucky to work with a team that knows we have the responsibility to be there for every child, no matter what.”
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