When she first came to Women, Work, and Community, Karen Garland-Kidder was a stay-at-home mom with two young children. She attended Creating Your Future as a favor to a friend and wasn’t looking to make changes to her home/work situation. She found that she enjoyed the process involved with career exploration: being at the table with others as they worked through the curriculum and discussing the results of the self-assessments and career research – their thoughts, feelings, fears and what they planned to do. “Even though I was happy being a stay-at-home mom at the time, coming to this class got me thinking about my future.”
The following year Karen signed up for the pre-nursing program at UMA. She has now completed the pre-nursing requirements (on the Dean’s list!) and is waiting for her slot to open up in the Nursing program. Her plans are to become a midwife to aid women in experiencing a joyful labor and birth.
Then she bought Wicked Gelato, a great place for young and old to gather and enjoy. She saw a need for such a business in the community and hopes that the business will continue to evolve for years with community support. Plus, gelato-crafting has proven a very satisfying creative outlet!
Karen was one of the leader’s of the Western Ambassador fundraiser this year. To complement Coffee By Design “My Mom’s Coffee” sales, local business owners, several ambassadors themselves, donated items for a raffle or offered special deals. Wicked Gelato sold bags of coffee, raffle tickets and a wonderful gelato made from the coffee.
Quote: “Very few people get to live their dreams in life. … I have two very beautiful, healthy, busy young children, I am studying for a career in nursing and I own a business on Main St. – all by the age of 28! If you find the career that’s right for you you’ll never have to work another day in your life.”