Kathleen Shares Her Journey at the 2011 Leadership Breakfast

Kathleen Kirkpatrick 2011 Leadership Breakfast Speaker

“Thank you, Mr. McCarthy, for inviting me here today to share my story.  Through your vision and the generosity of leaders in this room, you not only touch the lives of the people who come to Catholic Charities for help, but you actually save them.

My name is Kathleen Kirkpatrick and I am 64 years old.  I was a stay-at-home mother, wife, and a care giver of a dying parent of Alzheimer’s disease. After 21 years of marriage, with a son entering college I returned to the job market in the early 1990's. I was able to find a good career that I enjoyed very much as a North Carolina State licensed mortgage broker.

I owned a home and had savings.  I felt secure until 3 years ago when the mortgage industry became unstable, and I was laid-off after 15 years of employment. I was not alone, so many were out of work and finding a job was difficult.

With no job, and my property value beginning to quickly decline, I started to dip into my savings to stay afloat. I was living off credit cards and did all the things necessary to avoid foreclosure on my home.  I finally had to sell my home along with the furnishings for half the value of just a few years earlier. The nest egg I once thought to be $500,000 was gone and after selling the house I was left with $18,000.

After almost 18 months without a job, I was given the opportunity to come to Baltimore to interview with a company.  I had several phone interviews; I was given an airline ticket to fly to Baltimore thinking I would start this job Jan 3, 2011. I arrived at the Baltimore airport to meet my future colleagues, but they never arrived that day.  I slept at the airport that night thinking they must have missed their flights.

I had $500 with me.  The second night I went to a hotel, thinking they would be in touch the next day, but I spent 4 nights at the hotel, waiting for a call. Sunday I returned to the airport, desperate, with less than $50.00. I spent 3 nights at the airport trying to figure out what to do.  The morning of my 9th day, with no options available and only $12.00 left I went to the airport police.  They informed me that I had until 1:00 o’clock that day to make arrangements to leave the airport or I would be arrested for vagrancy. After several calls, I reached social services and was told that to be accepted in any long- term facility or shelter I needed to be interviewed face to face.  I took a tram from the airport to a bus station. It was snowing that day; I was disoriented and terrified when I was let out at my stop.  I was on the phone with a woman from social services who was coming to get me.  She told me to look up, look up.  As I looked up she said, “Do you see me. I am coming to get you.”  There 2 blocks away was a lady coming towards me in the snow.  Once inside social services, I was asked questions, and for proof of identification.  After 5 hours I was told that a cab would be taking me to a shelter to spend the night. I was relieved but horrified.

Upon arriving at the shelter that evening, I was given dinner and told that I was on Ft. Mead military base at a place called Sarah’s House, and that it was a program of Catholic Charities. I was given shelter and three meals a day and assigned a counselor, Caitlin Baummer. She explained that the temporary housing program of Sarah’s house was a 12 week program. In the first weeks they work with you to find a job, help you to start saving money, and then work with you to find housing.  During my stay I was cared for and given so much support. I was given counseling, took job readiness and computer classes, wrote a resume, and was assisted with job applications and transportation to job interviews.

Not being a Maryland resident, and with no response to my job search after 3 weeks, the counselors at Sarah’s House decided to adjust the program.  I was not their average case. 

So we discussed finding housing first, settling in, and then finding a job.  Caitlin worked to find a home for me through catholic charities senior housing. There was an opening at Starner Hill in Grantsville, 3 hours from Baltimore. Caitlin drove me there to begin the process.  Grantsville reminded me of North Carolina, and the residence was welcoming and safe. With emergency status the process went very quickly. In 3 days, I was interviewed and received the call that I would be heading to my new home.

A week later Caitlin drove me to Grantsville to begin rebuilding my life.   For the first time in 20 months, I felt a sigh of relief and that God had answered my prayers and kept me safe. The next morning Community Action and Social Services were at my door to see what I needed.  When I told them I needed a job they both suggested that I contact the department of aging about getting into their job training program for 55 years and older, which I did. The next day I received a return call from them inviting me to Cumberland for a face to face interview and some skills testing. Within a week I would walk across the park outside my front door to social services for an interview. With my mortgage skills, and customer service training, this seemed to be a good fit for all of us.  I was given the job and began the training program, working 20 hours a week. I started working May 1st. The program has been successful and it has renewed my office skills and prepared me to get back into the work force.

In closing I hope I have put a face to all the great things you do to help the Catholic Charities programs.  I am just one voice of 1763 seniors who has a home here in Maryland, and who are safe. I have never felt for one moment that I was just put somewhere and forgotten.... Catholic Charities and all of you have opened the door for me to see the options that keep me moving forward and keep helping me to rebuild my life.  I thank all of you for not just touching my life but for actually saving my life.  The 2nd thing I hope that you will remember is the words of my mother... “Sometimes the lord puts us on our back so we know to look up for help”.  It only took me 63 1/2years to understand my mother’s words myself...but on a cold snowy day when I thought I was lost on the streets of Baltimore, I heard....”look up, look up; look up...I am coming to get to you”...   The last thing I want to share with you... Caitlin shared with me that she was a Project Serve volunteer for Catholic Charities, living with 6 other roommates who worked at different programs of catholic charities.  My success has meant as much to her as it has to me.  She is here with me today.  She shared with me...that not only did this save my life...but it also saved her life...so I hope you see how your help and your kindness is needed and how it is working.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holiday.  May your faith keep you and your family safe.”

Senior Housing Communities

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