Cead Mile Failte! A Hundred Thousand Welcomes
Greetings Foundation Friends!
My name is Katie Crumpler, and I am the new regional associate for the Northern Piedmont. I started in June of this year and am thankful to be learning about all the great work that the Foundation does.
My husband and I recently had the amazing opportunity to travel to Ireland and Scotland. It was quite a trip — my first overseas adventure. It was certainly a celebratory trip — our honeymoon, second anniversary and thirtieth birthdays rolled into one. We started planning a year ago, and now that the trip is complete (with me trying to put a scrapbook together), I can reflect on how the trip mirrors my thoughts on starting this new job at the Foundation.
Planning
Needless to say, the planning that went to this two-week venture was extensive. How do you cram an entire country’s worth of sites into a week-long stretch? With their rich history and as incredibly beautiful as both countries are, there’s a lot to see and take in. In a similar vein, the NC Community Foundation has afforded me the opportunity to take a lot in — I have the pleasure of working with six diverse affiliates and their boards, three women’s giving circles and a large number of rewarding scholarship and endowment funds. With so many people and organizations to work with, it requires quite a bit of planning in order to accomplish the goals set out by affiliate boards and fundholders.
Hospitality
During our trip we got to experience Ireland and Scotland’s famous hospitality, through our B&B hosts, bartenders and taxi drivers. Our favorite was a lovely couple who owned a B&B in Kinsale, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Quigley (although Mrs. Quigley could easily be mistaken for Robin Williams’ Mrs. Doubtfire) were some of the nicest people we’ve ever met, going above and beyond the call of B&B hosts. Speaking of above and beyond, I can safely say that the entire Foundation family has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. Not just the staff here, who are all wonderful, but my affiliate board members, giving circle members and fundholders have all been incredible with their offer of assistance as I have settled in.
New Adventure
With driving on the opposite side of the road (on the opposite side of the car), converting dollars to euros and British pounds, deciphering thick accents and pulling over for passing sheep and cows, finding our way from one end of each country to the other was an adventure. Coming to the Foundation has certainly been an adventure as well. Learning about endowment funds, community grantmaking, local philanthropy and collective giving has been both challenging and enjoyable.
I’m excited about combining this new career adventure with the great team I have to work with and some good old-fashioned planning. It makes the Foundation a great destination!