As Seen on Oprah & NBC Nightly News
Topics
- Living a Purpose-Full Life
- Non Profit Organizations
- Work Life Balance
- Leadership & Management
Working for Peanuts: The Project Linus Story
Karen is the Founder and Denver Coordinator of Project Linus- a children’s non-profit that has delivered almost 9 million handcrafted security blankets to children in need of comfort around the globe over the past 25 years. She has been endorsed by celebrities such as Charles Schulz, Oprah Winfrey, Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. She recently coordinated a celebrity-made blanket fundraiser for the organization which included handmade blankets by Wheel of Fortune‘s Vanna White, Songstress extraordinaire Carole King and crochet phenom Jonah Larson.
She been honored as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans and Ten Outstanding Young Coloradoans, recipient of the JCPenney Golden Rule Award, Unsung Hero & Outstanding Woman in Business by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Distinguished Alumni Award, Outstanding Contributions to Strengthening the Family Award, Sertoma‘s Front Range District Mankind Award, Jim Atkins Community Service Award and featured in People Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Parade, Family Circle and Women’s Day Magazines. She was featured in the award winning documentary, “Beware of Mr. Baker“.
As a Community Leader, Karen has served as founding Board Member of Hide in Plain Sight since 2015 (breaking the chains of homelessness and poverty through education- Board Chair for four years), is a Board Member of Active4All Evergreen (mobilizes public support and financial resources for the improvement of parks and recreational opportunities for all members of the Evergreen, Colorado mountain community). and was on the Board of Directors of Parker Chamber of Commerce (Senior Vice Chair for 2 years). She still runs the Denver chapter of Project Linus- delivering 3,000-5,000 security blankets to children in need of comfort through hospitals, hospice, police and fire departments, social services, specialty camps, Native American reservations and the United States military.
For the past 26 years, Karen has been speaking to audiences large and small about how individual effort produces big results. She uses her public platform to inspire others to fight for something larger than themselves. Her optimistic message is simply that one person really can make a positive difference and that obstacles can be opportunity with the right perspective.
Fanning the flames of making a difference have been a priority for Karen. Her experiences as a 13 year veteran Firefighter and EMT with Rattlesnake Fire Protection District, The Children’s Hospital of Colorado as a Healthcare Provider and People Development Specialist have made team improvement a top priority. She was a Fire Starter through the Studer Group for Customer Service in Healthcare/ Hardwiring Excellence.
When she isn’t doing things for others, Karen is a competitive athlete; winning the Lt. Governor’s Cup in Master Swimming and was Colorado Masters 200 yard backstroke champion. She is currently training for the Marine Corps Marathon held in her hometown of Washington, D.C. on Halloween 2021. She enjoys riding her hiking and motorcycling around the United States and Canada with her husband and BFF Gary. When they aren’t out enjoying world travels (most recently returned from Egypt and Jordan), they live in an idyllic mountain community near Denver and are faithful servants to their cat Moonie.
Invite Karen to bring a spark to your event!
For more about Karen’s availability,
please contact Denver Speakers Bureau at (303) 478-6652 or email us today!
