One Woman's Response to Homelessness: Karen Olson

Sep 3

In this conversation, Karen Olson discusses her experiences that led to the founding of Family Promise, an organization dedicated to helping homeless families. Karen emphasizes the importance of community involvement, understanding the root causes of homelessness, and the need for advocacy and public policy changes. She encourages listeners to take action, get involved, and make a difference in their communities.

Karen Olson, the founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise has dedicated her life to transforming thepresent and futures of homeless and low-income families. Karen has rallied more than a million volunteers nationwide, fostering an extensive network of support for the vulnerable. Also, because of all the efforts of the volunteers, theorganization has been able to assist over a million people experiencing homelessness.Before her remarkable transition into the realm of social advocacy, Karen demonstrated her leadership prowess as amanager at Warner-Lambert. However, her leap into the world of nonprofits truly underscored her compassionate spirit and steadfast determination.

Karen’s efforts have been duly recognized, and she has received numerous awards. Some of them includePresident George H.W. Bush honoring her with the prestigious Annual Points of Light Award, and the New Jersey Governor’s Pride Award recognizing Karen’s remarkable social-service contributions. The American Institute of PublicService also bestowed upon her the Jefferson Award, acknowledging her tireless public-service efforts.In 2019, Karen experienced a freak accident that left her in a wheelchair. While it has changed her life, Karen continuesto be involved.