Meet February Volunteer of the Month, Natalie Kaelin

We are thrilled to recognize our February Volunteer of Month, Natalie Kaelin, who is one of our volunteers and a member of our Board of Directors who is #kickingbutt in many ways! Natalie is involved in a lot of the work we do, and we are very grateful! Join Natalie and other supporters at the Bottoms Up Bash on March 4, 2016; buy your tickets now through this link! Learn more about Natalie below, including what her favorite place in the world is!

*How did you get involved with The Project?

My husband, Dave Kaelin, actually started working with Andrea and Will Benoit in the “Young Professionals” group and he asked me why I wasn’t involved considering my family history with Colon Cancer.  So one day Andrea asked me to help jump start a new program to give grants to those fighting colon cancer.  I helped with the founding of the Fighters Fund – the name, the process, etc., and I haven’t looked back.  I have now been on the Board for the past year and have continued to increase my involvement while getting many others in my family involved as well.

*What is most meaningful to you as a volunteer for the Project?

Knowing that what I do makes a difference in the lives of others.

*Why the Louisville area?

This is where I was born, where I met the love of my life, and where my family lives.  Why anywhere else?

*What is your favorite restaurant in Louisville?

Mayan Café or El Mundo

*What is one interesting fact about you that most people don’t know?

I was a Marine Biology major when I first went to college at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

*What is your motto you live by?

“Fill life with experiences.  Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

*What is some advice you were given long ago and still live by?

Never stop learning.

*What is your guilty pleasure? (Yes, we mean the one you are slightly embarrassed to admit.)

Good craft beer.

*If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?

Hawaii is still my favorite place in the world so I would probably go back there.

*If you could trade places with anyone in the world (dead or alive) for a month, who would choose and why?

I would trade places with my 3 year old daughter to gain a better understanding of the eyes through her world and to make me a better parent.

 

Thank you for all you do, Natalie! You are truly #kickingbutt!