Remembrance of Kathleen

This month, we celebrate the life of our colleague Kathleen Mahoney who passed away in early August. Like many of our peers, Kathleen had facilitated our online workshops for close to a decade helping hundreds of workshop participants and was a close colleague and friend to many. She was a seasoned facilitator and became a mentor to coach and provide guidance to our peer leaders.  Earlier this year Kathleen was excited to hear about the launch of our new website. I had asked each of the facilitators and mentors for a fun fact, and Katheen shared with me that she had 14 siblings. She remarked that as a kid, there was always someone to play with or talk to, and as an adult, having siblings to share life with was a wonderful part of her journey.

 

Katheen was looking forward to the launch of our newest caregiver program for rural caregivers and was first to volunteer to mentor our pilot workshop. Kathleen was a caregiver to her spouse and could easily connect with the other caregivers in her workshops. As a caregiver to her partner who has Parkinson’s, Kathleen recently told me she believed BBC was a powerful tool for the unique concerns and questions of those caring for specific neurological conditions.

 

Since Kathleen’s passing, we have had an outpouring of warm sentiments and reflections from current facilitators and mentors. Facilitator Candii, who worked alongside Kathleen in many a workshop shared the following with me.

 

“I will miss Kathleen the most because of the intuitive guidance she gave me personally working with her as a mentor.  As a new facilitator many years ago, she was kind and supportive.  She had a passion for our programming that was infectious.  Kathleen knew what to say and when to coach facilitators through challenging participants, interpersonal dynamics between facilitators, and share tips or suggestions that fit the diverse populations to better serve our clients.  I considered her a friend and a mentor, and will thoroughly miss working with her and hearing her laugh.”

 

We thank Kathleen for her devotion to our programs and the infectious spirit she brought to everything she did. She will be deeply missed. In honor of Kathleen, we have donated to the Parkinson’s Foundation, an organization near and dear to her heart.

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