| Board Spotlight - Karen Leslie |
  Karen LeslieKaren joined the Board of Directors in August of 2004. Since then, she has held the position as Chair of the Finance Committee in 2005, 2006, and 2007. She was elected to the Chair Elect position in 2008 and has served as Chair for almost 2 year (2009 & 2010). She is always quick to volunteer for fundraisers and to help out where ever she is needed. In her other life, Karen is the Contracts & Compliance Office for Sedgwick County, Division of Information and Operations. She has worked for Sedgwick County since 1993. Karen is a native Wichitan, a graduate of Wichita North High School and holds a BBA and an MBA from WSU. Other volunteer work includes stints with United Way as an Employee Campaign Coordinator (1994 – 2007) and a member of the Allocations Committee (1994 – Present) Karen’s family resides in Wichita and includes her Mom & Dad, 2 younger brothers and 2 nieces and 2 nephews. Her hobbies are swimming, reading and scrapbooking. A favorite vacation spot is Hawaii.
Karen’s favorite Make-A-Wish memory is meeting Dominic at the Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream Social right before he was scheduled to leave on his Disney World wish. They read the Cinderella book and put the stickers in it. At the end of the evening, Karen was rewarded with a chocolate ice cream kiss from a very happy little boy!
Karen’s reasons for volunteering for Make-A-Wish are very personal. When her youngest brother was born, there were many difficulties. The Doctor had misdiagnosed HR factor and her Mom never got the shot after Karen and her brother were born. The baby had to have 4 blood transfusions and the family was told there were other problems, which later turned out to be untrue. “It could have very well been my family in need of a wish back then” said Karen. “Thankfully, he is a happy and healthy man today” Thank you for your dedication to our mission and the children we serve, Karen. You really do make a difference. |
