Katherine Knowlton was brought up in an environment that really valued volunteerism. “My mom was always involved in the charitable sector,” she explains. “She was a fundraiser for a number of years at hospital foundations and other organizations. So that was ingrained in me from a really young age — that idea that there’s a lot of work to be done, and the importance of giving back to your community in that way.” So once she came out of the hazy days of new motherhood, Katherine knew that it was time for her to find a volunteer role where she could truly make an impact. In September 2023, Katherine began her term as co-chair of the Nellie’s board of directors.

Katherine’s professional career strongly complements her work for Nellie’s, as well — for the past 7 years, she has worked with the Canadian Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) in improving financial reporting for private sector entities, including not-for-profit organizations. “It’s a harmonious relationship, in that certainly a lot of what I learn at work I can bring to the work that we’re doing at Nellie’s, in terms of making sure there’s good financial oversight and accountability,” explains Katherine. “And then on the flip side, I learn so much at Nellie’s every day that I can bring to my work with another angle, to help bring that perspective into developing standards for the not-for-profit sector.”

But why Nellie’s? While there are a few reasons why Katherine felt particularly drawn to Nellie’s, the first is geographical: she lives in the same east end neighbourhood as our shelter, and she wanted to do work that benefitted her local community. She was also specifically interested in working with a shelter because when she was in high school, she volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House in Halifax. Although the two organizations have different mandates, Katherine notes that there’s a similarity in how both Nellie’s and Ronald McDonald House understand that a warm and welcoming place can provide much-needed comfort to people during tough times.

As Katherine learned more about the work Nellie’s does outside of our shelter, especially our advocacy work in breaking the cycle of gender-based violence, the choice to work with Nellie’s felt like a no-brainer. And as a mom of two young children, she felt an even stronger pull to our organization. “Having the perspective of being a mother as well, knowing that Nellie’s supports a lot of moms in very tough times, it just all aligned to where I felt my time could be best spent,” says Katherine.

As a busy mom (plus the owner of a dog named, coincidentally, Nelly!), Katherine’s all about driving tasks towards the finish line. “I like to get things done — I like to drive things forward and see things through to conclusion,” she says. “So I’d like to hope that I can bring some of that to the board as we continue certain initiatives and really focus on getting things done across all different aspects of what the board’s doing in overseeing the work at Nellie’s.”

Thank you, Katherine, for sharing your story and for your time and service to Nellie’s.