COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT + VOLUNTEERING

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” - Martin Luther King Jr.

I have volunteered in every community that I have ever lived in. As a youth it was mostly as a student, parishioner, and basketball coach. In my twenties and thirties, as a working Mom, I was a treasurer for a swim club; a driver and a fund-raiser for ringette, track, and Beavers. I also am the founder of the Central Alberta Society for Hearing-Impaired Children.

While working for the City of Edmonton, I supported thousands of volunteers and non-profit agencies in my leadership role as a Community Services Branch Manager.

Fast forward to more recent times…

In Beaumont, aside from being President & CEO of Kathy Barnhart Consulting, Inc. I have been an active, visible member of City Council and taken on additional roles such as the Chair of the Leduc Regional Housing Foundation for 6 years and numerous other Council-appointed roles, Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Board, Capital Region Southwest Water Commission, CCBCC and Child Care Advisory Committees, Library Board, Community Advisory Committee, Regional Agricultural Master Plan Task Force, Inter-City Forum on Social Policy, to name a few.

Outside of my appointments, I have chosen to be engaged with developing female entrepreneurship in Beaumont. I am the Chair of Empowering Women Entrepreneurs, the organization that has successfully hosted 4 festive-style, artisan Night Market events in Beaumont. And, in 2016, I was invited to become a Director on the River Watch Institute of Alberta Board where I continue to advocate for nature and environmental science education along with actively assisting the Board with governance and personnel issues. Lastly, over the past three years, I have enjoyed engaging with our community and fantastic artists at the Beaumont Blues and Roots Festival, as a volunteer bartender.