Board Member Spotlight — Kathy Parker
Kathy Parker hesitates to take an ounce of credit for the success of Book Drive for Kids. Even as a devoted founding board member, she insists her role has been minor at best and that all the kudos should go to Michelle Cook and Nicol Klingenstein for working tirelessly to create their nonprofit from scratch and doing all they can to get books into the hearts and hands of kids everywhere.
That said, one thing she can’t downplay is the distinction of being the first person they pitched the idea to in the first place.
As the story goes, Michelle and Nicol already looked up to Kathy as an amazingly selfless and Godly friend and mentor. It also didn’t hurt that she had an extensive background in hospitality, business ownership, leadership, and countless nonprofit work. That background includes owning several Trail Dust Steakhouses with her family, being a board member of the Dallas Opera and Dallas Theater, and being the President of the Dallas Theater Guild. Needless to say, she was precisely the person they needed to bring their fledgling idea to life in 2017.
“It was a wonderful idea,” Kathy said. “I remember sitting down with them at the kitchen table and working through everything necessary to get started. I pulled out my notebooks from places I had been involved with and worked through what a structure for something like this might look like moving forward—how to set up a board, reporting mechanisms, etc. We started dreaming up a vision of where we wanted to go, and kudos to them for following through.”
Kathy is still every bit the sounding board and volunteer Book Drive for Kids has needed as it continues to grow. More importantly, she has been instrumental in helping Michelle, Nicol, and so many others achieve personal growth and strive to be good stewards as they search for more ways to give back to the communities they serve.
“While you may not know the lives you touch, you hope that what you’re doing will positively affect future generations,” she said. “I love what Book Drive for Kids does, and I’ll continue to help for as long as they’ll have me.”
Kathy considers herself a retiree but has no trouble keeping herself busy. She has organized and taught a women’s Bible study group in her home every Monday for the past 15 years and is an active member of Denton Bible Church. She is also involved with several other nonprofits, including Refuge for Women, and still finds time to play tennis three times a week. She also loves cooking and shopping.
She and her husband, Nathanial, live in Argyle and are about to celebrate their 30th anniversary—possibly with a trip to Spain. They have a blended family with six kids (one of which is in heaven) and 12 grandchildren between three months and 25 years old. Interestingly, one of her step-children is Tan Parker, Senator for Texas Senate District 12.
With help from volunteers like Kathy, Book Drive for Kids is able to give away thousands of books annually. Join our volunteer fun and help us get more books to more kids!