Today’s story is about motherhood and Habitat. It’s about a new mom who realized that
even though she left her career to be a stay-at-home mother, she could still
use her talents to help others.
This story is about Brady’s mom, Christine Catanella.
 |
| Chris & Brady |
Once upon a time, Chris was a professional event
planner. Last year, after Brady
was born, she left her “paid” job to be home with her son. At that time, Chris found a new way to use her event
planning skills. She offered them
to Burlington County Habitat for Humanity and became the Chairperson of their
annual fundraising gala.
Why Habitat?
I asked Chris why she chose to volunteer at Habitat.
It turns out that her own family was
involved with Habitat International when she was growing up and they traveled
around the world building houses in Guatemala, Ecuador and Nicaragua. It shaped
her life and the person she grew up to be. It even led her to join the Peace Corps. As Chris looks back on this
experience and remembers building homes alongside of her parents, she feels
grateful to Habitat for teaching her so much and she wants to “give back” to
Habitat.
A Family Friendly
Organization
Chris wants Habitat and the idea of volunteering to be part
of Brady’s life. She wants
to teach him at an early age the importance of making a difference in the
world. Although she obviously cannot bring him to a Habitat build, she brings
him to meetings and events or when she has to work on mailings. She believes
that Habitat welcomes both of their contributions. Brady is the perfect ice breaker and donations typically
increase whenever he’s around!
The Gala
It takes almost a year to plan the gala and Chris’s job is
to work with the Outreach Committee members to put a strategy together for a
theme, location, sponsor, donations and entertainment.
This year’s theme is
High Heels & Hard Hats and will take place on March 24th at the
Laurel Creek Country Club in Mount Laurel. Chris expects to have about 200 people in attendance and her
goal is that everyone will leave saying what a fun time they had. The event
will include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, a silent auction, dancing,
basket raffles and special guests.
Get Involved
Chris encourages other new mothers who are looking to be
part of an important cause to call Habitat at 856-303-8080 to find out how they too can use their skills and
talents to help out at the gala or to volunteer at Habitat throughout the year.
