Kara Whitehouse

Kara Whitehouse serves as Operations and Grants Management Coordinator, overseeing and providing ongoing administrative support services to the onsite and deployed staff of NBA. Setting the tone for hospitality and creating a welcoming office environment, Kara manages the St. Louis office day-to-day responsibilities and vendor relationships. Kara is the lead planner and facilitator, serving as “the face” of the grants program. In her work with the NBA grants program, she assists applicants, while also accompanying the rest of the grants team and committee in the selection process. Kara is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Getting to Know Kara

Why do you feel “called to care” about Disciples health and social ministry?

I feel “called to care” because I believe it is part of our basic human spiritual nature. Biblically, Christ calls us to care for “the least of these” (Mt. 25:40) and to “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Mk 12:31). Being a part of NBA means choosing to let my actions speak louder than words by being part of an organization and developing a culture that bridges the gap between the community  (both internal and external) and the cross through compassionate service and care.

Who is a hero of yours, and why?

Frances Mae (Cromer) Kuehl (1932-2014) – my grandmother. Born and raised in post-Depression era Iowa, she fell in love young and settled quickly into raising six children while running many of the duties behind the family farm. She knew and taught her family how to work hard, live simply, and make the most out of their blessings. An administrator and planner by heart, she saw the importance of service and put her skills to use as a life-long member and leader of several community service organizations, events, and women’s church groups. More than anything, it was her approach to seasons of hardship, loss, and the unknowns–choosing to face life with a hard-working hand, a twinkle in her eye, and an almost hidden mischievous sense of adventure and passion for learning, growing, exploring and loving that I will carry with me throughout my own life.

If I tried to find you in a supermarket, what aisle would you be in?

I am a sucker for the larger grocery stores with the imported cheese counter smack dab in the middle of the produce and surrounded by wines and grains to match. I can get stuck for a very long time taste-testing the various cheeses and brainstorming/learning about the perfect wine/fruit/veggie/grain pairing for each one.